What pompous tosh.
(not you oversteer)
First of all, it is completely impractical for 40+ pilots to individually self-brief using the limited resources at a small airfield. The BGA know this. The competition rulebook states very clearly that a briefing must be held each morning and include:
Airspace restrictions and hazards that might affect competitors and are additional to those shown on the latest aviation maps, i.e. NOTAM information and active parachute zones to be treated as prohibited airspace.
It is not unreasonable for a competition field to rely on the organisation for airspace alerts and sensible tasking. The task setting & timing of launch indicates that the organisation were unaware of the significance of the NOTAM.
Secondly, the requirements for an XC endorsement include passing an airlaw exam (equivalent to the power exam) and demonstrating an ability to navigate. This is all clearly stated in the BGA syllabus for those who care to look it up.
None of these pilots are incompetent. Some of them are more experienced than others but they will all have received an adequate level of training. I believe one of the infringers is a military pilot, I wouldn't be surprised if there is an airline/commercial pilot or two amongst that group as well.
On a human factors note, the task planning & scoring software will not know what a RA(T) is. I believe it will present any temporary airspace as a 'Nav Warning' but this airspace should not be interpreted in the same way as a NOTAMed Nav Warning.
Ranting on about inadequate BGA training is wrong; none of these pilots got lost so:
the fact that apparently more than half the field can't do basic navigation
is clearly wrong. The failures here were inadequate daily briefing and monumentally inappropriate task setting. Although the pilots have to shoulder the blame, the fault lies squarely with the task setter and competition director in whom they put their trust. The sheer stupidity of the chosen task is what makes me think that the organisers were unaware of the nature & extent of the NOTAM, an attitude which was probably passed on to the pilots.
If biscuit74 believes his club instructors are incompetent, the fault lies with his CFI, who is responsible for standards at his club.
I'm prepared to believe that the BGA Bronze badge (which requires the ability to acquire, understand & use NOTAMs) post-dates goldeneaglepilot's dim & distant gliding experience.