On 1/23/2018 7:03 AM, wrote:
On Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at 7:28:36 AM UTC-6, Tony wrote:
There was a hazardous flying penalty at the JWGC:
https://www.soaringspot.com/en_gb/jw...17-08-09/daily


A competitor was sent home some years ago from a Nationals in Minden NV
after repeated "hazardous flying". If enough pilots complain, this can be
dealt with.

Simply because I find this particular aspect of soaring/human nature
personally fascinating - and not because I have a horse in this race (I do
not) - I'll note that an argument can be made that but 2 "hard examples" over
several decades'-worth of international contests, makes a better case for the
*absence* of (consistent? rigorous? etc.) enforcement of this particular
aspect of contest flying as "easily visible from ground organizers'
perspectives," than it does for an absence of "unsafe flying incidents."

I remember when both examples cited above came to my "print attention" (the
former via the web and the latter via SSA's "Soaring" magazine). From my
perspective, no "obvious informational followup" from either source. (One
might also reasonably argue that lack of "press followup" is part of the
underlying issue as well.)

I suspect Herb K.'s post-ending assertion is accurate, though likely to be
"seriously inertially resisted" by organizers (and many competitors) for a
small host of easily identifiable, human-nature-based, rationales, including
(though not limited to): desire to avoid confrontation; fear of reducing
perceived minimal contest participation (a sword that cuts two ways);
"unfairness/judgmental/etc." complaints; ad-hominem responses; etc.

To the extent that soaring contests are democratic in their rules development
and enforcement, I'll put my money on nothing much changing on this particular
front in the near future...

Bob W.

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com