http://ozreport.com/13.46#2

I asked some questions in the article above, not all of them directed at Max Bishop, but I sent them to him anyway and he was good enough to answer them as best he could.  Max Bishop <<email>> writes:

What competitions was Max Bishop referring to?

All competitions that are sanctioned by FAI, but obviously mainly the 1st Category events (World and Continental Championships).

Which accidents was he referring to?

The most recent were those at the World Paragliding Championship in Mexico (one fatal, two with serious injuries and numerous others that could have ended up that way), and in Greifenburg. But I also still have in mind several others, notably the Australian cu-nim affair.

Are we only talking about fatal accidents?

No, of course not.

How do we know that sprog settings are a major factor in accidents involving tumbling?

This is a question for those who are technically qualified to answer, not for me. I am always careful not to involve myself in matters that are beyond my competence.

What representatives from the manufacturers are on the workgroup? Gerolf? Steve Pearson? Scott Barrett? Who exactly is on the work group?

Again, this is a question that the CIVL officials will answer for you. It is not for me to become involved in appointing experts, and I do not yet know the final composition of the group.

Does CIVL just have to show the FAI that it is doing something even if it doesn't know what to do that is useful?

If the intent of your question is to determine whether or not the FAI Board is demanding unconsidered knee-jerk reactions of the "something must be done immediately" variety, the answer is a very clear "No". We have been voicing concerns for some time about safety. This is not new. But the measures taken obviously have to be carefully considered, effective and appropriate. We are not looking for "ticks in boxes", nor are we putting up umbrellas to shelter under. We are concerned with saving lives and preventing incapacitation. There is no "magic bullet" solution. Improvements in flight safety come through many small initiatives rather than one big one. But the essential pre-requisite is a recognition on the part of all concerned that your community (pilots, manufacturers, officials, decision-makers of all kinds) has a problem and needs to do something about it.

Is there a big difference between paragliding and hang gliding competitions?

Exactly how big the difference is cannot be easily assessed. My personal impression (as a moderately well-informed outsider) is that there are certain shared values in both disciplines that are not necessarily always conducive to flight safety (notably, a marked tendency to resist, or be reluctant to impose, reasonable authority). But obviously there are differences (for example, I assume, in the relative susceptibility of the two types of aircraft to severe turbulence).

Max begs off on the questions that should be addressed to Flip and Dennis. I have no doubt that in hang gliding competition there are no values that are not conducive to safety. I have no idea what he is talking about when he refers to the tendency to resist reasonable authority. As a competition official at the 2007 Worlds and other competitions, I have not experienced this.

I have no problem with CIVL or anyone else improving safety, but I have not seen that CIVL has a good idea of just how to do that other than what they have done previously. When I see some reasonable plan, I'll be happy to get behind it.

It seems to me that Max is most concerned about the paragliding accidents and we just got caught up in the vortex.