My twopennorth relating to a couple of points mentioned here. My personal opinion is that cross country glider pilots SHOULD have RT licenses - apart from anything else it makes the use of the other 756 channels beyond the gliding frequencies legal, plus I found the course did much to improve my understanding of how GA airfields operate. So if I'm lurking close to an ATZ whilst climbing for 5 minutes I WILL contact them to let them know I'm there and they do seem to appreciate the call. What is not clear to me is whether glider pilots who train for the new glider pilot's license after EASA transition will need to do the RT module as a compulsory element of the syllabus - anyone out there know ?
The other point relates to the fact that most glider cross country flights these days are electronically logged, permitting after-the-event analysis of individuals' flying habits. You get to see their precise location and altitude every few seconds (oh, and FLARM does this as a by-product of its primary function - you can play your flights back via See You software with superb accuracy). As an instructor, I would undoubtedly have words with a club member who indulged in the legal but dubious practices referred to above in the thread, if picked up through trace analysis. Virtually every BGA ladder claim flight these days has an associated trace publically posted by its pilot, so there is great transparency as to our habits (see
www.bgaladder.co.uk)