London Gliding Club
racing
Competitions involve a group of gliders flying the same task. The winner is the fastest one around the task. Scoring is simply taking the distance of the task and dividing it by the time taken.
Often the difference between first and second place is seconds. Over the course of the week these differences get added up, and the fastest pilot overall wins.
Modern high performance gliders cruise between thermals at speeds in excess of 90 mph. When the thermals are strong, a good pilot can average more than 80 mph over a task of a several hundred miles! Fancy a quick trip to Wales?
H2 dropping ballast image 
1 of 3
on a strong day, high performance gliders will carry water ballast
The extra wing loading means that the glider must fly faster to stay
airborne dropping the water before landing restores
normal flying speeds
1 of 3
on a strong day, high performance gliders will carry water ballast
The extra wing loading means that the glider must fly faster to stay
airborne dropping the water before landing restores
normal flying speeds
competition grid image 2 of 3
normally competitions have 50-60 competitors, each flying their own
glider. To facilitate launching these are arranged in a grid.
2 of 3
normally competitions have 50-60 competitors, each flying their own
glider. To facilitate launching these are arranged in a grid.
startline gaggle image 3 of 3
with so many contestants it can get quite
busy around the start line. Good lookout
is an essential skill!
3 of 3
with so many contestants it can get quite
busy around the start line. Good lookout
is an essential skill!
