Years ago, Erik Mann and some other folks ran a series of spring XC days at PGC (Philadelphia Glider Council) that included a morning lecture from experienced pilots (Roy McMaster was one). They had lined up a bunch of experienced pilots to play lead/follow with about a dozen "students" of varying skill levels. IIRC, the higher the skill level of the students, the higher the skill level of the leader. A couple of guys got to follow Doug Jacobs around for a while! Also, IIRC, the ideal students/leader ratio declined with experience, as did the distance from the gliderport and other factors. The gliders were not all the same performance but weren't so far apart that it made flying together impossible.

Two things I recall:
1. Pulling dive brakes more than once to lead one of my charges around a thermal at lower altitude. The gap between leader and followers seemed to expand steadily based on everything from differences between sailplanes, to climbing not as well, to failing to leave the thermal immediately, to flying a little slower to just be safe, and to stopping for a turn or two in a weak thermal for the same reason. And, yes, thermaling skills tended to deteriorate as altitude declined and anxiety mounted. I suspect using simulators would have helped a lot! But there's just no substitute for getting low out of gliding range from an airport.

2. Less experienced students were very nervous about final glides, even with high arrival altitudes, if they couldn't see the home airport (not unusual back East). This was just on the leading edge of the GPS era so that may have changed. But sometimes we forget what a leap of faith is required to turn your back on the home airport, to pass up a weak thermal even when you've got altitude and good prospects ahead, to cruise faster than best glide, and to commit to a final glide based strictly on some calculations and the promise that the finish is out of site but reachable.

On at least one occasion, the organizers had managed to suggest enough alternate air-to-air frequencies that we could keep in touch with our students without annoying the rest of the fleet.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the feedback we got was almost universally high. I don't recall any outlandings but we got lucky on the wx. We did it early enough in the season that no one had to forgo a record day. Participation in local contests and in the Governor's Cup series that summer rose as a result.

Yes, it's an investment. But it's fun for everyone and doesn't cost much, if anything. The organizational burden is the biggest one: arranging for a venue--including a classroom as well as gliderport (and whatever machinations are needed to launch non-club members), making sure there are enough towplanes to get everyone launched fairly quickly even while a training operating is going on, getting the word out and then getting firm commitments, etc.. Erik has great enthusiasm as well as a high tolerance for frustration for these kinds of organized efforts but not everyone does.

Chip Bearden