Terry<<terryreynolds2>>
writes:

First, let me reiterate: I believe Davis to be an honest man. He
believes what he says to be the truth. However, in the Oz Report he presents
facts in a way frequently colored by his usually negative viewpoint. Reporting
can be upbeat and positive without straying from the truth. Davis does not get
negative feedback; nobody wants to be made to look bad in the Oz Report, read
daily by most of the best English-speaking hang glider pilots in the world. I
doubt he recognizes that he wields his power like a bully.

Davis makes no bones about hating Dinosaur though he hasn’t been there for 20
years. He has learned a lot since he flew into a gust front to land, got flipped
over backward, beat up and pinned under his glider (http:/ozreport.com/docs/Cloudsuck2.pdf).
It was a bad day. That was before tasks were stopped. Pilot’s safety relied on
their individual judgment. Every pilot has made mistakes in judgment, but that
does not justify bad-mouthing the place for 20 years.

Taking Davis’ points and complaints pretty much in order:

Yes, even though we chose a historically drier, mellower time of year, like many
other 2015 meets, we were hammered by freak weather.

As to iffy footlaunch conditions, the launch winds at Dinosaur are almost always
straight in, regardless of the prevailing wind. As for the negative comments on
footlaunch in general, at least the hang glider pilot is in control. Ever been
at a tow meet where the wind is cross on the runway, invisible “dust devils” are
rolling through, you draw an under-powered tug or a terrible pilot? As for the
right-most - farthest west - launch, it is favored by most pilots and is very
forgiving of poor technique (https://youtu.be/BY9rZqxeSHI).

Yup, if you want to get really high - didn’t that used to be a goal? - it is
recommended that you dress for it and use oxygen.

As for the town sucking - compared to Big Spring!? (I love eating Indian food,
but I’m not so big on smelling it.) Many of Dinosaur’s population of 300, from
the mayor on down, very much wanted the hang gliders to come back and made great
efforts to make it happen. If the town’s facilities don’t meet your needs,
Rangely is only 20 minutes away and the small city of Vernal, 30. If camping out
under incredibly bright stars with scenery others drive thousands of miles to
enjoy doesn’t inspire you, apply all the money you saved not paying for tows to
softer accommodations.

I differ with the opinion that having U.S. comps all being tow meets is a change
for the better. The small group of U.S. competition pilots is shrinking every
year, including participation at Big Spring. While, as Davis states, they may
not have signed up in droves, Dinosaur drew more pilots - not even counting the
free-flyers - than did Big Spring and 2 ½ times as many Sport Class pilots. We
built an 1800 foot runway to cater to towing, but not a single pilot opted for
that method. The flatland competition flying that Davis sees as a change for the
better, draws fewer participants every year.

Temperatures on launch at Dinosaur were low to mid 70’s before launch. Temps at
B.S. are mid 90’s, with humidity, so even with the much lower altitudes attained
there, the differential is probably about the same.

Smoother air? If that’s a necessity, it’s tough to beat Torrey Pines, Point of
the Mountain and other paraglider dominated sites.

Retrieval is definitely easier at more urban, flatland venues. No challenge. The
driver can be quickly informed and always be there before you can break down. At
Dinosaur, a good driver makes a difference. The daily Driver Contest meetings
were enthusiastically attended and the contest accomplished its goal.

Davis was very helpful answering technical questions regarding rules, scoring,
etc. As I have said before, no one knows more about current hang gliding
competitions than Davis. “Mentoring him time after time with my advice on issues
too numerous to count,” greatly overstates his contribution.

Flight parks and other civilized flatland sites are a wonderful thing. I wish I
lived near one. Heck, you can even slide in for a landing on your belly! I
wonder what percentage of pilots were inspired by towing and flying triangles
over flat land to return to the same field vs. how many dreamed of leaving a
perch on a mountain to fly like a bird. In the prologue to his book, Cloudsuck,
Davis writes an ever so eloquent description of why most of us learned to fly.
As we age - Davis and I are 68 and elderly by anyone’s definition - maybe some
of that spirit is lost.