We’re working on a series of weather shows and Nik Hawks recently jumped on the phone with Jeff Shapiro to talk weather and they headed off into a super interesting direction for about 15 minutes into a talk that Jeff has been giving to his students about how thermals work…and the strategies we need to employ to use them effectively. “Use some fu$%ing discipline!”. Find yourself bombing out in comps? Frequently frustrated by a shorter day than you could have gotten? Listen up.

TEM is a simple system that helps pilots identify threats so they don’t lead to errors which if they multiply could lead to an “undesirable aircraft state.” It’s simply an awareness protocol laid out through a series of checklists and procedures that become built-in threat mitigation.  Threats in all forms of flight are ubiquitous- internal and external threats are everywhere. So how can we use this remarkably successful program in free flight to reduce risk?

Team USA is raising money for the Foundation for Free Flight. You can make a pledge for every kilometer the three US teams cover in the race or just make a simple donation. It’ll make the race a lot more fun to watch and the money will go to a great cause!