.

[DAVE 858]

Tandem wing suit circus joyrides for kids!

[DAVE 858]

Just looked it up. How is it any different from Paragliding? So, for the sake of argument, let’s say I was an insured USHPA member & im flying my little paraglider around & I hit power lines on landing and cause damage. Would that not be covered if my wing loading/wing size was too big/small????

[SkyPoke]

The title is misleading. USHPA is not a Hang Gliding organization. PG did not save a hang gliding organization. PG saved a SPORT flying organization.

If a new type of wing came out that was even easier to get into than PG, there would be no PG loyalty at ushpa. Its not a PG organization either.

They want membership numbers and could care less if they are HG, PG or whatever.

Hg pilots need to stop assuming they have a hang gliding organization. They simply dont.
If you want an organization that actually cares about hang gliding thriving specifically, then someone needs to start one.

I just wanted to say that I agree with everything you say, SG. As to starting one, the HGAA tried and failed and those guys over at http://www.cesspoolforum.com/ (as it's refered to around here ) have had how many years to get something going?

Hang gliding really does deserve its own national organization.

[magentabluesky]

Attached is the list of the Original First Seventeen Members of Low and Slow (and sometimes: Out of Control) the for-runner of the USHPA.

The list is pretty impressive with a broad resume for the group consisting of Aero-dynamists, Engineers, Editors, Photographers, Sailplane Pioneers, National and World Champion Sailplane Pilot, Metaphysical Guru, etc.

After 1971, some broke new ground and new world records.

Some are still with us and still practicing the art of flight.

mg

[aeroexperiments]

Re #1 issue of low and slow (post 403256)

Trippy!

So, Joe's unusual, free-association, list-based writing style is by no means a recent development

Thanks for sharing

And re the post immediately above-- yes that is an impressive list of members

[magentabluesky]

Wiki: Joseph Patrick "Joe" Faust

[dshman]

I'm not a paraglider pilot, and this was still cringeworthy to read. This kind of hateful self importance is one of the things driving people to friendlier communities including paragliding. That no one else on this forum challenges your BS just shows how wideapead this toxic attitude is in hang gliding.

Sorry you feel that way. BS? Really? Some of us are ready to talk about the elephant in the room ( paraglider destruction of USHGA) Call it what you want, doesn’t keep it from being evident to most of us, make lemonade as they say, or whatever. The facts are, this thread is on track with a number of us, or it wouldn’t be active. Just as you feel the right to criticize our discussion, we have the right to disscuse it. Remember freedom of speech? If you don’t like it read something else, but please don’t try to shame or impact our voluntary right to this topic. Now is not the time for political correctness, it’s time for a hard discussion about the majority of Hang glider pilots not happy with what’s evolved. And one more thing I’ve noticed, paraglider’s follow us to all the sites we develop, do they ever find any new spots on their own? Not that I see, only ride Hang glider’s coat tails to our developed sites. I’m not new to this sport, finding new flying sites is my passion, but they must be kept secret from the inevitable over population by paraglider’s. With no concern showing up like ants, stressing out and destroying our local relationships with private land owners. If you think this is a harsh topic, imaging how toxic it is for land owners when guys are more worried about topic, than land owners concerns. Not to mention these guys are relatively new to our sport. Don’t land owners have a voice also when they notice it’s growing out of control on their land? Many of our locals only allow hang gliders to use their land where I fly, as we have a flawless history of respect for them, and their land. Shouldn’t the PG’s build their own reputation instead of trying to hijack ours, the reputation that hg’s have work for years to develop. That’s not the case when 100 pg pilots paraglider’s show up, with a good deal of young, unprepared pilots, with no manners, or thought of others, except their kind. So in comparison to our modest 20 Hang glider pilots already established, l see the land owners point. Clearly only a few of us are worthy of putting in the time and money to learn hang gliding, most take the quick short cut, easy, cheep way out, very few have it in them so they choose the simple path, defaulting to Fly PG’s is their only path to flight..................................... Addressing all the bi wing pilots remember, I said most.

[cheesehead]

I don't think that "promoting hang gliding" will be very effective. I think it has always caught the interest of newbies far more often by attraction rather than promotion. When first exposed to HG and PG, people tend to react with one extreme or the other: it's something incredible that they absolutely must do, or it's simply something that they either aren't motivated/interested enough to pursue or that scares the s--- out of them. It requires a certain type of personality and sense of adventure. Persuading other types of people to try it is rarely successful. I learned after just a few years of flying not to bother talking to people, even good friends, about flying unless they expressed enthusiasm first.

[Paul H]

I don't think that "promoting hang gliding" will be very effective. I think it has always caught the interest of newbies far more often by attraction rather than promotion. When first exposed to HG and PG, people tend to react with one extreme or the other: it's something incredible that they absolutely must do, or it's simply something that they either aren't motivated/interested enough to pursue or that scares the s--- out of them. It requires a certain type of personality and sense of adventure. Persuading other types of people to try it is rarely successful. I learned after just a few years of flying not to bother talking to people, even good friends, about flying unless they expressed enthusiasm first.

This is exactly right.

[mtpilot]

I don't care about promoting hang gliding. I simply want to make it more doable (remove some of the hassles) provide
training areas(foot launch) and mentors (not paid instruction). This would only be worth wile for the few people passionate enough to learn this sport, otherwise it will die with us old men.
,

[magentabluesky]

If you want to get the attention of the authorities, fly your paraglider into the restricted airspace of the one who is the ultimate head of the governmental agency controlling the rules to access the airspace. Those who are tasked with insuring the safety of the President take their job seriously.

Twice in just a few months paragliders have breached the Presidential Restricted Airspace.

July 14, 2018

Trump paraglider was in 'grave danger'

April 4, 2018

Watch as paraglider flies in controlled airspace above Boca Raton

They may think they have saved the USHGA, but if they keep doing stupid stuff they will ground us all.

Part 103 is so Great!! Save Part 103.

[Paul H]

Yep, it's those troublesome PG pilots causing all the problems. It couldn't possibly be any of the HG pilots who violate the FAR's, especially the ones who post videos of doing it.
A powered PG flying in Scotland doesn't affect our Part 103.

[mgforbes]

The guy in Boca Raton isn't a USHPA member either, so we don't have any administrative control over his actions. He holds no rating, has apparently received no training by our instructors and is not "in the loop" for information about things like airspace. So making a lot of noise about how he and pilots like him are somehow damaging to USHPA is true, only to the extent that they are not trained and rated as members of our association.

I guess what you're saying is that we should redouble our efforts to get everyone flying HG and PG under Part 103 to be a member of USHPA. Right? That way we can make sure they're properly trained, rated and informed about the rules.

As for the guy in Britain, that's a powered paraglider. We don't do those. In fact, howls of outrage from members just like you are the reason we don't do powered harnesses. When we discussed it, a majority were in favor of the idea but a vocal minority was having none of it, and that was sufficient to torpedo the idea. Jeff Goin went off and started USPPA, a powered-harness analog to USHPA, and they've done a good job of offering a training and rating program. That segment of the Part 103 realm seems to be on the increase, particularly in the flatlands. But we're pure and fuel-less, so they're doing their own thing independent of USHPA.

MGF

[magentabluesky]

We got Yankee Swapped.

Did you play the White Elephant Game this year or do you call it something else.

Yea, I would call it something else.

(Don’t you just love his t-shirt?)