Ok, I'll fess up. I've got 133 landouts in hang gliders.
But it wasn't that big a problem for me after I got my dad involved.

My dad was an Ag Banker in Central California where
I landed out often. The big thing the farmers need to
know is that they aren't going to be harmed financially
after you drag your glider out. Years ago, my dad sent
letters to the local farm co-ops explaining that gliders
exist and on occasion you might find one in your field.
The heads up got most everybody past the first step in
their learning process,facing the unknown. Farmers don't
usually know squat about soaring. For all they know,
your full of poisonous fuel, are radioactive and cause cattle sterility.
If you can educate them before you drop in, you will have a
much easier time on the retrieve.

I took my Hang glider stuff to a few FFA meetings, and explained how
I flew and that sometimes, I don't make it home and might accidentally
become their guest. The kids thought it was cool, the adults were
appreciative that somebody had the forethought to tell them what
was going on above them that migt affect them someday. Quite
a few FFA groups and Farmers Cooperatives got the same program
in the mail. After that, I was treated really well by the farmers I dropped
in on, and a couple actually welcomed me.

Proactivity is more time consuming than making excuses at the gate,
but maybe if the racing organization cared to be good neighbors,
a similar effort might raise awareness to a point where problems could
be avoided. I think I might start with the county sherrifs and move
down the food chain.

Scott Correa