It is likely that the vast majority of the world's people believe
that it takes courage just to fly a hang glider or paraglider. When I started I
don't recall now at least being particularly afraid. I certainly don't
appreciate being afraid and overcoming my fears when I'm hang gliding. Feeling
courageous just because I have felt fear and still kept on flying just doesn't
provide a lasting sense of satisfaction. It doesn't seem to be worth the initial
emotional reaction.

https://www.facebook.com/rich.lovelace/posts/10156548598079471

Here is a pilot's story from Monday:

First day of the British Nationals and we go to At Andre. Task and
flying conditions looked pretty good with a 7k base. Unfortunately, the first
turn point was a totally stupid and dangerous place. Tried several times but
decided it wasn't my time to die or wreck my glider. I guess my balls must have
shrunk somewhat. Had a pleasant float up and down the ridge in the end which is
why I fly, not the dumb ass stupid my gonads are bigger than yours. Roll on
Florida and the Quest Air comps.

A task committee person writes:

We (task setters) miscalculated the turnpoint radius. It was 3km
too deep into difficult/dangerous conditions. I also failed to get it too Rich.

I wrote:

How about canceling the task after it was found to be unsafe? Is
that possible? Seems like it should be. That's why CIVL has the form for pilots
to report on task safety.

This issue of the extent that courage is required to fly and do
well in competition versus how much success in competition should be a measure
of skill, not courage, has come up earlier this season at the pre-Worlds. It
comes up often, at least in Europe. In the US it comes up when we fly on days
where thunderstorms threaten, which thankfully isn't that often.

I personally do not like being tossed around by violent air when I'm flying my
hang glider. I do my best to get out of the edges of thermals and will leave a
thermal if it is just too much. I must admit that I do find it thrilling to fly
near enough to thunderstorms and attempt to outrace them. So far successfully.

I do have a regret about leaving one thermal where I was getting tossed about
too much. It was on the day that Jonny and Dustin went far from Zapata and
Dustin set the world distance record of 475 miles.

https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2013/01/13/sports/13hangglide_ss.html

I was flying a Falcon 3 170 (which never tuck nor tumble) 169 miles out from
Zapata trying to break my single surface world record of 205 miles. I was
climbing in a rough thermal that I left once and then went back into again and
got tossed around some more. I left the thermal and unfortunately landed soon
after in the middle of a 300,000 acre ranch which took some effort to get out
of.

Pilots, male pilots at least, like to be thought of as courageous. So it is
difficult for them to say that tasks should be cancelled just because some
pilots felt that the task was dangerous. But that is exactly what we are
supposed to do. Competitions need to be safe, fun, and fair. If they are not
safe, if pilots are put in dangerous situations, they are not fair.

Of course, there is always a dispute about whether some task was dangerous or
not. In this case there is not a reasonable dispute because a member of the task
force has already admitted their error in calling the task. The task should be
cancelled. Of course, some pilots will suffer a diminution of their
achievements, and their bravery, but clearly the task was not fair and what is
the glory in winning an unfair task?

I had an opportunity to hear from Mitch Shipley, who was the CIVL steward at the
pre-Worlds in Italy this year, about how various pilots experienced a certain
area on the south side of the Alps. He looked at their tracklogs which showed
the pilots were in this area within a few minutes of each other and had vastly
different experiences. One number one rated pilot felt that it was the worse
turbulence that he has ever experienced. Another left and two others thermaled
right up.

In this case it becomes quite tricky to make a distinction between skill and
courage. I know from flying in the Alps, very near this location, and all pilots
who have flown in the Alps know, that there is often very violent air in all
sorts of spots throughout the Alps. The very best pilots can find themselves in
situations where their skill is of no use, just ask former multiple time world
champion Kari Castle.

In the US we are very fortunate to have hang gliding competitions in locations
where violent air is only on rare occasions an issue. We choose to fly and
compete in such locations. We have a greater emphasis on skill over courage. We
do not have cute little alpine villages and we do not have spectacular mountain
vistas.