I too was a competitor at this event and have avoided this debate despite
wanting to react to some insensitive postings with phrases such as "you
can't fix stupid". I thought this kind of language inappropriate for Tomas
and his family: Tomas was not a "stupid" pilot.

I want to support Rene's comments below. I thought the venue was very good
for an SGP. The effort the Vitacura club and SGP management put into the
event was to be applauded. The tracking system, task setting, ground
operations and soaring conditions were all to my mind very good, and of
course the time difference worked well for the European audience. Yes there
were times when I had "interesting" moments but they were all my
responsibility, and I can equally think of several moments when I chose not
to take or to abandon climbs as I did not like the picture. Were this
incidents of mine the fault of rules or organisers? No, they were a
reflection of the risks I personally chose, or chose not, to take.

I do not agree with the online criticism of Brian and the SGP organisation.
The SGP team were all volunteers and no pilot was forced to fly: all this
was done for fun in an amateur sport that is voluntary and carries no big
prizes. It's worth remembering that. Rene and Carlos had a phrase I
particularly liked: they flew to make new friends, not to win tin trophies.


I want to fly in Chile again. The soaring conditions are very good indeed,
the scenery is jaw dropping, Chile is a wonderful country and I made many
new friends at the Vitacura club. Does any of the above demean the loss of
a fellow soaring pilot? Absolutely not.

Jon



Hi to all,
I am one of the pilots that flew the GP in Chile and friend of Tomas, who
s=
adly died on last day of competition.=20

On training day, there was an accident during a final glide ridge soaring
b=
ack home (about 20 km) and at least +500 m above Vitacura as arrival. The
n=
ew and very complex OGN antenna system we made for the mountains, made it
p=
ossible to find him on time. Mountain ridge slope was not as very high
moun=
tain side, where we have never had an accident in 70 years (since the
origi=
ns of our gliding activity in Chile). Probably we need to analyse and
filte=
r pilot=C2=B4s personal accident record to start with. No rule, no task,
no=
weather, no risk involved on that manouver explained the
accident...howeve=
r it happened. Why?.

On last competition day, we had a terrible fatal accident that is under
ana=
lysis of course, but the terrain where it happened is not the high and
"ter=
rible mountains" as some pilots are trying to define for this country. An
8=
00 meters airfield at 4 Km distance and +1100 meters altitude as arrival.
W=
hy it happened???. That is the question we need to answer but probably
will=
never know. We can guess only and cry in the process.

We know racing has a risk. We need to be responsible in managing the
risk:
=
rules, tasks, safety devices, etc., but we will never be in the pilots
head=
, who finally manages all the factors.

On Varesse GP Final there were big complains from a very well known pilot
b=
ecause minimum arrival altitude rule was too accurate without margin. IGC
c=
reated a 5 m buffer. In Chile same pilot arrived 2 meters bellow the new
bu=
ffer altitude (7 meters) and wanted to make a protest for 2 meters. Why
pu=
shing hard?. Pilots know they have those 5 meters in the pocket and want
mo=
re. It is the same in all IGC rules...there is always a downside from the
p=
ilots.
=20
On Varesse GP Final a pilot complained about wing load limit of 52 kg/m2
im=
posed for two reasons: to equal glider performance and to improve glider
ma=
neuverability. He wanted IGC to erase this "stupid rule" and to free the
wi=
ng loading in order to make ASG 29 more competitive against JS1. Flying
com=
petition in mountains with 56 or 57 kg/m2 is even more dangerous!!!, not
52=
.. Now in Chile he says this is the most dangerous competition?.

We have to be responsible with our declarations and the consequences,
speci=
ally taking the opportunity to blame organizers just when a fatal
accident
=
happened. It is not fare for Tomas, and the gliding community he will
alway=
s be part of.

One pilot here mentioned to check Kawa=C2=B4s flights but those in Chile.
I=
t is not fare for us and it is an insult for all mountain pilots with
thous=
ands of hours and in any other mountain like Alps, Pyrenees, etc. He
flies
=
in Chile with the same risk than any other competition pilot during the
GP.=
None of the other 18 pilots flew with more risk than him. He knows how
to
=
fly better the thermals, the final glide is better, he is just better
menta=
lly and that is why he won.
Kawa said in his book that flying in Chile was boring (back in 2010), but
f=
ew days ago he told me that he wants to take that back after a flight we
ha=
d together and found to be the most fun and exciting flight he had.

Now I am not only sad for our loss, but for the way our Country and the
off=
icials have been treated in a famous interview at opensoaring.

Chile is one of the best places for GP competitions.

Have a nice flights and hope you all can fly our beautiful Volcanoes,
glaci=
ers, lakes and multicolor mountains one day.