Apologies slight thread drift.
Re #77.
What happened many years ago (how many years ago are we talking about?) at YBEV is irrelevant to the current tragic accident. That was then, this is now.
RWY 16/34 at YBEV is long (over 1,000 m). I was not there, however, the glider pilot most likely landed on RWY 08 because they were getting low, it was the more into wind runway, and was concentrating on aviating ("Aviate, navigate, communicate").
I have been involved in gliding since 1987. Yes, in the earlier days, gliders used 122.7 MHz. Limitations were technology (single channel VHF with small batteries) and non-requirement for a flight radiotelephone operator's rating when operating locally. When gaining a C-rating, getting a flight radiotelephone operator's rating was part of this. Yes, gliding was viewed with suspicion by GA.
Most of the glider pilots and tug pilots I know are NOT cowboys or reckless (and come from all areas of life experience, career experience, upto international airline pilots and ex-military pilots), so it is extremely unfair to tar them all with the same brush. Moral panic about any airspace user can be used (often with little basis in reality). Who next, airship pilots, balloonists...?
Fast forward to 2023.
YBEV has it's own CTAF now 126.85 MHz because 126.7 MHz was always saturated with calls from fields as far away as YBUN and this degraded safety and situational awareness for ALL operators at YBEV. (see:
FAC-YBEV.fm (airservicesaustralia.com).
Nowadays, the glider training syllabus is incorporated into the GPC (Glider Pilot's Certificate), and includes radio ops, human factors, the works.
YBEV is a busy gliding training and cross-country operation, plus ultra-lights and GA, it is also visited by itinerant powered aircraft from YPJT doing training.
Nowadays, the technology is better (light weight better batteries providing better duration and signal strength), dual channel scanning VHF's are available to monitor CTAF and other frequencies.
Many gliders are now fitted with FLARM (because the biggest threat of a mid-air in a glider is another glider).
The use of ADSB (or integration with FLARM) is in gliding an area of active research, the main impediments being the weight penalty of the batteries and technology, but again watch this space.
Also, glider ops are noted on the WAC's, some cases VNC's and VTC's. Look for the double cross. Also a double cross will be displayed next to the windsock. All for good reason. Do users know what a double cross symbol with a "w" means when on a chart?
Also from #77:
"I have had a glider tug not on the CTAF at an aerodrome where it is compulsory to carry radio cut in front of me on short final without a word - no idea they were even in the area until he filled up my windscreen and not responding to any radio calls before or after the incident, which was a matter of feet away from a midair, so perhaps on the "glider frequency" again?"
Again this is provided with no context, was the tow plane in distress for some reason (partial power loss etc.). How do you know he was not on CTAF? How do you know your radio was working properly (wrong frequency selected, wrong radio-set selected out, your volume turned down). Were you on a straight in approach?
Going back to the YCAB fatality, from the facts emerging, a/c on different runways, PA-25 landing then ?did go around (for reason's that aren't clear yet), Jab departing on another runway, mid air happened between departing Jab and the PA-25 during it's go around.
I note noise sensitive areas in the YCAB ops manual, hence predicating particular runway use.