Are off-airport landouts common and/or dangerous?

On Monday, May 27, 2019 at 10:03:14 AM UTC-6, wrote:
snip
Landing out will not win the day, so the quote you bring up needs massaging.

Not always. My story could either make your point or dispute it.

My 1st contest day win was when I followed the contest leader over an airport in still (overcast) air on course. He was trying to get every point he could to stay in the lead. I was not in the running for a contest win, so at the appropriate point I turned around and landed at at the airport. The two leaders continued on and landed in fields, the contest was close enough that the one that did a couple extra miles won the contest. However this was the 1st year that the 25 point airport bonus was implemented and I ended up winning the day by landing at an airport. I landed there just because it was safer and more convenient, I was not aware of the airport bonus, or at least wasn't considering it when I landed there.

Brian