The following reports were given to me by reliable witnesses:

There were two aerotowing incidents on Thursday which have in
common pilot denial (the pilot at Wallaby denies this). In spite of the obvious
evidence of pilot error and failure to take corrective actions, the two pilots
involved were vociferous in denying responsibility for their actions (again one
pilot disagrees). This is the most upsetting part of the incidents, that pilots
were so defensive that they were unable to listen to what the witnesses told
them about how they almost killed themselves or at the very least escaped
serious injury.

The pilot in the Wallaby Ranch incident has written and denied denying. So, I'll
have to leave it at that. I spoke with a reliable witness who had a different
story. I wasn't there for either accident and am relying on witnesses that I
consider reliable.

Pilots, especially new pilots, or pilots returning to the sport after a long
layoff, have to be open to criticism, even if it is not delivered well, even if
they are keyed up after the incident. If others note that they are being
defensive, then these pilots can not be trusted to learn their lesson. And can
not be trusted at flight parks to keep from hurting themselves and the sport.

In one case a new pilot on a single surface glider equipped with heavy duty
wheels and a tail wheel, had a low weaklink break. He let the nose come up, as
would naturally be the case in such an incident unless the pilot was already
pulled in and then pulled in more, and the glider stalled and went in hard
breaking at least the extension to the keel. It could have been much worse.

The pilot said that he couldn't do anything about the nose popping up. If he
truly believes this then he is not ready to be a pilot.

In the other case, the pilot was taking his first flight on a Wills Wing Sport
2, after aerotowing a Falcon a month or perhaps much earlier. He had little
aerotow experience other than some tandems and six tows with the Falcon at some
point in the past.

He was pulled through the control frame by the tug, not resisting enough the
pull of the tug, was pinned on the cart because he was so far forward. The tug
got in the air with him still on the cart. When he finally got himself off the
cart, he wanged and bounced off the ground off his leading edge and then went on
to further carnage, suffering only a bloody nose. Again the pilot failed to
recognize that he was the person responsible for all that had happened to him
(see his denial above).

Pilots, you are the pilot in command. Anything that happens is your
responsibility. It didn't happen to you, you made it happen by your actions or
lack thereof.