What is this site?

Gaggle+ aims to be a flight-sharing / social platform for (mainly) paraglider pilots. If you had a flight you would like to share or document for yourself you are at the right place.

Why the name?

It's a parody (a very funny one thank you) of the defunct social media site by Google called Google+ which was operational between 2011 and 2019.

What does gaggle mean?

In English, it's a group or flock of geese.

= a goose

= a gaggle of geese

In paragliding when there are a lot of pilots in the air in an area some refer to the confetti of colorful wings in the sky as a gaggle.

What are .igc files?

.igc is a file format specified by the International Gliding Commission (aka FAI Gliding Commission). It was originally developed for the flight computers of gliders to keep a record of flight information. It can store the position of the aircraft through time and other flight-related data. It was adapted in paragliding to track flights mostly for competitions.

How do I create .igc files?

There are numerous dedicated devices called FAI recorders, FAI loggers or simply flight computers that are capable of recording .igc files. The easiest way to get started is to download a smartphone application and use your phone's sensors to create the logs.

Some applications to try (no affiliation with any of them):

• XCTrack XCTrack
• Flyskyhy Flyskyhy
• Gaggle Flight Recorder GaggleGaggle
• Paragliding Logbook Paragliding Logbook

How are flights scored?

The scoring algorithm takes your flight path and tries to fit a bounding triangle to it. Your flight distance is calculated as the distance (in kilometers) between the corners (turning points) of this triangle. Finally to get your score, the distance is multiplied with a value based on the how the triangle fitting went:

• Free Flight
  if a triangle can not be fitted = 1x multiplier
• Free Triangle
  if the triangle is not equilateral but it is not closed = 1.2x multiplier
• Closed Free Triangle
  if the triangle is not equilateral and it is closed = 1.4x multiplier
• FAI Triangle
  if the triangle is equilateral but it is not closed = 1.4x multiplier
• Closed FAI Triangle
  if the triangle is equilateral and it is closed = 1.6x multiplier

For a more detailed description check out the scoring tool made by Momtchil Momtchev on github.

The score of your flight is displayed differently based on how high your score is. You will get one of the following ranks:

• Poor
  If your score is less than 5
• Common
  If your score is at least 5
• Uncommon
  If your score is at least 10
• Rare
  If your score is at least 100
• Epic
  If your score is at least 300
• Legendary
  If your score is at least 500

How do I delete my data?

After logging in click the "Delete data" button on the profile page or visit https://gaggle.plus/delete-data.

I've lost my password. How can I get a new one?

Visit https://gaggle.plus/login, select the "Reset password" tab and provide the e-mail address you used for registration. You will receive an e-mail with a special link to set a new password.

Where can I report problems with Gaggle+?

Please send an e-mail to support@gaggle.plus with the details of your issue.