Deep Dive: Flight Controller
Ever wondered how the F50 stays above the water in SailGP? We take a closer look at the role of the person responsible for making it happen
Published 04/2/2025
Most of the roles on the high-tech F50 catamarans used in SailGP are updated versions of well-established roles on more traditional sailing classes. But the Flight Controller was brand new when introduced to SailGP.
Being a Flight Controller comes with considerable responsibility and, therefore, pressure. It is their job to keep the catamaran out of the water for as much of the race as possible to maximize speeds. But with so much going on around them and conditions changing rapidly, it’s far from straightforward.
In the latest part of our Deep Dive series examining the different roles of the crew, we look at the role filled by Hans Henken on the U.S. SailGP Team…
Deep Dive: The Strategist
The Flight Controller’s primary responsibility is to keep the F50 flying above the water, or ‘Foiling’. This reduces drag and increases speed, which is achieved by balancing the amount of lift created by the foils on the boat by adjusting the rake. This is the lean of the foil forward and aft. Changes in the rake change the balance of the helm.
Those four carbon-fibre foils seen beneath the two hulls during races are the Flight Controller’s domain. These vary in length depending on weather conditions. In medium to high winds, teams use T-foils but in lighter winds, the longer light-air boards (LAB) are utilized, helping to generate speed. These go up, down, backward and forward at the behest of the Flight Controller, in doing so changing the angle of attack to the water.
Ride height ranges from 1.1m to 1.25m and has a huge impact on boatspeed. But greater height brings increased risk, so it is not as simple as going as high as possible for as long as possible. If you get too high and air gets trapped underneath, that can result in plunging you bow-first into the water - something that can effectively end your chances of placing well in the race as the boat takes on water. This is known as ‘Ventilating’.
There are numerous factors that impact flight time, including whether the boat is upwind or downwind, surface sea state and the maneuvers made by the Wing Trimmer, powered by the Grinders. The Flight Controller must react to these changes while also preparing for maneuvers, tacking and jibing, which requires a lot of care and actions.
A large portion of the Flight Controller’s job is carried out by the ‘Flight Controller’ device in their cockpit that resembles a video game controller. This enables more accurate adjustment of the rake of the daggerboard. This relieves the Driver - who previously flew the boat using twist-grips on the wheel - of flight control duties. As well as controls for the foils and daggerboard, the Flight Controller has access to a control panel with buttons to adapt settings such as sensitivity and feedback depending on conditions.
Deep Dive: Wing Trimmer
Much like the Wing Trimmer they’re stationed next to, it is a role which requires a lot of multi-tasking, as well as steady hands, analytical thinking and nerves of steel. Current U.S. SailGP Team Driver Taylor Canfield previously served as Flight Controller on the team and said of the role: “You have to really have laser focus. Everything is constantly changing. Keeping the boat in the air is our primary goal and we need to do that at all costs.”
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