Here’s some of the strategies we follow.
– Get in line one right behind the other when it’s time to launch. If one person is a better climber, he should launch second. The reason for this is because the second guy off will be able to climb to the top of the lift faster than the slower climber… who launched first and is waiting at the top of the lift for the second guy. This will give you a quicker departure over the back.
– Spread out when gliding. If one guy follows the other, you’re defeating the purpose of flying as a team.
– Fly with radios so you can communicate. Tell each other what you are feeling in the air. Rich and Vince got it down to the point where if one hit lift, he’d just say over the radio, “Turn right” or “Turn left”.
– If one pilot is quite a bit higher than the other while climbing, the upper pilot should wait at the top of the lift for the lower pilot. If you watch this video…
… and this one…
… you’ll notice the higher pilot seems to repeatedly circle at random near the end of the climb without gaining anything before the pair set off on glide. This is not a random act. It’s the top pilot waiting at the top of the lift for the lower pilot. This allows you to head off on glide together at the same altitude.
– Staying together his hard. When one guy is way lower or misses a climb and you’ve now got a thousand feet between you, it makes no sense for the high pilot to wait. Just head off on your own because you’ll be amazed at how often, just by the statistical chance, you’ll get lower while the trailing pilot gets up and you’ll end up back together again.
– If one pilot’s radio craps out, the rule is that the one who can still communicate (with the driver) sticks with the pilot who can’t and lands with that pilot no matter what. This way you don’t have to pull the plug on an XC flight just because one pilot’s radio dies.
Team flying is a blast! Give it a try.
– Andy
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