There are nine Austrian pilots here vying for six places on the
Austrian National team to fly at the Worlds. Why has the CIVL Bureau been deaf
to our requests for instead of one six person team from each nation, two six
person teams, or one eight person team, or one six person team plus additional
individual pilots? Their resistance to the idea of allowing additional pilots
just doesn't make any sense for the pilots nor for the organizers.


Limiting the number of pilots by any means (say restricting team size) is really
only justified when the total numbers of slots available is limited by resource
or safety concerns. If we can only get so many tugs to tow people at Big Spring,
then that would limit how many pilots can come. But that is not a concern up to
150 pilots at Big Spring.


The Big Spring airport is a huge area with plenty of room for lots of towing and
plenty of area for pilots to spread out in the sky and still stay high.


We have sent in our proposals for allowing for additional pilots to the Bureau
to be brought up at the Plenary. I can only hope that Oz Report readers who want
to compete in the Worlds will contact their CIVL representatives and vote to
allow for more pilots in the 2007 Worlds.