Some interesting quotes.

David Ashcroft - 06/04/2010

The more preparation you do before you fly, the less thinking you will have
to do in the air and the more you can focus on finding lift.
Jocky.

A bad habit will reveal itself in time. Mine is showing off. Don't do it
near the ground.
John Do.

During windy and turbulent landings get into a standing position early in
case you have to PLF. It is smart to always use this technique when coming
in to land. You may think that sitting back in the harness until the last
possible moment looks cool, but to experienced pilots you will only look
ridiculous.
Jerome Canaud.

When gliding between thermals, speed up. Use your speed bar to maintain a
pitch stable trim: accelerate if the wing pitches back, or ease off as the
wing surges forward. Holding the rear risers to keep a little pressure in
the trailing edge of the wing can help reduce the likelihood of deflations
and make you feel more comfortable.
Russ Ogden.

Comfort is far more important than an extra point of glide or speed
performance - your glider will perform better if you are comfortable flying
it / You'll get a lot more flying if you fly a safer glider at 100% of it's
potential than if you fly a high performance wing at 60% of it's potential.
Mike Cavanagh / Jocky.

A core of a thermal is often small and hard to centre on. If you feel a
strong pull to one side then it's obvious which way to turn, but if you are
unsure and you feel that you could go either way then try weight shifting
and braking to one side to move over a little just for a couple of seconds,
then turn and weight shift the opposite way. This allows you room to
complete the 360 in the lift rather than turning immediately and falling
out of the thermal.
Russ Ogden.

Cloud-suck. The first mistake would be to try a rapid descent manoeuvre in
the strongest part of the lift. You'll only exhaust yourself trying! The
solution is to escape the area of lift - use big ears and speedbar (latter
applied second) and hold a compass heading out of the strong lift, then use
a rapid descent manoeuvre. In the end it is better to be sucked into the
cloud going in the right direction, away from the centre of the lift, than
it is to be sucked into the middle of the cloud tired and disoriented.
Dav Dagault.
Note the need for a ball compass. Familiarise yourself with rapid descent
techniques before you need them.

The more aggressive the thermal is, the more aggressive you should be with
it. Purposeful inputs should be used to maintain a good turn radius. The
smoother the thermal the smoother you should fly: try holding the brake
handle like you would a wine glass; that will encourage you to be smooth!
Russ Ogden.

In competition, flying high might be colder, but it's a lot more
comfortable than scratching low while trying to fly fast during the whole
task. When you are high, you get better thermals, your in control of the
pilots below you meaning that you have more options, and you have better
terrain clearance safer margins. Take the time to stay high - you can
usually spend your altitude easier than you can gain it.
Dav Dagault.

Ground-handle! You can't practice this enough. Any pilot who knows how to
ground-handle perfectly can fly perfectly. Practice when facing forward,
and learn to keep the wing perfectly overhead without looking at it.....
Ralf Reiter.

A change in terrain, such as from fields to forest, can be a thermal
trigger. Study the flatlands for likely triggers and look for patterns.
Jerome Canaud.

If you think Acro flying is better than sex, then you've never had sex with
an Acro Pilot.
Ralf Reiter.
Something to look forward too!!

Always take the core! You can always flatten out your turn and go back to
the average lift later if you can't stay in the core.
Jocky Sanderson.

Be curious, and explore new sites. Remember that conditions are different
everywhere, so inform yourself and advance carefully in new terrain. You
will greatly improve you flying by travelling to new sites. Flying the same
site every day is not good for your progression.
Jerome Canaud.

Find and centre on the core of the thermal as soon as possible. This
maximises your climb rate and leaves you less likely to fall out of the
bottom of the thermal. Don't hesitate in lift!
Russ Ogden.

The more preparation you do before you fly, the less thinking you will have
to do in the air and the more you can focus on finding lift.
Jocky.

Let your imagination play out possible outcomes in front of you. Consider
how many more years you would like to fly for, there's no rush!

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