I - PREPARATION

• Introducing members
• Overview/ overall plan

• Two main skills (climbing, gliding)

• Landings
• Setup types
• Reading from air
• Slopes and obstructions
• Drogue ‘chute
• Retrieval (phone, GPS, radio)
• Radio use
• Flying partners
• Equipment

II - PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS

• Positive attitude
• Conditions
• Achievement
• Decision-making
• Simplifying Patterns
• Fear
• Fatigue
• Learning from example

III – THERMALS

• Model
• Climbing techniques
• Down low—focus and centering
• Turn direction
• High side/yaw
• Speed
• Size of circle
• Inversions
• Vario use
• Drifting
• Finding thermals
• Signs
• Going to climbs
• Triggers
• Inversions
• Convergence/waves
• Cloud use
• On upwind/downwind/crosswind track
• Feeling/ sensitivity

IV – GLIDING

• Lines
• Using sink like lift
• Don’t squander altitude
• Speeds-to-fly
• Upwind/downwind/crosswind
• Ground cover
• Clouds (lift highways, blocking wind, leaving thermal, directing flight)
• Strategic planning
• Shadow talk

V – GLIDER TUNING AND EQUIPMENT

• Flying straight
• Performance
• Harness adjustment
• Vario setup
• GPS use
• Drag reduction

VI—SAFETY FACTORS

• Weather (Thunderstorms, high winds, sea breeze, turbulence)
• Dehydration
• Fatigue
• Orientation (Clouds, vertigo, spins)
• Getting found
• Survival techniques

VII—COMPETITION

• Beginning preparation
• Mental aspects
• Launch timing
• Gaggle flying (crowd control, going with gaggle)
• Flying faster
• Ridge running
• Start gates
• Following
• Leading
• Leaving thermals
• Goals
• GPS usage
• Equipment tuning
• Free-flying practice (crosswind and upwind flying)
• Radio usage/team flying