On 12 Aug 2005 04:16:57 -0700, "MaD" wrote:

Why is it not normal ...to land
straight in after the finishline?

Can someone explain?

Yes.

Many US contests are held at airports, not airfields. In many cases,
the only safe place to land is the runway.

The straight in finish you describe is safe as long as the area
between the finish line and the stopping point is landable, with
plenty of width available for simultaneous finishers.

All contest sites should be round grass fields of 1-mile radius.

-Pat