Bob Kuczewski May 02, 2016 10:03 am wrote:Hi Jim,
I'm glad you're sticking with the discussion because it's helping me see where I may not have been clear enough. Let me try to fix that.
The US Hawks is not some "outside organization" any more than USHPA is some "outside organization". If the SHGA were to be accepting of US Hawks insurance and ratings, that doesn't mean that hoards of outsiders will swoop down to take over Sylmar any more than accepting USHPA insurance causes hoards of USHPA outsiders from far and wide to swoop down and take over Sylmar.
What it DOES mean is that Sylmar pilots would have a choice. I could easily imagine some of your pilots wanting to stay with USHPA and I could also easily imagine some of your pilots switching to the US Hawks. They would still have to be SHGA members and abide by SHGA rules, but they could simply get their insurance from another source. When you drive down the road, you pass drivers that are insured by State Farm, AllState, Progressive, GEICO, Mercury, AAA, and many many others. Has that caused any problems where people are demanding that all insurance companies be consolidated into one? Of course not. Instead, it causes competition in the marketplace resulting in lower premiums and better services for everyone.
Now the tricky part about obtaining that kind of choice in our sport is that USHPA holds a monopoly. Their monopoly is based on numbers. They have about 10,000 members and the US Hawks has about 250. The US Hawks doesn't have enough members to create an insurance pool yet, and we can't ask pilots to quit USHPA (essentially quit flying) to help us build our numbers - although some actually have. What we can do is offer free membership to pilots who want to be dual members so we can build up our membership. Those pilots who choose to be dual members are making a statement that they support choice in the marketplace. They are also making a statement that USHPA should not count on its monopoly forever. Some Sylmar members have already made that choice and have joined the US Hawks. Others will probably never make that choice. But many (maybe most?) are waiting to see how things work out and are keeping an open mind. Those are the people who I hope are following this discussion, and that's what a forum is all about. Trying to silence that discussion attempts to deprive those people of the ability to read both sides in a healthy debate and make their own decisions. I appreciate your participation in the discussion because you bring up questions that others might be thinking as well, but your desire to silence the debate is unhealthy at best.
So why would people want to join the US Hawks over USHPA?
1. Lower cost on-line organization
2. Open voting by our Board of Directors
3. Combined National / Local Forums
4. Hang Gliding Only Organization
5. Lifetime ratings based on proficiency and not fees
6. Focus on recreational pilots and not businesses
7. Recreational Land Use statutes used when possible
8. Fairness to its members and Chapters
9. Ratings based on flying and not politics
10. Nicer people - I'm sure that's debatable : )
Jim, I don't see you marching up and down your neighborhood demanding that everyone use your favorite auto insurance company. So why do you feel compelled to demand that all Sylmar pilots belong to your favorite national hang gliding association?
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). Let's also suppose that the US Hawks is able to provide that insurance - identical to USHPA's insurance - to our members at cost.
