Morgan,

What a Great Start to an important discussion! Thanks for contributing, and
Even More Thanks for your cogent, specific, examples of useful behavioral
change!!!

Hoping only to encourage others to contribute their thoughts - whether in
general agreement, skeptical or contrary - I've provided my personal feedback
below...
= = = = = =

On 6/25/2012 12:52 PM, Morgan wrote:
On a local level the miserable start to the year has certainly impacted our
behaviors. I've been communicating to my club the recent incidents and the
reminders to keep your head out of the cockpit and maximize situational
awareness. This goes for on the ground as well and keeping an eye out for
each other.

Being 100% unfamiliar with you/your club, allow me to suggest to readers
(especially those newer to the sport) that what you're doing is a Great Way to
begin cultural change, if indeed anyone thinks cultural change might be a good
thing. Personal involvement.
- - - - - -

Another item to try to facilitate is open discussion of anything that seems
unsafe. Anyone that has ever watched a low and slow approach and not said
something to the pilot is not helping develop a safe culture. You don't
have to beat a person up, but make sure they understand the risks they are
taking.

"Spot On," and, "Great Example!" Is there a club in the U.S. that on any given
weekend doesn't have at least one 'uninformedly dodgy low approach' for Joe
Observer to witness/learn something from/discuss? Two keys assisting healthy
discussion are (IMHO): 1) 'being sensitive' to the offending pilot's ego; and
2) the commitment to assume some personal responsibility for - step by tiny
step - improving one's club's pilots' "collective judgments."
- - - - - -


A core group of XC pilots from our region have been working out improved
standards for position reporting as well. We are trying to lead by
example, but are also learning about what is most effective and important
as we go. We fly along pretty well defined energy lines and this increases
the head-to-head chances on a good convergence day.

"How cool is that?!?" I mean trying to improve something as arguably amorphous
as effective position reporting. Don't anyone imagine only mountainous areas
or areas with known convergence lines might benefit from 'improved position
reporting' as an idea. A long-standing XC camp in the Texas panhandle
encourages participants to do the same thing, especially when flying up-n-down
the primary road retrieval route.

I've long thought ANY position reporting boils down simply to, "Here I am (and
by implication, don't hit me)."

For example, "Zuni 3, 10.7, climbing 2 SW of Hooker," or "Z3 10.7, NE-bound, 5
NE of Hooker, south of the highway."

Functionally, that's "all" FLARM tries to accomplish, despite its 'processor
enhanced smarts.'

On voice frequencies, arguably anything not fundamentally a part of "Here I
am," ought not to be transmitted. Why not? It's superfluous, whether the
receiver is a retrieve crew tagging along, or Joe Pilot is so enthralled with
his situation he 'wants to share his joy.' Given the fact any voice frequency
is a limited resource, sharing 'on the ground, later' is 'better.'

Nor should the transmission be 'locationally ambiguous.' Leave out locational
information at the risk of initiating an (avoidable, with thought beforehand)
radio exchange from someone needful of what was left out. Practice will
rapidly improve one's transmissions...
- - - - - -

Personally speaking, we have people at the grass roots level trying to make
a difference. How fast and far that spreads remains to be seen.

"Cool!" to the first sentence, and "Roger that!" to the second. Effecting
human behavioral change isn't something easily/instantly accomplished. Time is
always an impartial judge, even if we'd sometimes rather it wasn't...
- - - - - -

The most poisonous attitude that I fear are the people resistant to change.
They can resist for the sake of resistance and meanwhile poison the
environment for everyone. Adoption of Flarm or Transponders or Radio usage
or safety practices can all be very detrimentally affected by a loud
naysayer, even when the arguments lack validity.

Thanks for helping validate my own thinking. I've no problem 'agreeing to
disagree' but I DO find it problematic in soaring when people take actions
most objective observers would agree is detrimental to the sport as a whole.
Soaring is a sufficiently marginal activity (in societal terms) that every
participant should actively seek to avoid actions with potential for further
marginalization of it.
- - - - - -


Everyone just needs to keep trying and start with focusing on your own
behaviors. Your personal safety culture as you pointed out.

Control what you can control. Seek to influence what you can't control.
Who'd'a ever thunk simple parenting skills might also carry over into soaring? :-)

Bob W.