This post is taking a quote from Uvalde’s 2011 PreWorlds daily reports from Aug 9th. This report hit a chord with me, since Klaus Holighaus, our team trainer at the time, died under very similar circumstances in 1994 – not in a contest though…

“These contests boast a strong contingent of Australian pilots. One is Gerrit Kurstjens, who is flying with John Buchanan in a Duo Discus.  As you might guess from his name and accent, he hails originally from Holland. He has no shortage of tales of glider flights over much of the world.  Here’s a sobering one about contest flying in the French Alps:

Gerrit had been selected for the Dutch team for the 1997 World Gliding Contest in St. Auban, France.  Thus did he attend the 1996 Pre-World contest, known as LavenderGlide (the French alpine foothills are known for their fields of lavender). One evening he enjoyed a dinner with Fredrico Blatter, a prominent Swiss pilot with a great deal of alpine soaring experience.  The next day a task was set well to the north, which led pilots through a mountain pass into the valley where the city of Grenoble is located.  Weather wasn’t the best, and it declined during the day.  When Gerrit and several others returned to the pass on their way home, they found it blocked by cloud. The detour via a lower route would be long – possibly too long to allow a finish.  What to do?

Several pilots had a simple answer: they soared up into the cloud (using GPS guidance), popped through the pass and headed home.  Gerrit’s choice was a motor start, a long and difficult flight home, and a resolution not to participate in the 1997 World contest – he did not wish to be faced with the stark choice between safety and a decent score.  He was greatly saddened to learn the next day that, near the same pass and only shortly after he’d been there, Fredrico Blatter collided with the terrain and was killed.”

When I reflected about Klaus’ death at the time I came to the conclusion that if you fly constantly with the best of the best in the world you’re pushing the envelope to train for the competitive advantage you need during the contest. With thousands of hours in gliders, these extreme pilots operate on the edge of the envelope, at times exceeding all safety limits. The problem with this is that 9 out of 10 times (or pick a number), it works. Then the wrong lesson is learned (“oh, I did this before, so I can do it again”), only to have the odds turning against you. It’s a matter of time.

I even claim the pilots who fell victim to this behaviour knew about the risks they were taking and were consciously accepting it. It’s a choice we make. There’s a price we pay – eventually.

Unfortunately, in soaring,  accidents don’t end with a bruise or a broken leg. It’s the ultimate price – for the ultimate thrill. An unresolved tension field.