Is the DHV tired of its pilots flying with a handicap? Is that why its trying to force all pilots to fly with sprog specifications that are DHV certified? Yes, I know it hasn't gone quite that far yet, but....

This whole idea of sprog measurements came from the DHV a few years ago and they have been pushing it hard and down the throats of the German pilots and the CIVL Plenary ever since. Now suddenly there is this extra pressure from Max Bishop at the FAI to "do something," and the DHV has taken the bit in their mouth and run with it (can you say "Mind That Bird?").

But it has exposed a glaring problem and turned up the heat on that problem, the DHV certification procedures that disadvantage women and smaller pilots, and lead to too high sprog settings for small pilots. And exposed perhaps an underlying (and I assume unconscious) sexism in the DHV.

Think of it this way. Say that there is one standard for everyone, regardless of size, shape, gender, whatever. Everyone treated the same. But say that standard is size twelve shoes. Everyone has to wear the same shoe size. One standard for everyone.

Well, obviously this "standard" is not the same for everyone in the way that the shoe only fits those who have twelve size feet and everyone else is disadvantaged. Can you really get away with calling them a bunch of cry babies?

The standard has to be a standard that treats all the participants equally. They all get to have shoes that fit their feet.

So will the uproar over forcing pilots to set their sprogs at their certified or manufacturer's specifications (and the consequent measurement issues that arise from this requirement) force DHV to open up and recognize the fact that their certification procedures are not appreciated by the rest of the world and it is time for a change? That is will it come back and bite them? (I kinda hope so.)