Hallo All,
Preamble
For years, there has been robust debate in this country, on the subject of team
flying in Australian Competitions. Some pilots are strongly for it, some
strongly against it, and some are ambivalent. Some pilots have been known to
change their viewpoint, when their own circumstances change!
It is generally acknowledged, that in any modern competition, where the
practice of team flying is allowed, (such as a World Championship), GOOD team
flying is essential if any team wants to get at least one of their members onto
the podium. I have used the word "GOOD" quite advisably, because, like
everything else in gliding, it takes considerable time and practice to perfect
the necessary skills.
****************************************************************
That is of course the rub. How can this practice be carried out? This is not
the question here, but Allan Barnes, a member of the DDSC has seriously
considered this particular question and offered some suggestions. In passing,
I suggest here, that if the team changes, then it is probably necessary to
return to the basics, at least in the short term, to develop the essential
trust and rapport that is required in this exercise. I would expect that two
pilots who are experienced team flyers (but not with each other), can far more
quickly become a new team, than a team made up of any other combination such
as: Two pilots who have never team flown at all; a team of one experienced team
flyer, and one pilot who has never team flown before. A further interesting
question is "what is the ideal team size"? My own suspicion is that to a
limited extent, more is better. In the world of professional bike racing, the
team size is 9 riders. In gliding at World level, I think 3 pilots per class is
the official limit, so I suspect that the possibilities of a team larger than 3
has never been explored! Can perhaps some research dollars be obtained (to the
greater good of Oz gliding, and indeed World gliding), to explore this subject?
I am certain that there is the odd PhD or two that could be obtained here, and
the pilots in the studies would of course have to undergo maybe hundreds of
hours of team flying in the interest of this research! What a bugger!
**************************************************************
The Question
For the sake of this post, assume that we have a team of two pilots who are
competent in team flying. They are pitted against many individual pilots. As
outlined above, we know that there is an advantage in team flying.
So the question is "what do YOU think is the percentage advantage of the team
flyers over an individual pilot under 'normal' Australian Summer conditions."
As every exam paper demands - state why you formed this viewpoint.
Regards,
Gary
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