Here is a sobering suggestion how we can get more meaningful
statistics, at least for XC pilots, instead of using the number of SSA
members as a reference, which is far from reflecting the number of
active pilot:

Use the OLC 'statistics - all flights' for the year (http://
http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0...sp=2011#p:0 ;)
to find the toal number of pilots who submited at least one flight
this year since each pilot is listed only once (1023 for USA in 2011).
Then cross refernce with the list of names of pilots got killed in
2011, and you get a meaningful statistic for XC pilots. I don't have
all the names but I know of at least one OLC participant who is no
longer with us this year, which makes it at least 1/1000.
Someone who has all the names can come up with more accurate number.

Ramy