KeepitFast Coaching Week
KeepitFast is run annually at the club, usually in October or November. It is a fun and relaxed training/coaching event with the goal of improving XC performance and competition results. This is targeted at competition and serious XC pilots wishing to improve their skills in a relaxed environment.
There is no need to be a ‘Top Gun’, this is open to any pilot with Silver C and above who is comfortable going cross country. However, it is not suitable for beginners.
For XC beginners and competition initiation the Keepit Regatta is a more suitable event. KeepitFast is one notch up and you will be challenged a bit more, but it remains a relaxed event.
In previous years we have secured the services of World Champions Brad Edwards, multiple times Australian Champions Bruce Taylor, Allan Barnes and world class pilot Makoto Ichikawa as coaches. Each participant has the chance to fly in a two seat glider or in ‘lead & follow’ with a coach, at least one day during the week.
The coaching week programme loosely follow the format below:
- Talks on topics of interest with coaches and participants
- Review of the previous day, set up goals for the current day
- Briefing, Task Planning
- Daily flying tasks
- Flying with a coach or other XC pilots.
- Individual, Lead and Follow or cooperative team flying
- Targeted practice
- Debrief, Trace analysis, Comparative analysis, Decision making review
- Tales and story telling around dinner and drinks!
We have developed IGCSPY a specialised and unique software package that compares all aspects of a flight and enables us to identify weaknesses in each pilot comparing them with the other pilots that flew the same task in the same conditions. We can obtain metrics like thermaling diameter, thermaling speed, time wasted due to deviations, cruise netto, and many other stats as well as the usual metrics like climb, glide etc. This tool takes the guesswork out of the equation and really breaks down the flight to bits that can be practiced. The drawback of such a revealing tool is that some top pilots have found out that they may not be as good as they thought in some areas.
To maximise the benefits, the participants are encouraged to work in teams. To ensure everyone can fly at least one day with a coach we generally limit the entries to 15 participants.
Entry fee for the whole event is generally around $260. The fee includes flying with the coaches but not glider rental and launch fees. Contact the club to enquire about our next Keepit Fast.