(Chris OCallaghan) wrote in message . com...
Gary,

Everyone agrees, speak up. But best to do it with or through someone
the pilot in question respects. Then, expect anger, denial, and if he
is a gentleman, an apology for the reaction at some point in the
future. That's just the way people work.

Indeed, speak up. It may not make any difference, but you have a
responsibility to try. This applies to unsafe practices by an
otherwise competent pilot as well as to age- or health-related
deterioration of skills. Even with single-seat gliders there's a
chance a pilot's mistake could hurt others.

For all the criticism that the contest group receives, I've found this
environment to be one where a pilot who has done something
questionable is very likely to be "counseled" by not one but several
other competition pilots soon after the incident. It's also been my
experience that pilots who are thus spoken to are generally receptive
to the critique.

I'm not sure whether this is because the counselers at a contest tend
to be older, higher time, and respected or whether pilots who
regularly test themselves in this arena are introspective and
receptive to suggestions for improvement. Maybe they, like many of us,
are just subject to peer pressure, especially when those peers may be
U.S. national champions.

As for counseling someone whose skills have
deteriorated--irrevocably--to the point of being unsafe for
him/herself and/or others, the one or two contest pilot situations of
which I'm aware have been painful affairs for all involved. But that's
no reason not to take action.

As Chris suggested, the best way is probably to do it through someone
the pilot in question trusts and privately at a time and place where
the pilot is more likely to be receptive.

Chip Bearden