On 8 Sep 2003 22:58:50 GMT, Andy Blackburn
wrote:

Over the past 30 years I have known more than a few
people who've died while flying a sailplane - and I've
been witness to a couple. I can think of a few speed
related accidents and they all invloved loss of control
and/or structural failure at several thousand feet
altitude. I've never heard of a fatality, or even
an accident during a 'contest finish' - either during
a contest or at any other time, though I cannot say
definitively that it's never happend. My personal experience
(and statistics on the subject) suggests that we should
be more concerned with too little speed (stall/spin)
than too much speed.

I reject the notion that contest finishes are inherently
unsafe any more than gaggle flying, landing or tow.
Pilots making contest finishes have as high or higher
situational awareness than in any other phase of flight
- they tend to be more focused and less likely to be
multi-tasking. Like all other phases of flight, the
maneuver can be performed well or poorly, but that
is not the basis for making generalizations.

The contest finish is an exuberant and graceful way
to put an exclamation point on the end of a cross-country
or racing flight (or even a local flight, for that
matter). They are perhaps the one phase of glider flight
that generates positive excitement with spectators
on the ground.

Goodness knows the sport could use ways to get visitors
to the glider field excited.


Well said, Andy.
During the 1970's in Western Australia I flew at several clubs where
contest type finishes were the norm and the only guy ever to screw up
was the Chief Flying Instructor of one club in his own glider who spun
in from the top of the pullup. We used to go down to about 20 - 30
feet. I think that is reasonable as you won't hit the ground if you
encounter a gust.(that has happened in WA at another club and at Alice
Springs it was I think an IS 28 got flown through the club bar on a
low finish. Fortunately nobody was in there and the building wasn't
all that substantial and no fatalities. The 28 and the bar were write
off though.)

I then had the misfortune to spend 15 years at another club in another
state who banned contest type finishes.(amonst other things) They sure
managed to make a nice thing like gliding boring and unpleasant. They
also can't figure out why they lose members.

Mike Borgelt