Guided Flight Analysis: How to Review Your Paragliding XC Track Using XContest
Learn from Your Own Flights and Improve Faster
Flight logging is important, but flight analysis is where the real learning happens.
In this post, I break down one of my own flights — a 45.79 km XC from Roldanillo, Colombia — using tools like XContest and detailed track analysis to uncover key decisions, mistakes, and areas for improvement.
Whether you’re just getting into XC or looking to sharpen your decision-making, learning to analyze your paragliding flights is one of the fastest ways to improve.
📋 Flight Overview
Flight Date: June 30, 2025
Launch: Roldanillo, Colombia
XC Distance: 45.79 km
Airtime: 3 hours, 7 minutes
Maximum Altitude: 2,035 m
Maximum Climb Rate: 3.1 m/s
Flight Track: View on XContest
🛠️ Why Track Analysis Matters in Paragliding
Analyzing your paragliding flights helps you:
Identify strong thermals and weak zones along your route.
Understand when to commit to transitions.
Spot hesitation points that cost you time and distance.
Compare your flight to other pilots and learn from their decisions.
Flight analysis is the fastest way to build smarter XC strategies and improve your next flight.
✈️ Step-By-Step Flight Analysis: Key Decisions & Lessons
🚀 Launch Timing and Early Climbs
Decision:
I launched at 11:31 AM — a good window to catch the start of the thermal cycle. At this time the day was just starting to form. Cloudbase was still relatively low but well defined and showing real clearly. Know the location fairly well, I know that this is exactly the pattern you’re looking for when flying in Roldanillo Colombia. Basically the philosophy is to get established in the mountains at cloudbase then head for the flats when cloudbase starts to rise.
What I Did Well:
The early climbs were efficient and well-centered.
I gained solid altitude quickly.
What Could Improve:
I could have pushed out from the ridge sooner to reach better air and commit to the XC route earlier.
💡 Instructional Tip:
✅ Launch Timing: In Roldanillo, launching between 11:00–11:30 AM is often ideal to catch developing thermals.
✅ Push Magic: There is a fine line between to use the mountains or leave for the flats — the day’s best air is often just ahead.
🧭 Mid-Flight Decision Zone: Transition Timing
Analysis:
Between 12:30 and 13:00, my track shows a series of altitude losses and several incomplete climbs.
Missed Opportunity:
I likely stayed too long in weak thermals instead of pushing to the next good trigger point.
What I Learned:
When thermals weaken or feel broken, it’s often better to leave early and search for stronger cores.
💡 Instructional Tip:
✅ Recognize Weak Climbs: If your climb rate stays under 1.5 m/s consistently, it’s usually time to move on.
✅ Thermal Efficiency: Focus on centering quickly and don’t linger in marginal climbs.
I’ve begun work on a set of tools to assist in my understanding of the decision I’m making as I’m navigating my paragliding flight. One part of the tools helps me understand when I made good and bad decisions to leave thermals and go on transition to find better lift. The basic concept of this is that for a given day and window in that day thermals have an average strength. The idea is to only take those thermals that are at or above that climb rate. One key point to remember however is that this not a hard and fast rule, it is a guideline.
The map above shows one of the tools be used in the analysis of a flight. It plots the flight along with highlights for decision points. There decision point indicate when lift was exited in order to go on a transition. For a decision point the following information is displayed when clicked on:
It shows:
Lift Exit - the time within the flight when you left the thermal
Altitude Gain - the altitude gained in the thermal you just departed
Climb Start Altitude - The altitude at which you entered the thermal
Exit Altitude - The altitude you achieved before you exited the thermal
Average Climb Rate - The average climb rate achieved in the thermal
Cumulative Avg Climb Rate - This is the average climb rate achieved up to the entry of the thermal throughout the flight.
Life Rate When Leaving - Rate of lift as you entered transition
Climb Started At - is when climb was first detected in the flight
The color coding indicates if your decision to leave the thermal was good (Green) or not (Red). This is based on whether your average climb rate was higher than the flight up to that point or not. Determination rules are:
GREEN - You left when you were experiencing a climb rate less than the cumulative average climb rate. Good Decision
RED - You left when you were experiencing a climb rate greater than the cumulative average climb rate. Why’d you do that?
While this is not something that can be counted on 100% it does help understand how decisions are being made during flight.
🕳️ Low Save and Decision Confidence
Critical Moment:
Around 13:45, I dropped significantly in altitude but managed a low save.
Good Decision:
I chose to search methodically instead of heading straight for a landing.
Key Learning:
Staying calm and scanning nearby trigger points led to a successful recovery.
Don’t stop flying until you land.
Progressively increase your safety margin to insure good landing opportunities
💡 Instructional Tip:
✅ Low Save Strategy: Commit to working nearby areas first before drifting toward landings. Low saves require patience and discipline.
✅ Mental Game: Trust that the day is still working — don’t give up too soon.
🔄 Late Flight Patterns: Efficiency Matters
Observation:
The final hour of the flight shows small, inefficient climbs with frequent altitude losses.
What Went Wrong:
I stayed in weaker cycles rather than searching for stronger lift lines.
Likely fatigue led to conservative decisions.
What to Improve:
Be more selective late in the flight: If the climb rate is consistently low, move quickly to better zones or prepare to land efficiently.
💡 Instructional Tip:
✅ Late Flight Tactic: Save energy by flying smarter, not harder. Scan wider for lift and avoid chasing weak climbs late in the day.
✅ Increase your field of observation: Expand your view more. See what other signs there may be to help you find better lift.
✅ Commit or Land: Once conditions start weakening, either push decisively or land safely — hovering too long burns energy.
🔍 XContest Comparison: Learn from Other Pilots
One of the best parts of using XContest is the ability to compare your flight to others on the same day.
What I Found:
Other pilots pushed transitions sooner and flew more direct routes.
Their line choices and timing likely led to better distances and faster climbs.
💡 Instructional Tip:
✅ Always Compare: Look at who flew farther on your XC day — see where they climbed, when they transitioned, and how fast they committed.
✅ Learn from Success: Borrow strategies from higher-performing pilots and test them in your next flight.
✅ Encourage all your friend to log on XContest: The more people that are logging the better it is for having information to help improve our own flying.
🚀 Key Takeaways from This Flight
✅ Push out early to maximize the best part of the day.
✅ Leave weak thermals sooner — the next good climb is often just ahead.
✅ Stay disciplined in low saves and trust the conditions.
✅ Analyze your flight tracks regularly — it’s the fastest way to improve.
Final Thoughts: Continuous Improvement for XC Paragliding Through Flight Analysis
Every XC flight is a classroom.
Track analysis helps you build smarter habits, faster decision-making, and better route planning.
Even as an experienced pilot, I regularly review my flights and compare them with others on XContest.
It’s part of my continuous improvement mindset.
If you want to accelerate your learning, join one of our Skyout Paragliding XC guided tours — we analyze flights like this daily, helping pilots fly farther, smarter, and safer.
Fly far, fly smart, and keep looking up.
— Jeff
Founder & XC Coach, Skyout Paragliding