RIP Tomas Reich - SGP Chile

On 1/22/2018 11:50 AM, krasw wrote:
So far work for improving safety in WGC events has realized in endless
safety briefings before each competition day. Same chant goes on forever,
"look outside, do not cut each other in thermal, do this, don't do that".
After this, everybody goes to fly the task EXACTLY same way as always.

Sometimes one has to wonder what goes on in pilots minds. For example, I
find thermal and start turning, after few turns fellow competitor joins
same thermal and starts circling to opposite direction at same altitude.
And this happens time and time again. They see you all the time and
apparently decide that "let's collide with that glider right here and now".
And this is just one small example of problems involving gaggle flying.
Luckily one doesn't have to witness all the stupidity of involved flying at
treetop level instead of landing out.

All this goes on forever, until there is rule that prevent stupidity, way
of controlling the rule, and penalty. It takes all of these three
components, if one is missing, we have useless rule.

My sincere condolences to everyone grieving for Mr. Reich, particularly his
family and personal friends.

At the risk of offending the Thread-drift Police, I'll add my "+1" to the
general message in the above post, and, emphasize the "universal truth" noted
in its final paragraph.

Way back when I was a vastly experienced soaring tyro flying my first
"semi-real contest," I independently came to krasw's conclusion expressed in
that final paragraph.

It took me two days to do so. The contest's pilot briefings hammered home two
flight safety rules each morning: 1) left-turns-only within 5 miles of the
launch airport; 2) thermal the same direction "everywhere." (From a
mid-air-prevention collision perspective, it would seem difficult to get more
"basically 'Duh!'" than that, IMO.) On Day 1, in my release thermal (at the
designated release point more or less directly atop the launch airfield), I
watched a guy join at my altitude and begin thermalling to his right; I left
to find another thermal. On Day 2 no one spoke up in the AM safety briefing
about the issue (which I'd noted was not isolated to the instance claimed
above)...and I experienced it again on Day 2. Again, no one spoke up on Day
3's safety review. (My 'excuse' for remaining mute was I felt intimidated,
being the new kid on the block...though [among other things] the sheer
brazenness displayed by the offending pilot[s?] appalled me.)

The circumstances troubled me sufficiently that, after the contest, I phoned
the person who'd introduced me to the sport, and who'd by then flown several
national contests, to ask: Was my experience normal at "real contests" too?
His response was a quiet chuckle followed by a comment to the effect that in
his experience it was. (He even volunteered one repeat offender's name; that
same alleged culprit continued to fly U.S. nationals for the next
quarter-century-plus.)

And while my experience noted above wasn't the sole reason for voting with my
contest-participating-feet - I found I simply enjoyed flying on my own
considerably more - it certainly was a big part of that being the last "real
contest" in which I participated.

Ideas have consequences, and the idea of actually being able to hold - and
holding - people accountable for their actions is an important one.

Bob W.

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