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Task stopped too late

Profile picture for user Julien Garcia
By Julien Garcia on Tue, 21 Oct 2025 - 02:20
Discipline
Paragliding XC
What went wrong ?
More and more task are being stopped too late. Many reasons :
Submarine hardened the access to the radio and to the tracker. There is also a quite spread cultural belief amongst organizers which is : comp pilots should just give up when the conditions worsen. They are amongst the best, they should carry themself and act self responsible.
Another reason is linked to human factor. It can be hard to kill a task you created yourself. It's acknowledging you might have done something wrong or suboptimal.
What would you propose ?
- Mandatory check for radios on the ground (Registration / ToT + submask) and in the Air (answer obligation on MD / SD call).
- Task setter distinguished from task stopper : meet director / safety director.
- MD / SD Curriculum. "Pilots need to be protected from themselves". "They won't fly around".
Issue category
task stop
Safety
bad weather conditions
culture
Safety
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  • 3 comments
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14 votes with an average rating of 1.

Comments

Profile picture for user Jonas Prüssing
Tue, 21 Oct 2025 - 23:10
Jonas Prüssing
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This is a real issue. I’ve noticed that the culture of level (LVL) reporting has gotten worse and worse over the past few years. One reason is probably the submarine-style harnesses, which make it more difficult than ever to report LVL while dealing with issues in the air.
Another problem is the new Flymaster trackers. They were supposed to make LVL reporting easier, but in reality, they’ve made the situation worse — because now, other pilots no longer receive LVL reports from fellow pilots. That means they don’t get warned and can’t relay this information further. The report now goes only to the ground organization.
We need to restore a culture of LVL reporting. One possible solution could be a mandatory PTT (push-to-talk) button for all pilots. This would make communication easy and allow reports even in difficult situations (e.g., during LVL 3). Additionally, it should be standard practice to explain the reporting system in the opening briefing, to encourage pilots to use it — or even to introduce penalties when unsafe conditions are not reported.

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2 votes with an average rating of 1.
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Fri, 24 Oct 2025 - 12:04
DusanO
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That is / should be the main issue. How and WHEN the task are stopped or even they should never begin!!

I believe, that we/all pilots should have some self-reflect about this. We should always bear in mind, that task stopped too soon is WAY better and ALWAYS BETTER than task stopped too late!!
This should somehow need to change in pilots minds, and not be angry at MD, SD, pilots, that report L3, etc.. that task was stopped because of them and/or too early.
Therefore, there should be some (more) strict rules to follow.
1st. if the lunch site is not OK (back wind, too strong wind, etc.. then the task should be stopped/cancelled. And we should stick to the rule no matter what. Even if there are "perfect" conditions in the air.
2nd. If the conditions in the air got worsen, the task should be stop immediately. Not waiting till last moment or waiting for .. 10-20 L3 calls. (.. and as we saw, even this did not helped!!)
3rd ... etc..
The bottom line is, that there should be more strict end defined "preventive measures" which would make/force the "decision" automatically and not waiting for the "human error".

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2 votes with an average rating of 1.
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Sat, 25 Oct 2025 - 01:45
Markos Siotos
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The "defined" and "automatic" are the two key words in here...

The Task setter are usually the organizers themselves, or local pilots, so their friends, and have a vested interest into keeping people happy.

"People happy" means the venue is advertised for future events, and "people happy" means only one thing, flying tasks every day if possible.

So, there is an asymmetry in the "taskable days thing. We want it, they want it, nobody does not want it, so it has a huge bias of "happening" and the organizer feels that and makes it happen.

I agree that we need some simple numeric, uncontested benchmarks that would tell the organizer "forget about it" and keep the pilots at bay from attacking him / her for "canceling" or "stopping" a day.

The easiest of these would have been a limit on the "average forecasted wind during the task hours" but it can be many things.

We need to give them to the organizers, as tools to get the pressure of the competitors (that almost always want to fly) out of their shoulders...

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Safety Statistics

Profile picture for user christiaandurrant
By christiaandurrant on Sun, 19 Oct 2025 - 13:43
Discipline
All
What do we want ?
Aggregated safety statistics that empower the community
How do we achieve that ?
Mandatory national investigation and reporting into a centralized database of all fatalities or disabled pilots.
Mandatory competion stats to be reported.
Annual safety reporting and transparent database.
Issue category :
Safety
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  • 3 comments
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14 votes with an average rating of 1.

Comments

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Sun, 19 Oct 2025 - 20:33
Alexia
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Competitions are structured so it could be the job of the SD/MD to document all relative incident data (a form should be made and provided for consistency) and uploaded to a specific database.

For non-serious incidents/near misses or those in free-flying we will have to rely more on self reporting. A publicized database/website should be made where pilots can fill out an incident form. For privacy and to encourage reporting, people should be able to opt for anonymity from distributed publications/statistics/reports if they choose.

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2 votes with an average rating of 1.
Profile picture for user Robert Kulhanek
Mon, 20 Oct 2025 - 08:16
Robert Kulhanek
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Can we use /cooperate existing database FIDA (flight-sport-incident-databas)?
https://fida.aero/

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Profile picture for user Jonas Prüssing
Tue, 21 Oct 2025 - 22:41
Jonas Prüssing
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In Germany, it is already mandatory to report all incidents to the DHV accident database. It is a clear rule that pilots must report their own incidents. The following types of incidents are legally required to be reported:

What incidents and malfunctions must be reported?

Serious injuries to the pilot and/or passenger (a “serious injury” is defined as one that requires hospitalization for more than 48 hours, or involves fractures (except fingers, nose, or toes), severe bleeding, nerve injuries, muscle or ligament damage, internal injuries, or second- and third-degree burns)

Death of the pilot and/or passenger

Severe damage or destruction of the aircraft

Near-miss incidents (when abnormal flight behavior of the aircraft leads to, or could have led to, an accident)

The DHV also encourages pilots to report all other incidents, even those that are not legally required, to improve the accuracy and completeness of accident statistics.
Similarly, the FAI could introduce a global aviation rule requiring that all accidents—at least those occurring during FAI competitions—be reported to a centralized global database. The DHV already analyzes all fatal accidents and publishes reports explaining why and how each one occurred. Having such a system on a global level would allow all pilots to learn from the mistakes of others.

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Communication of safety incidents

Profile picture for user Mateusz Gajczewski
By Mateusz Gajczewski on Fri, 17 Oct 2025 - 23:33
Discipline
Paragliding XC
What went wrong ?
Safety issues or accidents happen in paragliding competitions, from minor to serious. Currently, there is no formal public communication about these, even serious, accidents. Pilots, teams, and the wider community remain uninformed, which affects safety awareness and trust in the organization.
What would you propose ?
1. Any serious accident should be publicly and officially communicated by the organizer within 1–2 days.
2. Communications should include:
- Announcement of an investigation into the incident, providing context. A detailed report should follow and be publicly available. Based on it, recommendations will be proposed to prevent such situations in the future.
- Monitoring the pilot’s condition, if applicable, until hospital discharge.
3. In severe cases, the organizer and overseeing organization must notify the community via official channels.
4. Consider having a separate institution handle investigations and pilot condition monitoring to ensure impartiality.
5. Respect pilots’ safety and comfort by anonymizing personal data if they wish.
6. Define clearly:
- Which incidents require individual investigation and public communication.
- Which incidents should be recorded in a safety database, described only by involved pilots, and summarized later in a CAT1 event safety report or annual safety report.
- Provide a convenient, pilot-friendly way to report safety incidents during competitions.
Issue category
institutional
culture
mindset
transparency
communication
Safety
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  • 7 comments
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Comments

Profile picture for user Julien Garcia
Fri, 17 Oct 2025 - 23:45
Julien Garcia
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Completly agree. Last PG world was again a perfect démonstration with an institution refusing to communicate.

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3 votes with an average rating of 1.
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Sat, 18 Oct 2025 - 01:15
Louis Tapper
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I think this ties into the proposal here around Just Culture
Charter and intentional design of the accident reporting database https://gagglereport.org/node/26

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Profile picture for user Flyluchofly
Sat, 18 Oct 2025 - 16:46
Flyluchofly
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I believe the discussion should not solely revolve around the accident report itself. While such reports can and should be detailed—covering aspects such as the pilot’s profile and the organizational conditions—it is equally important to focus on how to use this information effectively to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Accident reports should be submitted within a defined timeframe following the conclusion of the event. It is not appropriate to place additional pressure on the Organizer, Meet Director, or Safety Director during an ongoing competition, as their primary responsibility must remain the safety of all participants. Submission of reports by both organizers and pilots should be mandatory, and failure to comply should result in sanctions, such as disqualification from organizing or participating in subsequent events.
A clear communication protocol must be established. Journalists are often the first to share information following an incident, but without a structured process enabling organizers to communicate accurate details to the public, the impact on our sport and our community can be severe. A consistent and transparent communication strategy is therefore essential to safeguard the reputation and integrity of paragliding as a sport.

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2 votes with an average rating of 1.
Profile picture for user Mateusz Gajczewski
Sun, 19 Oct 2025 - 08:58
Mateusz Gajczewski
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Thank you for your comments, Julien and Luis. I’d like to clarify a few points:

- I’m assuming communication about a serious accident within 1–2 days, not the submission of a report - the latter, of course, should happen within the established post-event timeframe.

- The public communication strategy should be developed based on the principles of Just Culture; however, it is a smaller change in itself and could probably be implemented separately.

- Creating a user-friendly system for collecting safety incident reports may be considered “out of scope” and and implemented through a dedicated group.

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Profile picture for user Julien Garcia
Sun, 19 Oct 2025 - 13:42
Julien Garcia

In reply to Thank you for your comments,… by Mateusz Gajczewski

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Great Mateusz. I see one piece of the system you refer to collect accident report as very wild, raw and community based. I'm willing to work on a "Gaggle Report" to provide almost immédiate feedback of what happened during a Task. Collision, switch of turn, incident, late stop... Pilots could come to this plateform and fullfill a blalzing fast report. We would still need better detailed report towards the institution (from pilot or organiser) but at least we would have something and could compare report from the field and institutional ones 😅

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Implementation of In-Flight Safety Pilots (Air Marshals) on FAI Paragliding Competitions

Profile picture for user Helder Meneses
By Helder Meneses on Fri, 17 Oct 2025 - 12:54
Discipline
Paragliding XC
What do we want ?
Implementation of In-Flight Safety Pilots (Air Marshals) during CAT 1 and CAT 2 Paragliding Competitions


How do we achieve that ?
To enhance the overall safety standards of FAI 1 and FAI 2 paragliding competitions, we propose the formal inclusion of in-flight safety pilots—referred to as Air Marshals—who will actively fly during tasks.

The primary role of the Air Marshals will be to observe, assess, and report on in-flight conditions throughout the task area, ensuring that safety standards are upheld in real time.

Roles and Responsibilities:
Fly with competitors during the task to monitor real-time weather and airspace conditions.
Communicate directly with the Meet Director and Safety Director in case of rapidly changing or hazardous conditions.
Provide an independent safety assessment before and during the task.
Act as an additional layer of security in decision-making regarding task cancellation, stopping, or adapting routes.
Ensure pilots’ adherence to safety protocols and report any major infractions.

Benefits:
Increased situational awareness for the organization team during flight.
Proactive identification of risk factors that may not be visible from the ground or HQ.
Enhances the credibility and professionalism of the event’s safety management.
Contributes to a safety-first culture within competitive paragliding.

Implementation:
Minimum of one Air Marshal per task, ideally more depending on the number of pilots and size of the task area.
Must be equipped with real-time communication tools (radio, tracking, etc.).
May be integrated into the organization team or act as independent observers.

Selection Criteria:
Air Marshals should be:
Experienced competition pilots with a solid safety record.
Familiar with the specific site and weather patterns.
Ideally holding qualifications or prior experience related to safety monitoring or task setting.
Issue category :
Safety
Conflict of interest
mindset
  • Read more about Implementation of In-Flight Safety Pilots (Air Marshals) on FAI Paragliding Competitions
  • 4 comments
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Comments

Profile picture for user Julien Garcia
Fri, 17 Oct 2025 - 13:17
Julien Garcia
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I believe it raises many organizational questions but no doubt it would benefit the sport to have independent feedbacks from the air.

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2 votes with an average rating of 1.
Profile picture for user Mateusz Gajczewski
Fri, 17 Oct 2025 - 22:33
Mateusz Gajczewski
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It would be very beneficial to improve communication between what’s happening in the air and the responsible Safety Director, as well as clarify the communication protocols.

We’re currently missing clear protocols on how to react to certain situations, for example:
- If 3+ pilots call Level 3 – Marshall, any Safety Committee members or the Meet Director must respond within ~2 minutes.
- Wind over 30 km/h (generally, with adjustments communicated in advance for specific tasks or locations) should trigger a task stop – maybe windspeed data could be retrieved from the trackers?

Appointing a Marshal could improve safety oversight, but it also raises several considerations:
- Potentially higher operational costs.
- The Safety Director, and any Marshals if required, should ideally remain independent from the Organizer.
- The Marshal may not be present where a hazardous situation occurs.

By the way, Chrigiel mentioned a similar idea during the last Couldbase Mayhem podcast.

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3 votes with an average rating of 1.
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Sun, 19 Oct 2025 - 22:56
DusanO
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Air Marshal, would/could improve safety. And I'm also in favour for that.
But it raises a question. How to get that person, for a competition? In reality, it would be hard to get one. (At least for CAT2).
It will also raise the competition costs.
Therfore, i would make this mandatory only for CAT1 events. And only a proposal (not mandatory) for CAT2 events.
Also, an Air Marshal, could have second role. To help in multimedia - filming in the air, etc...

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1 votes with an average rating of 1.
Profile picture for user christiaandurrant
Wed, 22 Oct 2025 - 12:03
christiaandurrant
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What is wrong with having members of the task committee / safety committee plus all 120 pilots on safety freq reporting conditions directly to committee?

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