What does the USHPA Competition Rulebook say about the biggest safety issue at competitions, dealing with dangerous weather conditions that come up during a task?

http://www.ushpa.aero/compinfo.asp

2. Safety Director: Strives for the safety of all participants, officials, spectators, etc. and has the authority to stop or postpone a pilot or round at any time, including during the task, if, in his judgment changing conditions or lack of pilot ability jeopardize safety. However, the ultimate responsibility for a pilot’s safety lies with the decisions of the pilot himself and is not guaranteed by the actions or decisions of the Meet Organizers, the Meet Director or the Safety Director/Committee.

L. Stopping the task If a task is stopped, the pilots will still be scored up to the point in time when the day was stopped. For those pilots not in goal at the task stop time, distance points will be awarded based on best in-flight track log point or landing point recorded prior to or at the stop time.

6. 7. Task Cancellation and Stopping a task Meet Organizers are required to have a system to notify pilots of task cancellation or task stoppage prior to the completion of the task because of weather or other safety considerations that the pilots cannot avoid. If the task is cancelled the round will not be scored. Meet Directors may stop a task if they feel that to continue the task would be unsafe. (See Section 6.3L).

What do the rules for the 2007 Worlds held at Big Spring saw about stopping a task:

Scoring a stopped task. A task which has been stopped but not cancelled shall be scored if 60 minutes have elapsed since the opening of the start gate. (2.20.10.4).

What does the CIVL Sporting code say about stopping a task when conditions are unsafe:

The Safety Director may stop a task or suspend launch at any point for reasons of safety. He shall report his decisions to the Jury president.

2. 17.10.3 Stopping The Competition Director has the power to stop a task after some or all pilots have taken off only in an emergency resulting from hazardous weather or other conditions which could not be avoided by the pilots, and which would endanger their safety. The Safety Director also has the power to stop a task.

What does it say about stopping a task in the Competition Workgroup's proposed revisions to the USHPA competition rulebook:

The Meet Director has the power to stop a task after some or all of the competitors have launched due to unsafe flying conditions such as weather or emergency operations that cannot be avoided by the competitors.

What do the rules say about stopping a task at the King Mountain co-Nationals:

1. If weather is obviously dangerous on any given day then the task will be canceled prior to launch.

2. Launch may be closed at any time if dangerous conditions develop on or around launch.

3. If dangerous weather develops on course, each pilot is responsible for observing, recognizing and avoiding (when possible) flying in dangerous weather.

* It is the pilot's responsibility to fly safely and terminate the flight as dictated by changing and/or dangerous conditions.

* Due to the vast area and terrain over which this competition extends, it is impossible for the meet director to observe or recognize most of the weather related conditions that may develop over the course of a day. It is also virtually impossible for the meet director to communicate weather conditions to pilots due to the lack of dependable radio and cell phone communications across the vast area and terrain.

* Pilots who encounter dangerous weather developments are encouraged to radio that information to their drivers and ask their drivers to attempt to communicate that information to the meet director when and if their drivers happen to have cell phone connectivity.

4. Upon receipt of a report of dangerous weather, the meet director will broadcast that report on the official meet frequencies. Pilots may attempt to monitor the official meet frequency for reports. Pilots should note, however, that due to the vast area and the terrain, these broadcasts will not reach all areas of the course and therefore will not be available to pilots for much of the course. Pilots are reminded that pilots are responsible to observe and recognize dangerous weather/flying conditions. It is the pilot's responsibility to fly safely and terminate the flight as dictated by changing and/or dangerous conditions.

5. Pilots will be required to sign an acknowledgment of these rules and a release, waiver and assumption of risks related to all risks involved in the competition, including those related to weather and reports of dangerous weather or lack thereof. 6. Pilots who knowingly fly into unsafe conditions or who violate FAR 103 will be disqualified at the discretion of the meet director .

In other words, the meet director or safety director is not responsible for stopping the task, as is the case in all other USHPA and CIVL sanctioned competitions if unsafe conditions occur on the course, and that the total responsible lies with the pilot to avoid unsafe conditions.

The King Mountain meet director absolves herself of responsible for safety by providing the excuse that unlike at any other flying area in the world where competitions are held, at King Mountain it is uniquely impossible for the meet director to monitor safety conditions along the course line. Is she not able to contact the drivers (by cell phone or 2m radio) or pilots by 2m radio? Is she not able to drive the course line as Mike Haley did in 2008 and make a judgment for herself? Does she not collect the pilots' radio frequencies at the beginning of the meet so that she can contact them when a problem arises? Or is that just not the cowboy way?

Why did the USHPA allow this to happen? Did not the USHPA Competition Committee realize that the King Mountain co-Nationals did not conform to the USHPA Competition Rulebook? Wouldn't you expect that the USHPA President would be aware of the conflict between her rules (as King Mountain meet organizer) and her rules (as USHPA President)?

Let me quote once again from the USHPA Competition Rulebook:

6. 7. Task Cancellation and Stopping a task Meet Organizers are required to have a system to notify pilots of task cancellation or task stoppage prior to the completion of the task because of weather or other safety considerations that the pilots cannot avoid. If the task is cancelled the round will not be scored. Meet Directors may stop a task if they feel that to continue the task would be unsafe. (See Section 6.3L)