I also think the start cylinder can be a place where it's very tempting to thermal low, no one wants to relight in front of the entire field, slow up the launch, etc. Tough be be penalized before you're even out on course, but I can think of one pilot who might still be alive if that were the case..

It's situational. At small contests with slow launches, I agree it's a temptation to hang on over the airport hoping for a save. But I've radioed ops, then given up above 1,000', pulled the brakes, and landed quickly at places like Hobbs when the field has launched because it can be faster to get back to 2,000' via a towplane than it is to climb up slowly with full water.

Chip Bearden