- Winching does have inherent risks and that's why safe winch techniques are tought by all BGA clubs in order to mitigate against such risks. Your instructors will spend plenty of time ensuring that you develop a safe technique and that you're able to recover from launch failures promptly and safely.
-Mid-air collisions are unlikely but not impossible. Again thorough training in keeping a good lookout and developing a high level of spatial awareness helps to mitigate the risk.
I understand the risks and appreciate the efforts of the BGA and instructors to minimise them, it's just that the collision that prompted the ATC to introduce the dayglo scheme happened to be at the same VGS that I attended, a couple of years after I left the ATC. It's not putting me off by any means, just making me that little more conscious.
Interesting. Seems that dayglo is pretty useless but there may be some value in having a black underside for thermalling and mirror film for overall conspicuity.