On Jun 28, 11:42*am, BobW wrote:
On 6/27/2012 3:21 PM, Jonathon May wrote:

Major snip...

A lot is down to personal commitment if you see something that is dangerous
,either stop them doing it or if it you just don't fly.To elaborate ,I once
refused to launch a far better qualified instructor than me because he had
a child on his wife's knee ,it did not make me popular but he wasn't *doing
that on my watch.I have ,and am sure so have many other,refused
launches,because I thought the child was to young,or they had a drink first
or there was a storm too close lots of reasons but just say NO if you think
it's not safe.It won't make you popular *but that's not what safety is about.
You asked for it and that's my 2 pence worth

Like you, I've refused to help launch people over the years who - for various
reasons - I thought shouldn't be launching...always tried to put things in a
light that didn't offend the other party. Can't remember if bruised egos were
ever a part of the situations, which I suppose suggests they were not, or, I'm
pretty good at burying traumatic events!

The situation you mention is definitely one fraught with human ego. Best to
not be caught by surprise.

If you're less experienced than the the would-be launchee, I'd suggest a
possible approach might be to put "the blame" on your own inexperience. ("I'm
not comfortable launching someone into conditions I'm uncomfortable flying
in.) Humor might be sufficiently deflective.

As noted, forewarned (as to the possibility of encountering such a situation)
is forearmed.

Thanks for chiming in!

Bob W.

I don't think this would work in a contest environment. I flew my
first contest a few weeks ago and there were a few days that we
launched that if I was free-flying I would not have taken off. Not
that I considered the conditions as "un-safe" but they were not what I
would choose to take off in for purely recreational flying. I was not
alone in my assessment of the conditions either; at the end of the day
there was some talk about the wind and how cross and strong it was.

Perhaps the caliber of pilot flying in contests allows for trickier
margins? I don't know.............but there were no incidents or
accidents and everyone went home with good stories to tell.

Brad