"Kilo Charlie" wrote...
If you are meaning that finishers are coming from all directions then I
agree that it can be a problem. That is why experienced CD's call for
either a steering turnpoint as the last one or for folks to finish from a
single direction. In my experience the latter still can provide some
problems so I prefer the steering turnpoint.

Yes, that's what I mean. The contests I've experienced of late, where the low
pass lovers convince the CD to use a finish gate, call for finishing from a
single direction, but never have a steering turnpoint. My closest near-miss
resulted from a high finish (I like having a cushion, I haven't finished a
contest below 500 feet AGL in 10 years) and a normal pattern, then having
someone make a redline pass less than 100 feet below me just before my base to
final turn. He made the 4 mile call without specifying a direction, and never
saw me. Now, when I'm in the pattern, whether at a contest, or not, I'm
watching the runway, the windsock, etc., not for adrenaline junkies on the deck.

Personally, I don't like steering turns, because they just move the problem out
a few miles, and at many sites can turn a comfortable final glide into a
marginal situation. My attitude is I'm willing to do MATs or put up with a
finish gate, but not both in the same task.

Marc