Jim, Hi. I didn’t mean to agree or disagree with you, just quoting the BGA document for what it’s worth. I was trying to clarify some points for other people posting such as Backpacker. I suspect I agree with you more than not. The bit about BGA sites is a BGA Operational Regulation, which we the gliding community have imposed upon ourselves, not law.
Certainly I was signed off for doing DI long before Bronze, but that was in 1970 and EASA had not been invented, and gliders lay outside the ANO.
I do agree that we rarely had problems with early solo pilots etc. doing DI (and insisting on Bronze + would not eliminate rigging errors – they occasionally happen, and usually to people much more experienced).
Regards - Chris