Let's have more rules...that'll work...not!!!

Here's a question...what does a long-time contest pilot flying at the Taupo Nationals, myself, a pilot of the club's Duo, the Club's CFI, and most other glider pilots have in common??? At some stage they have forgotten to lower the main wheel before attempting to land...

One of the people pictured below recently made this mistake...

But now I hear that there was a rule created (although I'm yet to see it advertised) to fine the pilot $500 for a wheel-up landing...how ironic that it may have been pushed through by the very person who did the first balls-up...but I'm not sure...
I'm willing to accept that the pilot concerned pays half the engineers inpection...

It goes together with the earlier nonsense about having to inspect any club glider that "lands-out"...because all the landings on the airfield are OK...and all landings in a paddock are not...yeah right.

It seems we have forgotten the carrot part of the "Carrot and stick" learning process. We should resist the temptation to make endless rules.

Why...because if you make enough rules no-one remembers what rule covers which aspect of flying...have you seen how long the current list of club rules is???
Why...because the more rules you make the less incentive members have to go flying...
Why...because rules create mini-dictators that spend more time enforcing rules rather than encouraging the development of better flying skills...
Why...because rules and fines are an incentive for people to under-report incidences...ie - if no one saw me do it - why report it and incur the fine and big stick from the rule enforcer mentioned above???
Why...well in this case we have a rule already - it's called downwind checks SUFB...remember
Why...because rules are rarely the best way to solve a problem...education and training is...

The whole Duo rating process has been over-engineering. We currently have a Duo rating (at least 3 flights apparently), a seperate X-country rating for the Duo, a turbo rating (I don't know how many starts are required but at $10 a pop it adds up), and I heard something about a "Tail dolly" rule...and now we can expect a wheel down check, or rating or rule...
This is the primary reason I've stayed well clear of the glider since Xmas...
I vaguely remember being given a Duo rating based on 1 flight (a circuit at that) at Omarama. The locals sensibly realised that ratings are based on competency and a Duo is very similar to other gliders...if you pull the stick back the nose tends to go up, if you pull the airbrakes out you tend to come down...

Time to put the genie back in the bottle...