It’s probably a daft question to you old hands, but can anyone enlighten me whether being first or last drop is best as I can’t quite get my head around it.
I’ve joined 3 clubs - 1 flies north 2 fly south.
North club I’m west of the main drag
South road 1 I’m south east of most.
South road 2 I’m north east of most.
As ever, any help most welcome!
Which drop is best
Like everything, it's not that simple. as that.
On a slow day being at the front can be a big help if they trap quickly, on a fast day with a big tailwind the back blokes have the advantage, if their birds are good enough.
But not always. If the main drag is going way over the other side from you, a side wind toward you can sometimes help yours break across to you.
It's a minefield, and even those who have been successful for years can sometimes be caught unawares.
You could write pages on it.
Talk to your club members, they'll know the dark secrets of your area.
On a slow day being at the front can be a big help if they trap quickly, on a fast day with a big tailwind the back blokes have the advantage, if their birds are good enough.
But not always. If the main drag is going way over the other side from you, a side wind toward you can sometimes help yours break across to you.
It's a minefield, and even those who have been successful for years can sometimes be caught unawares.
You could write pages on it.
Talk to your club members, they'll know the dark secrets of your area.
Greetings from the land down under. 
Blessed is he who expecteth nothing, for verily, he shall not be disappointed.
Blessed is he who expecteth nothing, for verily, he shall not be disappointed.
Thanks Murray I’ll do that.Murray wrote: ↑Sat May 10, 2025 10:27 pm Like everything, it's not that simple. as that.
On a slow day being at the front can be a big help if they trap quickly, on a fast day with a big tailwind the back blokes have the advantage, if their birds are good enough.
But not always. If the main drag is going way over the other side from you, a side wind toward you can sometimes help yours break across to you.
It's a minefield, and even those who have been successful for years can sometimes be caught unawares.
You could write pages on it.
Talk to your club members, they'll know the dark secrets of your area.
Hi Pete
It is an interesting topic, and as Muzza says, no simple answer to it.
I know of many fanciers who either have lofts in different locations to cover different conditions, and others who are in several different clubs so will send to the races they feel they will favour best in, but as Muzza says, they can still get caught out.
In the club I belong too I'm the shortest flier and one of the most easterly, I really need a nice steady head wind to keep the birds fairly central to stand any chance of getting anywhere near in the short races, any east in the wind I've got no chance. Ideally for me I want a steady South, South west wind to get up in the club, but this will also push the birds over to west in the Fed, but this is still better than a North West wind.
It does become less of an issue as the distances increase, although the wind and drag will obviously always play some part.
All the best.
It is an interesting topic, and as Muzza says, no simple answer to it.
I know of many fanciers who either have lofts in different locations to cover different conditions, and others who are in several different clubs so will send to the races they feel they will favour best in, but as Muzza says, they can still get caught out.
In the club I belong too I'm the shortest flier and one of the most easterly, I really need a nice steady head wind to keep the birds fairly central to stand any chance of getting anywhere near in the short races, any east in the wind I've got no chance. Ideally for me I want a steady South, South west wind to get up in the club, but this will also push the birds over to west in the Fed, but this is still better than a North West wind.
It does become less of an issue as the distances increase, although the wind and drag will obviously always play some part.
All the best.
Trev wrote: ↑Sun May 11, 2025 9:39 am Hi Pete
It is an interesting topic, and as Muzza says, no simple answer to it.
I know of many fanciers who either have lofts in different locations to cover different conditions, and others who are in several different clubs so will send to the races they feel they will favour best in, but as Muzza says, they can still get caught out.
In the club I belong too I'm the shortest flier and one of the most easterly, I really need a nice steady head wind to keep the birds fairly central to stand any chance of getting anywhere near in the short races, any east in the wind I've got no chance. Ideally for me I want a steady South, South west wind to get up in the club, but this will also push the birds over to west in the Fed, but this is still better than a North West wind.
It does become less of an issue as the distances increase, although the wind and drag will obviously always play some part.
Although I'm not big on training these days, in my opinion, there is no doubt that as youngsters finding a line of flight that suits you is very important. If you can get that line ingrained into them you definitely have a better chance, there is no question that the most successful sprint men in our Federation are those that hit the road regularly before racing starts.
All the best.
Hi Pete. As said by Murray and Trev it’s not straight forward. It would depend on the wind direction and strength. How far are others from you, the radius of the club. Generally though, in a headwind the shorter fliers have a bit of an advantage. In a tail wind it’s the furthest lofts that have the advantage. If the radius of the club is relatively small it would make little difference. Being a shorter fliers is only a real advantage if it’s on the line of flight. Any deviation from the line of flight would generally mean lost time if the bird doesn’t break early enough.PeteDerby wrote: ↑Sat May 10, 2025 5:12 pm It’s probably a daft question to you old hands, but can anyone enlighten me whether being first or last drop is best as I can’t quite get my head around it.
I’ve joined 3 clubs - 1 flies north 2 fly south.
North club I’m west of the main drag
South road 1 I’m south east of most.
South road 2 I’m north east of most.
As ever, any help most welcome!
Back just enjoying club racing for the time being.