The Paragliding Debrief: Why Reviewing Each Flight Matters
A real XC from Piedechinche (Feb 23, 2024) — what the tracklog reveals and how to turn it into tomorrow’s gains
When I land from a big flight, my emotions all over the place. Satisfaction, frustration, maybe a twinge of “what if.” I find that I’m often tempted to just leave that as my understanding of the flight — to chalk it up as good or bad luck. But the real progress begins after the wing is packed and I’m in the retrieve vehicle sharing with others about the day.
On February 23, 2024, I flew a cross-country from Piedechinche, Colombia, logged on XContest:
Flight detail Jeff Sinason · 23.2.2024 · 114.22 km
It wasn’t my longest or fastest day, but it was dense with decision points worth dissecting. Reviewing the track turned it into a masterclass of lessons learned.
Most pilots stop learning when they stop flying. The fastest way to level up is to debrief—curiously, not critically. Which choices extended the day? Which bled height? On Feb 23, 2024 in Piedechinche, Colombia, I flew a classic XC (≈114 km in 4h44). Reviewing the tracklog turned a “good” flight into four specific habits I can repeat tomorrow. Here’s how the debrief changed my understanding of the day.
Flight at a glance
Time aloft: 4h 44m
Distance: ~114 km
Max altitude: ~3010 m
Climbs detected: 80
Best climb: +1204 m in ~6 min (avg 3.4 m/s, peak >6 m/s)
Route overview
From this flight:
Classic “sawtooth” climb-glide pattern.
Early climbs were weaker, averaging ~1 m/s.
Midday delivered strong cores up to 6 m/s.
Late-day line choices led to extended glides and one low save.
The altitude story
The altitude trace is the DNA of any XC flight. Peaks and troughs reveal the day’s rhythm: climb, glide, save, repeat.
Making the decision to leave one climb with the understanding that there are better options out there can be very evident by looking at the altitude vs time information.
The graph for this flight shows that a majority of the time climbs were left and stronger and higher climbs were found for most of the day. Obviously this can’t continue to happen all day because there will be a pattern for the day where lift is lessening and cloud base is not as obtainable. But looking at your altitude provide you can see how well you were understanding the pattern of the day to keep the flight going.
Vertical speed and decision points
Looking at vario data highlights which climbs mattered most. What was the strongest climbs and when the decision to leave the climb made the most sense. Looking at the average climb for the day makes the most sense to be your guide. The basic rule being that as long as my current climb is higher than the average, staying with the lift makes sense.
At a very basic everywhere that I left a thermal below the line was a good decision. Obviously, making these decisions isn’t natural, and your instruments aren’t the most reliable aid in making these decisions. It depends a lot on your inherent sense of the day. Debriefing with data helps clarify how well your decision-making and instincts align.
The lesson? Don’t just chase the next trigger—make sure the climb you’re leaving is at least as strong as what the day has been offering. Otherwise, you’re trading altitude for hope.
Ground speed insight
Tracking ground speed exposes transition choices. Ground speed isn’t just a number—it’s a choice. The classic rule: push through sink, ease off in lift. Done well, it maximizes the day’s energy. Done poorly, you end up missing gains on fast glides through when the air is helping you and spending too much time in dead air.
Consistent 35–40 km/h cruise speeds.
Noticeable slow-downs at when encountering good climbs.
Last hour showed fading energy in the air — ground speed spiked in sink, then slowed as I hunted for lift.
The lesson? Treat ground speed like another decision point, not background noise. Review whether your throttle matched the air, and you’ll find plenty of free performance.
Four lessons from the debrief
Tighten early in weak morning thermals. Wide circles waste height before locking on.
Favor structure (clouds, ridges, triggers) over straight valley lines when blue.
Commit to the best cores. Ride them cleanly and leave high.
Finish with discipline, not hope. Position for landable terrain before stretching glides late in the day.
A closer look: the best climb of the day
This was the high point — literally. At ~2h 36m into the flight, I hooked a booming climb:
Avg climb: 3.37 m/s
Peak: >6 m/s
Total gain: 1204 m
That climb bought the altitude margin that extended the flight deep into the afternoon.
Decision Points: Where the Flight Was Won (or Lost)
Every XC flight is a chain of decisions. Where you leave a thermal, which line you commit to, when you take a weaker climb — those choices add up.
Looking back, three decision points stand out in this flight:
Leaving the strong climb early (km 17): The running average showed the day was stronger than what I left on. Exiting here cost me margin on the next glide.
Committing to the cross-valley line (km 25): A bold choice, but one that worked thanks to drift alignment. Without the debrief, I might remember it as luck instead of a smart tactical call.
Slowing down in weak lift (km 32): I lingered too long, hoping for it to improve. Reviewing the data shows it was below the day’s average, and leaving sooner would’ve been better.
The value of debriefing is clarity: the tracklog turns vague impressions into hard evidence. That makes your future choices sharper.
This is how small adjustments compound — flight by flight, review by review.
How to build your own 5-minute debrief
Voice notes: capture raw impressions right after landing.
Tracklog scan: identify 2–3 critical decisions (good and bad).
Action items: commit to one repeatable habit and one correction for next flight.
On Skyout Tours, we do this daily as a group. It’s how we accelerate learning together.
Conclusion: Turning Flights into Lessons
The lesson from this flight is simple: progress comes from reflection. By pairing data with memory, you see patterns you’d otherwise miss — leaving climbs too soon, staying in weak ones too long, or committing to the wrong lines.
A good debrief doesn’t just explain what happened; it sharpens your instincts for the next flight. The more you practice it, the faster the learning curve becomes.
Whether you’re chasing personal bests or preparing for competition, set aside 15 minutes after each XC to look at your tracklog. Note what worked, what didn’t, and how it felt in the air. Over time, those notes add up to a more confident, decisive pilot.
Fly Smarter. Fly Farther. FlySafer
Jeff S.
Want to learn more Join one of our Tours.
Additional Resources and Information
See the flight on SportsTrackLive https://www.sportstracklive.com/en/track/map/Jeffsinason/paragliding/el-pomo-sur/1272986/?mode=3D
XContest great resource to view your tracks and compare with others.
Guided Flight Analysis: How to Review Your Paragliding XC Track Using XContest