The answer to question 1. is that the road/track where the cars were parked
is on the west side of the hedge and easily accessible, on the east side
from where the gliders were finishing is just a field. This is clearly
shown in the photo at the top of page 59 (4th page of the report).

Part of the answer to question 3. is that the rules for a world competition
are FAI rules, on page 69 (14th page of the report) the report points out
that the rules for an IGC sanctioned competition are not the BGA's
Competition Rules. This is why the third Safety Recommendation 2006-121 by
the AAIB is addressed to the IGC. So your question is addressed to the IGC,
not the BGA in this instance.

W.J. (Bill) Dean (U.K.).
Remove "ic" to reply.

"jcarlyle" wrote in message
oups.com...

Although I fly SC, I'm not a competition pilot, and I won't even
attend my first competition until this spring. So please make
allowances for my ignorance. That said, things about this accident
don't make sense:

1. Why were the spectators and cars on the opposite side of the hedge
from where the planes were coming? If you want to be seen and avoided,
wouldn't it be much better to be in front of the hedge?

2. Why were the planes allowed to fly so low (30 feet) at least 1,000
meters from the airport? I've spent a lot of time in rural England,
and I know that there are a lot of hikers in the country. Were there
signs posted to warn any poor hikers about fast, quite, low flying
aircraft?

3. Why, in this day of GPS, didn't the organizers simply use a 500 or
a 1,000 foot finish? It eliminates problems of misjudging your energy,
although admittedly it isn't as exciting for people hanging around the
airfield.

As a group, we worry about someday an airliner hitting a glider and
what that would do to the sport. Why is killing a spectator (or worse,
a hiker) on the ground any different?

-John