We call it “drag and drop” - experienced pilots lead a newbie on a modest cross-country flight with lots of landing options and drop the hapless pilot at some remote airstrip! Indeed, it was part of my initiation into cross-country soaring in Arizona.

To work, it’s best done with some experienced guys who don’t mind sticking with the newbie. I was led off on a number of flights with one or more such pilots, who would often spoiler down from the top of a thermal to rescue me. You have to stay close. My “drops” involved my landing when I got lower than I was comfortable with - I initially set myself some quite conservative margins.

I got much better with the combination of assistance from fellow pilots and solo practice. Although I never became a great racing pilot, I have managed to log quite a few cross-country miles thanks to some early mentoring and strongly support the use of on-course mentoring.

Mike