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#403031
Hello my name is Darin Hecker from Southern Oregon Hang gliding. I have been with USHPA for 26 years. I’m a authorized flight instructor for Areo Sports Connection and a rated tandem pilot with a current exemption. I have been helping ACS design a pilot profishancy program to rate Hang glider pilots in the same manner as USHPA. We are being over run by bad leaders, bad social skills, bad judgement, that’s damaged our beloved hg sport. This has been practiced by the current USHPA leaders with no concern for the future of Hang Gliding. Not to mention the insurance scam running wild by ushpa’s leaders. If you haven’t herd about no insurance, at docweilers beach site in monta ray (now a waiver) then you should. We now have a program in place to compete with ushpa. If your interested and tired of funding all the bad ideas that ushpa pushes, then come on board. If you have ever been a instructor and have old credential’s, then we will honer them. If you need a tandem exemption we can provide it for $100. We will honer old ratings, and all special skills. Our program is less restrictive as well. Memberships with ratings is around $40. The ACS exemption is FAA authorized just like ushpa, we don’t charge excessive fees like ushpa. Anyone interested is recommended to contact areosprts.org, or you can contact me on my website directly for more info, so-hanggliding.com. My name is Darin. The hanggliding manufactures are aware of this also, there on board with excitement hoping to rekindle RD for hang gliders again. It’s time for us hang gliders to have our own home and voice again. We have a Hang glider pilot as the director of ACS to represent our soaring wings, we won’t loose site of our goal to promote Hang gliding once again. Are you interested? Do you believe USHPA is the authority of part 103? Or is it the FAA, that authorized our tandem exemption? The same exact exemption as USHPA has, we have also obtained for our members use with ASC membership.
#403036
dshman wrote: Mon Apr 02, 2018 9:38 pm Hello my name is Darin Hecker from Southern Oregon Hang gliding. I have been with USHPA for 26 years. I’m a authorized flight instructor for Areo Sports Connection and a rated tandem pilot with a current exemption. I have been helping ACS design a pilot profishancy program to rate Hang glider pilots in the same manner as USHPA. We are being over run by bad leaders, bad social skills, bad judgement, that’s damaged our beloved hg sport. This has been practiced by the current USHPA leaders with no concern for the future of Hang Gliding. Not to mention the insurance scam running wild by ushpa’s leaders. If you haven’t herd about no insurance, at docweilers beach site in monta ray (now a waiver) then you should. We now have a program in place to compete with ushpa. If your interested and tired of funding all the bad ideas that ushpa pushes, then come on board. If you have ever been a instructor and have old credential’s, then we will honer them. If you need a tandem exemption we can provide it for $100. We will honer old ratings, and all special skills. Our program is less restrictive as well. Memberships with ratings is around $40. The ACS exemption is FAA authorized just like ushpa, we don’t charge excessive fees like ushpa. Anyone interested is recommended to contact areosprts.org, or you can contact me on my website directly for more info, so-hanggliding.com. My name is Darin. The hanggliding manufactures are aware of this also, there on board with excitement hoping to rekindle RD for hang gliders again. It’s time for us hang gliders to have our own home and voice again. We have a Hang glider pilot as the director of ACS to represent our soaring wings, we won’t loose site of our goal to promote Hang gliding once again. Are you interested? Do you believe USHPA is the authority of part 103? Or is it the FAA, that authorized our tandem exemption? The same exact exemption as USHPA has, we have also obtained for our members use with ASC membership.
I'm glad you spent the extra day to carefully craft your announcement. If you'd posted it yesterday, people might not have taken it seriously.
#403042
TjW wrote: Tue Apr 03, 2018 10:51 am
I'm glad you spent the extra day to carefully craft your announcement. If you'd posted it yesterday, people might not have taken it seriously.
Oh come on, only 17 typos in 22 lines of text-- that's not so bad for a hang glider pilot-- he was probably hypoxic from a recent high flight
#403045
Tomato tamoto the point is USHPA has problems with insurance. It’s no longer required at docweilers. You may want to check before you doubt the program that’s now in place. Tory pines is now operating without USHPA influence, big air hang gliding in San Fransisco is operations now without USHPA insurance. larry Jorgensen from dog mountain closed his doors, Tracy Tillman cloud 9 closed his doors, all this because of ushpas heavy handed bureaucracy. You must be stuck in that bubble boy.
#403046
dshman wrote: Wed Apr 04, 2018 10:36 amall this because of ushpas heavy handed bureaucracy.
Hang Gliding has been in a steady decline in the United States for decades. If the decline is to be reversed, the core problem must be addressed.

More pilots are leaving the sport than are entering it.

With the average age of pilots in the US, that trend is only going to accelerate, unless there is concerted effort to attract, train, and retain new pilots. The landscape has changed drastically since the hang gliding boom times in the 70s & 80s. Either we adapt or die. Lawsuits are here to stay. Insurance is a reality for most sites. A new rating organization is rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. The answer is not going to be a national campaign. To paraphrase Tip O'Neill.

"All hang gliding is local."

If your local pilots are not actively bringing up the next generation of pilots, then your local site's days are numbered.
#403049
I agree with everything you said except the insurance idea. How many law suits can you find brought by a hg pilot on anyone? This is scare tactics brought on by USHPA to gain extortive control over land that’s not there’s. The launches on public land are already paid for by our federal income taxes. Are you in the business of paying for things you don’t use or extortion? It’s public land not private we’re launching from. Now the private lz’s we have gone and done enough PR to secure the largest fields for our personal use (not club)WITH NO INSURANCE. The land owners are comming around to this idea with waivers, just like docweilers. Why does the USHPA waiver work but ours won’t? Because you haven’t tried yet. I just ordered $ 22,000 in new geckos from Moyes AU, so I’m doing my part to feed our sport new members. We should all ask ourselves if you love this sport why sit on your hands hiding from the problem. I hold classes at our local schools here setting up gear to teach the kids about Hang gliding. We need more leaders and less talkers to fix this, so if you only speak on this and have no action, that all it is empty ideas. Hers a idea https://www.facebook.com/groups/hangGli ... .virtually all states have a recreational statue that absolves land owners from liability by any visitor on there land.
#403050
Do they require insurance on federal/state public land to..... ride a dirt bike ....snow mobile......snow board....jet ski.....water ski......boating.....parasail.....scuba dive.....bungee jump? All inherently dangerous but no we are not required to have insurance on public land to engage in these activity’s. Careful with insurance it’s a slippery slope and once you start with bad habits it’s hard to stop them.
#403052
dshman wrote: Wed Apr 04, 2018 10:36 am You must be stuck in that bubble boy.
You're mistaking me for someone who gives a s--- about the USHPA (not a member ... will likely never be a member ever again).

You're also mistaking me for someone who would buy into a sales pitch (yours) when the salesman tries to bullshit as if he knows the sector.

JB
#403053
I’m not selling anything, only trying to help my sport by doing something instead of ignoring it. But seriously go fly docweilers help us set a example for the others we need more positive information. Big air hg in San Fransisco is also trying to help, if we all care it’s possible to right this sinking ship and sail nicely again 👌
Warm regards
#403055
dshman wrote: Wed Apr 04, 2018 1:12 pmI agree with everything you said except the insurance idea. How many law suits can you find brought by a hg pilot on anyone? This is scare tactics brought on by USHPA to gain extortive control over land that’s not there’s. The launches on public land are already paid for by our federal income taxes. Are you in the business of paying for things you don’t use or extortion? It’s public land not private we’re launching from. Now the private lz’s we have gone and done enough PR to secure the largest fields for our personal use (not club)WITH NO INSURANCE. The land owners are comming around to this idea with waivers, just like docweilers. Why does the USHPA waiver work but ours won’t? Because you haven’t tried yet.
Lot's of assumptions in that. There have been many lawsuits from family members of dead or injured pilots/students.

Do you know why this video was made?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW8qZESnFvQ

Site insurance is not necessary at all sites. While the vast majority of launches and LZs in my area are public lands. It is the exact opposite east of the Mississippi. Some landowners are happy with waivers and state laws. Some are not, and want insurance. Some won't allow hang gliding no matter how much insurance you have. Across the road from my house is one of the best, most reliable, flying sites in the state of Colorado. It was closed down when a billionaire bought the 2900 acre ranch. He does not want the headache or exposure.

When approaching landowners, I don't push, suggest, or even mention site insurance. If there are concerns, I start with state Laws, and waivers. I have not had to setup site insurance for a landowner yet. I have flown sites where the landowner already asked for it. I have car, health, life, disability, professional liability, and worker's compensation insurance. I think it is prudent preparation for "me". I won't harangue a landowner that desires the same prudence.
#403059
There’s alway the guy who can afford to purchase the land and deny access you can’t draw a conclusion from that. I’ve been teaching hg for 26 years, never had a incident more than a broken down tube or pulled muscle. I’m sure the newbies teaching this sport need all the help they can get. But my experience is only in my area. Local pilots deal with local problems and that’s exactly what we’re doing. If you like what you have there then this isnt for you, that’s okay but many many of us don’t agree and see the insurance as a scheme to control. I know all of the schools and people personally I listed so it’s not here say. I bought all cloud 9’s inventory, it’s facts and before you decide to doubt, make some calls then talk to me. Our local land owners that have LZ’S tell me, that to many people show up when paraglider’s are allowed in, and no one is ever accountable when some problem arises. On the other hand I’ve know these land owners for more than 25 years with no problems. Im not new to this sport. A clean working history will go a long way to not restricting hang gliders on private land.
#403081
We have to do something. The USHPA has become a bunch of straight up bullies.

I just received a phone call from my friends wife. She was very distraught and upset about a phone call that she and her husband received this morning from Kurtis Carter a member of the Berkeley hang gliding club. Curtis made a phone call to my friend Saeid Shekarchi this morning and told him he was suspended from flying at Ed Levin Park. Saeid is a member of the USHPA and the Wings of Rogallo hang gliding club and is very qualified to fly at Ed Levin Park. Saeid has also experienced cyber bulling from other members of the USPHA including the Fellow Feathers hang gliding club president on Facebook referring to his Muslim religion.

This harassing activity from USHPA members must stop at once.
#403083
SlopeSkimmer wrote: Fri Apr 06, 2018 2:12 pm We have to do something. The USHPA has become a bunch of straight up bullies.

I just received a phone call from my friends wife. She was very distraught and upset about a phone call that she and her husband received this morning from Kurtis Carter a member of the Berkeley hang gliding club. Curtis made a phone call to my friend Saeid Shekarchi this morning and told him he was suspended from flying at Ed Levin Park. Saeid is a member of the USHPA and the Wings of Rogallo hang gliding club and is very qualified to fly at Ed Levin Park. Saeid has also experienced cyber bulling from other members of the USPHA including the Fellow Feathers hang gliding club president on Facebook referring to his Muslim religion.

This harassing activity from USHPA members must stop at once.
I am very passionate about teaching hang gliding. When I hear this kind of activity, frankly it sets me off. I spoke to Kurtis on the phone and he explained what really happened. I have apologized to Kurtis and want to set the story straight as I now know it. Kurtis called Saeid because he had a complaint about Saeid from a local paragliding school run by Jesse Meyer. Jesse wanted Saeid suspended because he found out Saeid had not paid his dues this year to the Wings of Rogallo hang gliding club, (WOR). How ironic is this? They wanted Saeid suspended when he is not even a member of the club. The Wings of Rogalllo hang gliding club received it's new permit from the Santa Clara County Parks Department last week. The new permit says, #14. A permittee shall not require, as a condition of flight, paragliding or hang gliding, that an individual first join or become a member of an organization, club or other entity.

Here is the real problem the club does not want you to hear. The lawyer for United States Hang Gliding Association is a guy by the name of Tim Herr. Tim lives in the bay area and wants to protect USHPA financial interests. Tim has been working with the Park Service to make them believe the USHPA is the authority on ultralight flight and all of their rules must be obeyed. So far they have lost on every one of their complaints. At one point the WOR club was floating the idea of suing the parks department for giving me, Big Air Hang Gliding, a commercial permit without their permission. Tim has got most of the pilots in my area believing that opening sites to other organizations is a bad thing.

Please help save hang gliding at Ed Levin park. If you would like to help, call or write Tim Herr and tell him to stop working against the hang gliding pilots before it all gets shut down.

Here is Tims contact info:
Herr and Zapala LLP
https://mylawfirm.com/herr.htm
Telephone: (408) 287-7788
#403093
Mike, I get what you are trying to do (make fellow feathers board members look bad) but you are way out of line saying I wrote anything racist or cyber bullying towards Saied. (If so, post it..? )
I just got off the phone with Saied and he claims there is no problem between us and there was no derogatory comment made.
So, either post the comment I made or retract your accusation.

Rob Racer
Fellow feathers president 2018