On Aug 25, 4:53*pm, jsbrake wrote:
Kirk, I think Cookie was being rather tongue-in-cheek... reference his
line: "Especially if you don't mind the occasional fatality..........
"

One of my club's members, Manfred Radius, is an airshow aerobatic
glider pilot who ends his show with an inverted pass to cut a ribbon
with his V-tail (Salto).http://www.radiusairshows.com/

"tongue-in-cheek" and "fatality" don't usually go together.

Sarcasm, on the other hand...

Personally, I think Cookie is just being a jerk, with a hard-on about
"low passes", "contest finishes", whatever you want to call them.

If he really put a little thought into it, he would realize that the
real problem with our apalling safety record is that so many glider
pilots in the US are poorly trained, lack currency, or do not take the
time to improve their skills.

And our gliding culture has split us into groups that regard the
others with disdain; Twirlybirds vs glassholes, local fun flyers vs
fanatical racers, high-tech vs old school simple.

Instead of enjoying the range of adventures that soaring allows, and
learning (and respecting) what other glider pilots do, instead we
accuse them, without basis usually, of "unsafe activities" if they
don't fit our definition of a glider pilot.

Final comment on low passes, then I'll shut up: How many documented
accidents, in the US, can be directly blamed on low passes in recent
years (say, since the end of their use in contest finishes)? OTOH,
how many due to botched PTTs, taking off with spoilers open, midairs,
landouts, stall spins on final, botched final glides,etc?

Statistically, it's probably safer to finish a flight with a low pass
than a conventional pattern!

Kirk
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