IGCSPY is a web based application used to Compare and Analyse Glider Flights

New from July 2024 HEAD-TO-HEAD Graphical Detailed Analysis of 2 flights.

How is IGC-SPY different than the other glider flight analysis applications ?

There are already a number of excellent applications providing great analysis and insights into the flights and pilot performance but they all analyse a single flight at a time.
IGC-SPY provides a comparative analysis between flights performed the same day at the same location, minimising the impact of weather and atmosherical conditions and focussing on the pilot performance rather than how 'good' was the weather that day.
Absolute values like climb rate, speed to fly, glide ratio, etc.. by themselves are meaningless. Is an average climb rate of 4.6kts good? maybe, maybe not, id depends.. On a winter day with a high pressure and low convection it is good, on instable pre-frontal conditions with high convection it is quite ordinary. IGC-SPY compares the climb rate for all the gliders that flew that task on the same day, providing meaningful comparisons of the pilot performance.

IGC-SPY also has some unique metrics not found in other applications, for example the 'Orbit Time' metric provide insights on how the pilot thermals and opportunities for improvement. Deviation from STF and impact of density altitude are other unique metrics.

Finally the most insightful part of IGC-SPY is the "Where did I lose Time" table. It compares the critical metrics of each flight with the best values of that metric for the flights of the day and quantifies the impact of the differences in percentage, time and task speed, highlighting strength and weaknesses of each pilot.

Are the metrics reliable? I see different numbers in Seeyou, which one is correct?

The data from the IGC files have a certain accuracy and noise they also are incomplete. Seeyou and IGC-SPY use different algorithm and filters to detect errors, eliminate outliers and reconstruct the missing data, then in some cases the metrics are calculated differently producing slightly different results. There is no correct or incorrect, what counts is the comparative analysis, not the absolute numbers.

How do I load data in IGC-SPY?

If you are a participant or competitor for an Event for which someone has already created and Event and Day, you can upload your flight using the menus on top.

If you want to create Events and Days, you need to register, create an Event, upload the Waypoints and create the Day. Once done the Event participants can upload the traces themselves or you can upload them for them

It is also possible to upload Events and Days from Soaring Spot.

How much does IGC-SPY cost ?

The use of IGCSpy is free, I make it available to help the gliding community