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.

Marc

You raise a good point; the situation you described (below) can be
very dangerous. But the solution doesn't have to involve steering
turnpoints (which won't help as much if the landing direction doesn't
coincide with the finish direction) or throwing away the old finish
line. The pilot you described was at fault for not specifying a
direction if there was any doubt (the direction can vary even in ASTs
if the final leg involves a deviation for terrain or weather). But if
I hear someone four miles out when I'm in the pattern and I don't see
them right away, I go into frantic "look" mode and call out my
position (e.g., JB turning left base). This is on top of the normal
lookout for other traffic in the pattern.

I will also radio the other pilot(s), as I did last week at New Castle
when three of us were finishing (as it turned out) less than ten
seconds apart from two different directions and three different
altitudes/energies. It took 30 seconds on the way in to establish
beyond a doubt that we had each other in sight and there was
sufficient separation. Otherwise one or more of us would have pulled
up and finished high. As with everything else in soaring involving
other pilots (e.g., gaggles), I don't take anything for granted, even
with ASTs, steering turns, OR finish cylinders. I'm not saying you
did, but it sounds like there was more than one way to avoid the
problem you recounted.

Another solution is the displaced (to one side) finish line used at
Elmira. Rolling finishes are still OK but flying finishes are parallel
to but 1/4 mile away from the runway.

Chip Bearden