October’s update is here, and it’s packed with exciting features for competitive flyers and enthusiasts alike! Here’s everything new in Gaggle this month:

1. Obstacle Course Leaderboard: Our flagship feature for this release! The obstacle course leaderboard allows pilots to compete by navigating through custom-designed courses with no-fly zones, precision navigation tasks, and waypoints. Each obstacle course has:

   • No-Fly Zones: Entering these zones applies a penalty to your score.
   • Navigation Tasks: Fly through corridors and earn points based on your proximity to the center. Watch out for backtracking and early exit penalties!
   • Waypoints: Earn points by reaching defined waypoints.

   Gaggle automatically loads these courses in the in-flight view for relevant meetups. To keep the competitive spirit alive, pilots can only see an overview of the course while zooming in restricts visibility to ensure a focus on safe flying. The live tracking page has been enhanced to display each pilot’s score in real-time, letting friends and family keep up with the action as pilots fly the course!

   We learned about this type of competitive flying at the World Paramotor Endurance Championship. We recreated the course in Gaggle and loaded all the flights from the pilots. You can see what’s possible with this new feature in Gaggle by viewing the results here.

2. Replay Viewer Enhancements: We’ve updated the recording replay viewer to show tasks, making it perfect for reviewing your obstacle course flights. Now you can relive every second and analyze where you earned or lost points!

3. Recording View Leaderboard: When viewing your recordings, you’ll now be able to see all the leaderboard scores related to that specific flight. It’s easier than ever to track your progress and pinpoint your best performances.

4. Landing Detection Improvement: Landing detection has been adjusted to be less sensitive, particularly in ridge-soaring conditions, providing smoother recording experiences.

5. SafeSky Integration Fix: Fixed a bug affecting SafeSky integration in certain scenarios to ensure a more reliable experience.

6. In-Flight Snail Trail Improvement: We’ve increased the detail of the snail trail for longer flights, allowing for more precise navigation back to your take-off.

7. Weather Forecast Improvements: Gaggle now checks for fog in its weather flyability predictions, helping pilots make safer, better-informed decisions. We’ve also added a max gust factor setting so you can adjust the wind forecast to your comfort level. For paragliding pilots, if this is not set we will use your wing trim speed as the max gust factor.

8. XContest Integration: Gaggle can now automatically upload and submit flights for you on XContest. To enable this go to Profile > Settings > Integrations > XContest and enter your username and password for XContest. We will automatically upload your flights to XContest when you land.

9. General Bug Fixes and Performance Enhancements: We’ve addressed various small bugs and optimizations to keep the app running smoothly. Some notable fixes include:

   • Improved flight log notes.
   • Added a center location button on the explore map.
   • Fixed problems with Audio Cues not resetting the system volume after announcements.

Fly safe, and be sure to try out the new obstacle course feature! As always, your feedback helps us improve Gaggle—let us know what you think of the October updates.