I don’t want to start any more arguments or cause any more issues than I may already have, but my hope was that all of the instructors would endeavor to impress upon their students the importance of respecting the flight requirements of the site and why that’s important. Hopefully, many or all of them are already doing that (totally likely, I’m not saying that they aren’t). Also, when it becomes known that a student is repeatedly violating those rules and requirements, that their instructor could step in and have a serious conversation with the student, in addition to letting the safety officer know that they are dealing with it.

I never expected people on launch to play police, and it’s next to impossible to “card” everyone before they fly. I’m a believer in the effectiveness of just saying hello to new pilots (or pilots that we don’t recognize) – relevant information usually just falls out and makes it easier and more pleasant to guide that person in the right direction.

I’m not in the hot seat anymore, but I’m confident John will have some good ideas on making some improvements in that area. Signage, possibly including a QR code to the site briefing for each launch (in addition to AJX) might be a good start for visiting pilots.

The enthusiasm and support is super appreciated, Jeremy! Teamwork makes the dream work. :)