[Bob Kuczewski]

Here is my first response to the solicitation for me to act as an expert witness in the case. It's been rumored that I jumped on the opportunity to testify against the Torrey concession and USHPA. That's also NOT true as evidenced in my first response. In the email message attached below, I clearly state my first priorities as gaining meaningful oversight for fairness and safety. I had been asked to meet with them and I didn't even agree to that. I said I might consider participation if it didn't conflict with that goal. I've attached my reply below.

In summary:

    1. I did NOT seek the law suit. They came to me.
    2. I did NOT jump at the chance to testify. I put goals of fairness and safety first.

So anyone who's been told that my expulsion was justified because I was looking to sue someone ... has been lied to.

[Bob Kuczewski]

Two days ago (June 22nd, 2019) Swift started an Oz Forum topic titled "Best Plan to Save Sport of Hang Gliding":

    http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=60132

In his opening post (quoted in full below), Swift asked the question:

Do you see hang gliding dying a slow death, or not?

I think that question was best answered back in 2015 by Rick Masters on page 2 of this topic (also quoted in full below).

People talk about the sport of hang gliding dying. It's not dying. It's being murdered. By the U$hPA.

I think that's the best answer I've ever read. The full quotes are listed below.

Let's start a conversation. I have an idea that can positively result in the growth of new pilots.
People can start lining up with their own arguments and I'll hold mine off for a while.
Do you see hang gliding dying a slow death, or not?
Steve Pierson's recent concerns as the premier hg manufacturer in the US tells me the premise is true.
What can we do about it?

...what's up with the H4 requirement?

Really. They could cut down the hang gliding traffic further by restricting Torrey to Hang 5s...

It must be a pretty treacherous place, judging by all the paragliding deaths and injuries they've had there. I flew it in the 1980s - in a hang glider, of course. One step launch. It seemed like a great place to teach H3s to cliff launch and top land and learn Chandelle turns. People talk about the sport of hang gliding dying. It's not dying. It's being murdered. By the U$hPA. If I ran Torrey, my priority would be to encourage H3s to build their skills there.

Of course, about that time, I became the concessionaire at Horseshoe Meadows (Walt's Point), Owens Valley. As a USHGA Special Observer, I introduced quite a few H3s to XC in the Owens. My bottom line was flying. Of course, the U$hPA did away with the Special Observer. The metro schools couldn't make money with people like me signing off new H4s in the boonies - same as tandem PG "instructors" at Torrey can't make a decent middle class living if the air's chock full of pesky hang gliders. After all, a tandem paraglider and a single hang glider need the same wind. One makes money. One doesn't. Today, the bottom line is money. Not flying. Make too much noise about flying and it looks to me that you get purged by the corporation.

Corporations basically suck. If you make one, you gotta keep a tight grip on it or its liable to go off and do it's own thing.

[Bob Kuczewski]

Just sent:

Subject: Request for Verification of Ongoing Expulsion

From: bob@ushawks.org
Date: Fri, November 29, 2019 4:15 pm (PST)

To: president@ushpa.org, vicepresident@ushpa.org, treasurer@ushpa.org, secretary@ushpa.org, director01@ushpa.org, director02@ushpa.org, director03@ushpa.org, director04@ushpa.org, director05@ushpa.org, director06@ushpa.org, gfdirector01@ushpa.org, gfdirector02@ushpa.org, gfdirector03@ushpa.org, gfdirector04@ushpa.org, gfdirector05@ushpa.org, gfdirector06@ushpa.org, gfdirector07@ushpa.org, gfdirector08@ushpa.org, gfdirector09@ushpa.org

Cc: KevinFaulconer@sandiego.gov, mayor@sandiego.gov, cityattorney@sandiego.gov, SanDiegoDA@sdcda.org, barbarabry@sandiego.gov, jennifercampbell@sandiego.gov, christopherward@sandiego.gov, monicamontgomery@sandiego.gov, markkersey@sandiego.gov, ChrisCate@sandiego.gov, scottsherman@sandiego.gov, vivianmoreno@sandiego.gov, georgettegomez@sandiego.gov, fourthdistrict@bos.lacounty.gov, bobkuczewski@gmail.com

Priority: High
Read Receipt: Requested

USHPA Board Members, cc/bcc others,

My name is Bob Kuczewski (USHPA #81898), and I am writing to request a confirmation that my expulsion from USHPA in 2015 remains in effect to this day (November 29th,2019). I have attached USHPA's 2015 notice of expulsion for your reference.

Please note that I applied for and obtained a 30 day membership from a USHPA instructor in February of 2019. The instructor was aware of the expulsion, yet he felt justified in issuing the 30 day membership anyway. He later informed me that he was subsequently contacted by USHPA and explicitly told to NOT issue any further 30 day memberships to me.

Please also "reply to all" with your response. I have included a number of policy makers in the copy address list and I would like it to be clear to them that I remain unable to use public land because I was expelled from USHPA for the reasons cited in the attached letter. These reasons include:

       - Starting an organization to potentially compete with USHPA
       - Testifying as an expert witness in a personal injury case
       - Speaking to the San Diego City Council about Torrey Pines

Your cooperation is appreciated.

Sincerely,
Bob Kuczewski
858-204-7499
bob@ushawks.org

Attachments

Member_Term_Ltr_BobKuczewski.pdf

(180.26 KiB) Downloaded 382 times

Note that the email addresses for the "grandfathered" directors as listed on USHPA's web site ("gfdirectorXX@ushpa.org") appear to be broken and returned an error.

[Frank Colver]

I applaud this move on your part Bob, it's a good one.

The issue needs to be kept alive and should be reexamined periodically by the org.

When I notified them (several years ago) that all of the stated reasons for your expulsion had evaporated with none left still standing, the reply was essentially (in my words) - SO WHAT, HE'S STILL EXPELLED!

That is the attitude that needs to be overcome.

May you prevail,

Frank C.

[Craig Muhonen]

I 100% agree Frank. It's too bad that their attitude has stifled their brains about "altitude". They are so "high" on themselves, but too much 02 is corrosive.

Craig

[Bob Kuczewski]

When I notified them (several years ago) that all of the stated reasons for your expulsion had evaporated with none left still standing, the reply was essentially (in my words) - SO WHAT, HE'S STILL EXPELLED!

That is the attitude that needs to be overcome.

You said the magic words "stated reasons". They just made up a bunch of fake reasons to expel me so they could strike fear in the hearts of anyone else who might speak up in court or to the government or on the web. My expulsion was a warning shot to anyone else who might consider speaking up about the problems and corruption in USHPA. My expulsion was never about any of those "stated reasons". That's why they didn't care when those "stated reasons" were all debunked ("evaporated"). My expulsion was a pure demonstration of the power that USHPA wields through their monopoly control of flying sites.

So Frank, ... now that you've put the basic trainer on hold ... you've got plenty of time to start running for a seat on the USHPA Board to fix the real problem in hang gliding.

Just claim a new diversity category ("single digit USHGA members still actively flying") and you're guaranteed to win.

Bill and Scott and Rick and Joe and Warren and Ernie and a few hundred others might even rejoin USHPA just to vote for you.

[Bob Kuczewski]

I just got a reply from Ken Andrews that describes USHPA perfectly:

Your message To: Andrews, Kenneth
was deleted without being read on Saturday, November 30, 2019

Here are some of the gory details:

Your message

To: Andrews, Kenneth
Subject: Request for Verification of Ongoing Expulsion
Sent: Friday, November 29, 2019 4:15:00 PM (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)

was deleted without being read on Saturday, November 30, 2019 6:45:08 PM (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada).

Return-path: <andrews@alumni.caltech.edu>
Envelope-to: bob@ushawks.org
Delivery-date: Sat, 30 Nov 2019 19:45:21 -0700
Received: from mail-eopbgr760079.outbound.protection.outlook.com ([40.107.76.79]:15494
From: "Andrews, Kenneth" <andrews@alumni.caltech.edu>
To: "bob@ushawks.org" <bob@ushawks.org>
Subject: Not read: Request for Verification of Ongoing Expulsion
Thread-Topic: Request for Verification of Ongoing Expulsion
Thread-Index: AQHVpxM6SGVA2WjdG0qjEoXoCsiL1Q==
Importance: high
X-Priority: 1
Date: Sun, 1 Dec 2019 02:45:08 +0000
Message-ID: <bcc3c2f28e8647558c53a587d7423ebe@alumni.caltech.edu>
Accept-Language: en-US
Content-Language: en-US
authentication-results: spf=none (sender IP is )
smtp.mailfrom=andrews@alumni.caltech.edu;
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x-forefront-antispam-report:
received-spf: None (protection.outlook.com: alumni.caltech.edu does not
designate permitted sender hosts)
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Content-Type: multipart/report;
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X-OriginatorOrg: alumni.caltech.edu

I have to say that for my purpose of proving that USHPA is still retaliating against me, Ken's message is actually pretty good. Thanks Ken!!

[Craig Muhonen]

To say that the city council corruption on this issue, has been overkill to the N th degree, shows us that this is the tip of the iceberg. This is not a board ......They are BORG..!!I

Maybe 7 of 9 will step forward on your/our behalf. Now there's a thought.

I can only laugh out loud about this, but it really is sad that one of the best cities in the country has fallen into the hands of such people. You have much support Bob...... GOOD ON YA.

Tango Yankee

Craig

[Bob Kuczewski]

By the way, the full list of USHPA's Board of Directors can be found here:

https://www.ushpa.org/page/board-of-directors.aspx

Here are the members of the "Executive Committee" from that site:

Randall_Shane.png (736.4 KiB) Viewed 5644 times

Kenneth_Andrews.png (688.1 KiB) Viewed 5644 times

Mark_Forbes.png (910.98 KiB) Viewed 5644 times

They look like nice enough folks (as most politicians do), but the reality is quite different. Remember the two dead pilots at Torrey this past March 2019. The blood of those pilots is on the hands of the USHPA leaders who had been warned many times but still chose retaliation over reform.

[Craig Muhonen]

I feel for the "familys" and EMT's of those persons, who were completely cut out of the story. Their process of mourning is constantly stifled by "the collective".

I thank you for this forum.

Craig