I was hoping to make a more lavish announcement, but after a long day of flying I'm too tired to write much.
On July 26th, 2017, the County of Los Angeles issued written permission for 3 pilots to fly at Dockweiler Beach without requiring USHPA membership or USHPA insurance. Those 3 pilots (in alphabetical order by last name) are:
- Frank Colver
- Joe Faust
- Bob Kuczewski
The permission to use the site for hang gliding activities required a signed waiver with the County and is limited to the hours between sunrise and sunset on days that the concession (WindSports) is not using the site - currently Mondays and Tuesdays. We flew there today (Monday, July 31st, 2017) in accordance with that permission.
In order to obtain this permission, several meetings were held to discuss the need for this decision. Among the arguments presented were:
1. The County should not require membership in any private organizations (such as USHPA) in order for public use of public land.
2. The County should not require membership in any organization (such as USHPA) that expels members for legal testimony in a court of law.
3. The County should not require membership in any organization (such as USHPA) that expels members for making legai public statements to their local government.
4. The County should not require membership in any organization (such as USHPA) that expels members for creating competing organizations.
There is some disagreement among today's flyers as to which of these arguments was most persuasive in the County's decision. But there is no disagreement that the County's decision was correct.
This decision is limited to Dockweiler Beach, but I believe the principles are applicable to all flying sites on public land in the United States. Time will tell.
I look forward to posting my pictures from today's flying, and I hope others will also. It was a great - and historic - day.