In Retrospect...

As usual there is a strange sense of hollowness after a big long comp finishes and the airfield becomes quiet and empty. Friends old and new have departed back home and it is time to do so yourself.

Despite neither Mike nor I getting quite the result we were hoping for, every comp at this level makes you realise what your own weak points are, and allows you to form a plan for addressing them. I know that next time I get an opportunity like this I will be able to apply everything I learned at Prievidza, hopefully to good affect. Mike and I both found that the things we couldn't simulate in practice were the things that caught us out in our pair flying - the poor visibility, crowded radio channel, pre-start gaggling stress, and terrain and wind.

It was probably the most stressful comp I've ever attended - there were no straightforward days - every day was demanding, and most were very technical. We seldom meet that sort of day in Australia. From the first day, where we headed out in a headwind from the start at cloudbase, but with only about 2000ft clearance over the heavily wooded and mostly unlandable valley systems, through windy days, overcast days, and violent stormy days, we had the whole lot thrown at us. Even the last day, which was much more like a typical Australian racing day but was only a 2hr AAT so every thermal had to be strong as it was a large part of your total flight.

More stress though came from pre-flight gaggling and outlandings. The gaggles were as bad as I have experienced anywhere except Norway 2004. Mike and I both damaged our gliders more than once, simply by landing in the best available option. This certainly starts to play on the mind on subsequent flights and it is easy to start doubting yourself. And of course the Russian fatality was very difficult to handle emotionally, especially for Peter who saw the whole thing happen.

Those who got the best results were generally flying a style known as 'getting on the bus' - where you simply wait until a strong gaggle flies through the start gate, and tag along the whole flight. Pilots were easily making a top-15 place on every day with this tactic. Over 12 competition days that will put you well within the top 10, with virtually no risk of a bad day. Consistency, yes - brilliance - no. I had a very interesting discussion with Howard on the British team, who is a firm believer that the easiest way to win a worlds is to use that approach but just to do it slightly better than the others. It is the antithesis of how most Aussies fly, and to me very much goes against the grain. But you can't argue with the statistics.

Anyhow, I'm now looking forward to getting back to DDSC and practicing for the Nationals! See you all after the middle of August!