Wise words from Stephen but I have a different view on one point: What we do is not safe and probably will never be safe. But like Stephen says, we absolutely can impact the level of risk. One timely example is “when to fly”.

Spring is here with all of its glorious power. Spring and summer are the seasons when we all need to think hard about when to fly. Mid day flying increases your risk. It is a fun time to fly but do not fool yourself, mid-day spring and summer increases the risk that you will:

• be blown sideways by a gust while launching,
• experience a collapse from turbulence,
• overshoot or undershoot your LZ because of lift or sink,
• land cross wind or down wind because of switching conditions

When to fly matters. It matters a lot.