Bill Daniels wrote:

Yes, for three reasons.

1. Accidents provide justification for more regulation.
2. Accidents increase insurance premiums for all of us.
3. Accidents create bad press which reduces our opportunity to grow the
sport.

I would turn it around and suggest that the individual pilot has an
obligation to protect the soaring community at large from the consequences
of his unsafe actions.

I don't think so. I think your argument has moral connotations that
i am not sure i like. Generally moralist people are far too much
dangerous for my taste. Gliding (or power flying) is a dangerous sport,
nothing and nobody can change that. There are a lot of other dangerous
sports, like climbing, diving, etc. Unfortunately a lot of people die
each year climbing or diving or even skying. One has to be honest and
say these sports are dangerous, after that, it is each one responsibilty
to take risks or not. One can try to give good advice to fellows, such
as "keep speed" and avoid spin at all price. This will not deter
idiots to fly at stall speed + 1 km/h in order to "better center
thermals", or to spend all their time playing with their GPS, their
Palm and other crap instead of looking outside. Even when you take
all possible precautions there are excellent pilots who kill themselves.
I have known an instructor, who was around 40, in excellent physical
condition, intellectually very alert (he was a medical doctor), an
excellent XC performer, still he crashed in the Alps with his brand
new Schleicher. I have a collegue who has been a glider champion, and
induced his son to also become a champion. At around 20 he killed
himself during a championship. Now the father is desperate.


Bill Daniels


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Michel TALON