US Hawks Hang Gliding Association

On the Oz Report forum, Ben R is saying that he was told (by someone that knows) that all of the insurance problems began with the Bob K. incident last year. Now on the face of it, it's obviously not true, but I'm wondering if there is a concerted effort to place all of the blame for the insurance problem on Bob's head. If so, who is making these accusations? Ben R is just acting as a mouth piece for this, I don't think he knows anything at all about Bob, the incident last year, or the Hamby case, other than what someone has been telling him or what he has read in forum posts.

I'm getting the feeling from reading his latest slander that someone is feeding him this to get the entire organization to believe that Bob K caused the demise of the USHPA insurance program all by himself. Obviously Bob has a history with the USHPA and Air California Adventures, but I don't see him or any of his actions as being responsible for insurance problems anywhere.

...all of the insurance problems began with the Bob K. incident last year.

    Hilarious. And very unfair. One person, regardless of intent, regardless of activity, could not make a dent in the real problem.
    What is the real problem for the once great USHGA?
    1) Joyriding
    2) Paragliding
    3) Commercialization.
    These activities (unrelated, actually, to the sport of solo hang gliding) have made freeflight a cash cow for a small number of people.
    These activities are the USHPA's most influential members' bread and butter.
    We have descended from the apex of freeflight into a pit of self-destruction.
    I have a list of over 100 joyriding fatalities from across the world.
    Only a handful are from hang gliders.
    Many paragliding joyriding operators have been sentenced by courts for manslaughter -- and imprisoned.
    But the worst fatality of them all was on a hang glider, here in the USA.
    A child was killed. A little kid. In Nevada. Jean Lake. For money.
    Freeflight is dangerous. You can get killed.
    I have always felt that the decision to formally participate should be reserved for adults only.
    Few agree. Many are ready to argue. They want everything for everybody.
    When you want everything for everybody, everybody pays.
    Every member pays, directly or indirectly, for freeflight paragliding accidents, tandem paragliding joyriding accidents, paragliding towing accidents, paragliding competition accidents, paragliding school accidents, freeflight hang gliding accidents, tandem hang gliding joyriding accidents, hang gliding towing accidents, hang gliding competition accidents and litigation for all.
    Your USHPA tells you this toxic potpourri is the best way to keep costs down.
    Your USHPA tells you Observers are the problem. (How many HG fatalities this year? -- Another BIG discussion.)
    Your USHPA tells you BobK is the problem. (Oh, BobK's gone but you still have a problem? -- Could it be due to [gasp] ACCIDENTS at commercial venues?)
    That's stupid. You'll lose your sport if you believe that.
    Hang gliding can protect itself by shielding itself from EVERYTHING that has to do with something else.
    We can protect ourselves and abandon this spiraling mess by focusing on solo freeflight hang gliding and NOTHING ELSE.
    No parachutes. No tandem. No towing.
    It worked the last time we tried.

I have to say that I struggle on this one. It's probably because I know some good people who scrape together a living in the tandem business.

That's not saying that you're wrong about tandems, because you're not. It's just me admitting that I am conflicted over this issue.

But where I'm not conflicted is that tandem operations need to be held to the highest standards. The photos on Tad's site (  Link removed pending establishment of fair use  ) show an operation that USHPA should have shut down years ago. Those stunts shouldn't be performed by solo pilots at that altitude, but to do them with child passengers is inexcusable. Yet USHPA has given them a pass while expelling me. It's truly disgusting.

RickMasters wrote:    It worked the last time we tried.

There's something bittersweet in that last line. I would like to live in a world where it would work again ... but I wish I had more confidence in it. We don't have the same culture that we had back then, so I'm just not sure.

But whether we succeed or fail, I will always have the deepest respect for those who tried. Thanks Rick.   

Jacmac wrote:On the Oz Report forum, Ben R is saying.................................I'm wondering if there is a concerted effort to place all of the blame for the insurance problem on Bob's head..

It really looks that way. I totally agree, Brian.

I would expect that from u$hPa .

There also seems to be some 'switching of hats' going on at this time. Pres. stepping down.

Let's see what happens with that.

Too much control in Reg1.

I am conflicted...

    Everyone will be.
    But making the US Hawks promote only solo hang gliding - the core of what hang gliding is - provides a chance for survival that will vanish if, like the USHPA, it is manipulated and pressured to become all things for all people.
    Solo hang gliding is a man and his wing. Nothing else.
    I'm not suggesting the US Hawks condemn towing or tandem or competitions. Nor endorse them.
    Just let those things be someone else's problem. Not ours.
    If we simply recognize that anything involving more than one person flying a hang glider is outside our intent, a host of problems that threaten our sport will vanish.
    Just be for hang gliding what the USHGA was for our sport when it began.
    One man and a wing.
    If we're going to start over, that's where we have to begin.

Well said Rick!

Frank

Self-Soar Association (S-SA)
Otto members

Individual Hang Gliding Association
IHGA
... focus

Agreed: Leave the other things to others.

Thought this was interesting about good ol' Ben...

Name: Ben Reese
USHPA #: 38369
Membership Class: Pilot
Membership Exp Date: 10/31/2014 [EXPIRED]

He did start out by saying those who are "able" should consider paying two years dues (one in advance). After all that flag waving it never occurred to me that he might not be current himself.

In Texas:
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/03/big-prop ... loss-.html

A major Texas health insurer is feeling "blue" from some steep losses and now wants sharply higher prices for Obamacare plans next year.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas last year took up to a $400 million loss on its individual, Obamacare-compliant plans, according to filings disclosed earlier this week by the federal government. (Tweet this)

The loss stems from the difference between the $2.1 billion or so that BCBS took in from customers' premiums, and the $2.5 billion it paid out in health claims from those people.


http://wtvr.com/2015/02/02/almost-10-dr ... ion-fears/
Participation in Pop Warner youth football leagues dropped 9.5% from 2010 to 2012, according to a report in 2013 by ESPN.com.

Last year, after three players from three different states died in one week, I asked parents whether they think the sport is too violent and dangerous for their children.



http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/na ... 387175.htm
As Activist Investors Circle, AIG Posts Q3 Loss; Plans to Cut 400 Jobs

http://www.wcexec.com/Self-Insured-Alte ... s-Say.aspx
Self-Insured Alternative Security Program Grows Nearly 25%, Officials Say
( I actually consulted to $9billion a year Tenent Health care in the 90s to implement self-insurance of all 55,000 employees, cut out the middle man insurance company, now a growing trend)