US Hawks Hang Gliding Association

The Oz Report wrote:An example of how some USHPA rules hurt us
Because they don't make any sense.

Steven Pearson <<Steve>> writes:

We didn't have a local admin to run an instructor clinic here at Andy Jackson Flight Park in San Bernardino, California so a group of local pilots paid Paul Voight to fly out. Despite Paul's experience and credentials (let's us just say that they are vast), he wasn't allowed to conduct the clinic at Crestline. Same story for Zac, who until recently was the only west coast tandem administrator, but wasn't allowed to give clinics at any USHPA sites. The USHPA should have paid all these expenses, and clinic administrators should have blanket coverage at all sites.

The USHPA is being managed by Martin, Tim and the leadership from a narrow perspective of minimizing liability at all cost, and the practical and effective result of that policy is reducing the number of instructors, schools and pilots. No pilots, no exposure. I would also note that this policy is distinct and not entirely consistent with advancing safe practice. So many opportunities for improving safety are ignored while bureaucratic initiatives are advanced. I don't even understand why Martin and Tim have any authority to advance their agenda when they are neither elected nor have any significant experience with the programs and policies they are administering. A smaller and less experienced board is only going to compound the problems as they will increasingly defer these decisions to administration.

Here are two of the most advanced and experienced instructors and pilots within the USHPA. They are prevented from providing their expertise to the hang gliding community by rules that do not make any sense what-so-ever. These rules tie instructors to specific sites and do not allow for instructors who do not have a specific site or who visit other sites. This certainly is a disincentive for obtaining USHPA site insurance.

NMERider wrote:Furthermore, USHPA's policies have turned the liability waiver into a 'License to Kill' with no small number of avoidable and readily preventable fatal accidents. 
USHPA's head-up-its-ass philosophy is literally killing the sport by killing pilots among other ways that it's imploding. 
The numbers of lawsuits are IMHO rising and just look how far the case against Mission Soaring is Going in the federal court system. 
https://norcalrecord.com/stories/511719753-decision-in-man-s-case-against-mission-soaring-over-hang-gliding-accident-reversed-by-appellate-court
There are more in process as I write this. 
Very sad.

USHPA's policies have turned the liability waiver into a 'License to Kill' with no small number of avoidable and readily preventable fatal accidents.

USHPA's head-up-its-ass philosophy is literally killing the sport by killing pilots among other ways that it's imploding.