Thermals are easier to find when you’re not alone

One pilot searching for lift is guesswork. Five pilots spread out across a valley is a superpower.

When someone hits a climb, you see the wing bank up. Maybe they shout on radio. Maybe they just start going up so fast that you feel it in your chest. Either way — you know exactly where to go.

Flying together turns the sky into a shared map. Nobody says it out loud, but everyone thinks: Thanks for marking that one, buddy.

You push each other — in a good way

A gaggle has momentum. When you see your friends glide on, you usually follow… not because of pressure, but because it feels like the day has a direction. And when someone gets a strong climb? Suddenly everyone is climbing. Energy spreads through the air like a wave.

Some of your longest flights will happen simply because you didn’t want the adventure to end before your friends’ did. This is one of the secret forces in XC: shared motivation.

It feels safer, even when it isn’t

Let’s be honest — having other gliders around calms the nerves.

• You know someone will see if you land somewhere weird.
• You know someone will help find the next thermal.
• Radios become little lifelines: “You good over there?” “Yep, climbing.”

Even if nothing goes wrong, just hearing another human in the sky makes the wildness of XC feel a bit more civilised.

The shared story

If you fly XC long enough, you realise: The retrieve is half the fun.

A group retrieve is where the storytelling begins. Who got low? Who had the magic climb? Who made the sketchiest landing? Who hitched a ride with a farmer in a tractor? By the time everyone is back at launch or at a bar, the flight has turned into a saga.

Group XC creates memories bigger than any one pilot could make alone.

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The Madness: Why Groups Can Make You Land Early

Following the wrong leader

Here’s the trap: Sometimes the pilot you’re following has no idea where they’re going. Maybe you trust the wrong wing. Maybe the “best” pilot made a bad call today. Maybe someone’s flying beyond their limit and dragging you with them.

The moment you stop flying your day… you start sliding toward the ground.

Gaggle pressure is real

Nobody wants to be the first to turn back. Nobody wants to admit they’re tired, or scared, or just not feeling it. Group flying creates a subtle pressure to keep up — even when conditions demand the opposite.

Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is say, “I’m landing. Have a great flight.”

Different gliders, different skill, different day

Groups often mix:

• EN-A and EN-C gliders
• New XC pilots and seasoned crushers
• Fast climbers and slow circlers

It only takes one moment — a weak climb, a poor line choice — for the gaggle to stretch like an elastic band… and snap. Suddenly you’re alone, low, and wondering why you chased people flying twice your experience or twice your wing performance.

Chaos in tight thermals

Gaggles look beautiful from the outside. Inside the circle, it’s a blender:

• different turning speeds
• different bank angles
• people switching directions
• weak pilots drifting
• strong pilots cutting in

One unsafe pilot can ruin the climb for everyone. The madness isn’t the thermals — it’s the humans.

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Finding the Balance

The best group XC flights come from compatibility, not numbers.

Find people who:

• fly at your speed,
• share your goals for the day,
• are calm in the air,
• communicate clearly,
• and don’t treat XC like a race unless it is a race.

Agree on a few things before launch:

• Follow the first climber in the group?
• Stick together or fly loosely?
• Radio frequency?
• Maximum risk level?
• What happens if someone drops out early?

A group that talks before flying often flies longer and safer.

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The Real Secret of Group XC

At its best, flying together is a celebration of the sport. It’s laughter in the air, help when you need it, and shared awe at the views below. At its worst, it’s a day where you realise your instincts matter more than the crowd — and that lesson alone will make you a better pilot forever.

The magic is real. The madness is real. And navigating both is how you grow. Your wing, their wings — all drifting across the same sky, each pilot choosing when to follow and when to fly their own line.

That dance is what makes group XC unforgettable.