[Bob Kuczewski]

I like the part about the instructor being required to re-certify an experienced pilot.
"But I've been flying all this time!"
"Nope. Show me 5 spot landings and give me $100 plus the $15 paper processing fee."
Back when I was a Special Observer it was free.
But that was a hang gliding association.
Can't figure out what this one is...

The FAA has flight currency requirements.

U$HPA also has "currency" requirements ... just a different kind of "currency".   

[Rick Masters]

Hang glider pilots should reflect on how bizarre the USHPA fiasco has become.
Hang gliding has struggled over decades to improve its safety record, often with great success year-on-year.
For many years, hang gliding focused on safety and design until nearly all accidents could be attributed to pilot error.
Pilot error can be addressed.
Then the USHGA adopted paragliding with its growing global fatality numbers due to collapse.
Parachute collapse cannot be rectified because there is no airframe.
Then the USHPA welcomed in acro and speedflying, two of the most inherently dangerous aerial sports.

The USHPA is insane.
It has taken hang gliding and dumped a myriad of more dangerous sports into the same bucket.
Through this idiocy, it has created a giant red flag for insurers.
Our achievements and focus have been lost. Discarded. Wasted.
Is it any wonder the insurers have abandoned our sport of hang gliding?

We need the USHGA back.
We need an association that allows hang gliding to stand on its own and proudly present to the world what it has accomplished.

[reluctantsparrow]

Hang glider pilots should reflect on how bizarre the USHPA fiasco has become.
Hang gliding has struggled over decades to improve its safety record, often with great success year-on-year.
For many years, hang gliding focused on safety and design until nearly all accidents could be attributed to pilot error.
Pilot error can be addressed.
Then the USHGA adopted paragliding with its growing global fatality numbers due to collapse.
Parachute collapse cannot be rectified because there is no airframe.
Then the USHPA welcomed in acro and speedflying, two of the most inherently dangerous aerial sports.

The USHPA is insane.
It has taken hang gliding and dumped a myriad of more dangerous sports into the same bucket.
Through this idiocy, it has created a giant red flag for insurers.
Our achievements and focus have been lost. Discarded. Wasted.
Is it any wonder the insurers have abandoned our sport of hang gliding?

We need the USHGA back.
We need an association that allows hang gliding to stand on its own and proudly present to the world what it has accomplished.

yes!

[Keith Beebe]

http://www.pasaschools.org/hang-gliding ... o-is-pasa/


https://old.ushpa.aero/member_ushpa_directors.asp




Directors of PASA:::: John Harris-----Paul Murdock------ Matt Tabor-----Bruce Weaver----- GW Meadow----+ 3 more

USHPA ::: John Harris (director at large--past VP )-------- Paul Murdock (new president ) ---------Matt Tabor (BOD)

OTHER Bruce Weaver (Secretary and treasurer--- Kitty Hawk ) -------GW Meadows (started at Kitty Hawk)


http://www.pasaschools.org/hang-gliding ... iding/faq/

http://www.hangglidingspectacular.com/# ... -fame/cwbl


Do we know who is on the board of the RRG ??

[Bill Cummings]

"Is PASA part of the RRG ---

"

"No, --"

"With that in mind, PASA will be a small shareholder in the RRG."

(RIGHT OVER THE TOP OF MY HEAD --WTF)

[reluctantsparrow]

My Girlfriend just said reading and watching all this unfold is like watching the best soap opera ever. When does the documentary or movie come out?....it could be called....too close to the sun....comparing icarus flying too close to the Sun (the source of Power) to corporate greed for power.
Applications are now being accepted for the actors on the stage.
it would make for a great story, complete with villians, Heros, vigilantes, , Martyrs, corrupt law inforcement and corporate greed......All the while a small group of innovators come up with a device to lower fatalities and save lives on a poverty budget......safe splat....oh yes, all the makings of a great movie.
I think BobK should be played by Dustin Hoffman.
We just had a second major movie producer stay at our Bnb two nights ago......this could happen.

[Rick Masters]

Here.
Risk Retention Groups: Are They Worth the Risk?
http://www.aana.com/insurance/Documents/09risk-retention-groups14.pdf

These warnings come from a highly-regarded insurance industry professional.
Scare yourself to death, RRG proponents:

If the RRG becomes insolvent
or is unable to pay its claims,
your state guaranty fund will afford no protection,
and your personal assets will be exposed
to any claims made against you.    

Perhaps this means the USHPA chapters who buy in to this nonsense. And maybe some individual members, too.

The more experience an insurance company has, the greater its opportunity for success. New companies have the highest rate of failure.

How old is the RRG, again? You know all about its claims history, right?
They share it with you, right? Your open and transparent membership association that puts its members first, right?

Does the insurance company only insure one class of business?
This question applies far more to a company without a Best’s
rating than to a financially sound company with a “Secure” Best’s
rating. For RRGs, the answer of course is “yes.” The federal law that
allowed the formation of RRGs (the LRRA) requires that all of the
policyholders of the RRG be of a similar nature. That means an
RRG insures only one type of liability coverage ...
    Insurance is all about spread of risk. You don’t want an insurance
company that has all of its eggs in one basket. If possible, you
want an insurance company that insures a lot of different types of
policyholders in a lot of different locations. If things go wrong for
a specialty insurance company with no other lines of business—
especially one that insures a volatile class of business...
—the financial results could be devastating.

We are possibly facing the end of the USHPA in the relatively near future.
Note that I've posted this before. I've been trying to warn you people that this is the wrong direction to go.
Hang glider pilots have been backed into a corner by a supposed representative organization that went rogue.
You need a back-up plan.
The only real alternative -- the only back-up plan -- is for each chapter to form a committee dedicated to securing flying sites under recreational laws that hold landowners harmless and recognize individual, not group, liability.
Who has started on this?
Nobody (that I know of).
You folks are really setting yourselves up to get slammed when things go wrong.
Because without a back-up plan, you are going to lose everything all at once.

[Bob Kuczewski]

Thanks for the links Keith!!     

Here's a copy of PASA's current FAQ:

Updated 4/12/16

What is PASA?

The Professional Airsports Association (PASA) is a nonprofit organization created as a trade association for the airsports industry to help businesses. Originally founded to offer information on the industries of Hang Gliding, Paragliding, Kitesurfing, Ultralight Flying and Parasailing with the intention of creating industry standards for operations, procedures and safety. Acceptance and adherence to these standards became the basis for certification. With industry standards and certifications in place, options for insurance became available and utilized. Now, PASA is called on to expand it’s certification system to certify hang gliding and paragliding schools so that insurance will be available and as affordable as possible.

Is PASA part of the RRG or the USHPA?

No, PASA is an independent organization that was founded in 1997. It is not directly connected to either the RRG or the USHPA. PASA does have a non-voting seat on the PASA board for the sitting President of the USHPA for the purpose of organizational liaison. Also, because of the legal makeup of an RRG, anyone who purchases insurance through the RRG must become a shareholder of the RRG because the RRG is a member-run organization. With that in mind, PASA will be a small shareholder in the RRG.

Does PASA sell insurance?

No. PASA is not an insurance seller or reseller. Hang Gliding and Paragliding School insurance will be available through the RRG – partially because of the standards that are being put into place and monitored by PASA. Because the smallest policy of this insurance is expensive, PASA will be purchasing a master policy from the RRG and will provide access to this policy to it’s Small Business Flight School (SBFS) members – who will be listed as additionally insured on that policy – as a benefit of membership. The RRG is the primary provider of insurance for the Free Flight industry.

So, this is all about insurance? What is the current situation?

You can read about the current state of free flight insurance and the RRG at freeflightforever.org.

I have a free flight school. What is the quick version of how I get insurance.

The folks at the RRG have done some estimates and it estimates that if you teach more than 200 Student Lesson Days per year, then you may be best off accessing the RRGs insurance options by dealing directly with the RRG. If you teach less than 200 SLDs per year, then the SBFS membership option of PASA is likely your best choice.

Once you have determined your insurance needs as a school, you will need to apply to PASA for certification, be approved for certification, buy your insurance from the RRG if you are a Large Business Flight School (LBFS) or choose your level of membership in PASA as a SBFS. After you have done so, you will be issued your PASA certification.

I need to get insurance for my chapter or flying site. Do I get that from PASA?

No, your ‘non-school’ insurance needs should start with the RRG. PASA only certifies free flight schools and provides membership that (in the case of a small school) provides access to the RRG’s insurance.

You say that ‘small schools’ (SBFS) can get RRG benefits through PASAs membership. Why wouldn’t all schools want to get RRG benefits through PASA membership?

The cost of buying insurance directly from the RRG (as opposed to it being a benefit of membership) is not affordable to the small school which teaches a small number of students annually. Once a school gets larger – the most cost effective manner of having insurance is to buy a policy directly from the RRG. Each larger school’s insurance journey should begin with the RRG to determine the best path for that school to take. If you know that you teach less than 200 SLDs per year, then you should checkout PASAs webpage for the Small Business Flight School.

How much does it cost from my school to get certified by PASA?

Every school wishing to become PASA certified must pay a one-time (nonrefundable) application fee of $300 to cover the administrative costs of PASA reviewing and approving the application. The PASA application requirements can be seen and downloaded HERE. Once the school has been approved for certification by PASA, that school will choose to go either the Large Business Flight School or Small Business Flight School route and then receive PASA certification.

How much are annual membership dues in PASA?

The LBFS pays $500 in membership dues to PASA annually to maintain it’s membership. The LBFS’s insurance needs are then met by the RRG.

The SBFS’s membership dues are based on the SBFS’s business activity level. See the SBFS section of the website to determine those dues. The SBFS has access to the RRG’s insurance as a benefit of it’s PASA membership and there is no additional premium that must be paid to the RRG for insurance since it’s included as a membership benefit for the SBFS.

How much will insurance cost my Large Business Flight School?

You will need to consult with the RRG to decide the level of insurance and it’s cost that is best for you. PASA does not sell insurance.

How much will insurance cost my Small Business Flight School?

PASA does not sell insurance, however as a benefit of membership in PASA, the SBFS has access to PASAs master liability policy. The SBFS’s membership dues are based on it’s business level. Go here for more information about the SBFS membership options.

I’m an instructor and not associated with any school. Can I get certified by PASA?

PASA does not certify individual instructors – only schools. Individual instructors will need to form a school. This is considered a Small Business Flight School (SBFS).

Tell me the actual steps to take in becoming a PASA certified School

As of this writing (mid march 2016) we are in the process of automating the application process. We expect the automation to be complete by the date which will start taking application – April 1st. A school that is wanting to become PASA certified should become familiar with all the needed qualifications and paperwork that will need to be submitted to PASA. Once the automated application process is available, each school will be able to go online and answer PASA’s questions and upload the paperwork that we require. If you have access to a scanner, it may be a good idea to scan in the documents ahead of time that you can see are required by PASA for certification. If you don’t have access to a scanner, then a high quality photo of a document will suffice in many cases.

How Do I contact the RRRG?

You can email them at applications@recreationrrg.com

[Bob Kuczewski]

We are possibly facing the end of the USHPA in the relatively near future.
Note that I've posted this before. I've been trying to warn you people that this is the wrong direction to go.
Hang glider pilots have been backed into a corner by a supposed representative organization that went rogue.
You need a back-up plan.
The only real alternative -- the only back-up plan -- is for each chapter to form a committee dedicated to securing flying sites under recreational laws that hold landowners harmless and recognize individual, not group, liability.

I agree completely. USHPA has formed a single point of failure in our ability to fly. I believe this was done intentionally to ensure their monopoly. As with most monopolies, if it is managed well, it's not such a bad thing. But as with most monopolies, it's only a matter of time until it's not managed well. I think that time has passed for USHPA.

Great insights Rick!!

[Rick Masters]

There's more to it.
Did you know that, when a minor is injured or killed, such as in Jean Lake, the statute of limitations does not even begin ticking until he reaches or would have reached the age of majority? Eighteen years, in that case.
I've been told by some who should know better that this case will not affect the RRG.
Well, I've got news for you...
Nothing is as it seems to mushrooms who live in the dark.
One day the lid is pried off and the bright rays of the sun come blazing down
and somebody eats you for lunch.     

http://4injury.net/statute-limitations-minors/
USHPA hang glider pilots better start mortgaging their houses to cover future claims resulting from this kind of thing:

No, it's not hang gliding but it is freeflight, right?
And free enterprise joyriding in paragliding is an important part of hang gliding, right?
Sure it is. All you USHPA hang glider pilots must think so.
Isn't that the new rationale for throwing away your sport of hang gliding?
Kiting, aerotowing, paragliding, joyriding, speedflying, competitions, training monopolies...
3PL for all and all for 3PL...
There's no room for a hang gliding purist - a man and his wing - anymore, in this preposterous mess.