[Bob Kuczewski]

Step    by step    by step    by step ...

You're exactly correct Sam!!    Here's another one of those steps that I just took:

Directors Dan, Alan, Corey, Rich, and Ken (cc/bcc others),

This past weekend (Sunday, November 9th and 10th) I was jailed for taking a video clip of Gabe Jebb kiting without a helmet while giving instruction to a number of students. You can see photos taken from my video of the event at:

     http://ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1629

Robin Marien (Gliderport Concessionaire/Lessee) asserted that my video taping constituted grounds to have me removed from the property and he told the police to arrest me. He also asserted that I was banned from being on the property for a year. The police offered me the option to leave the premises or go to jail. After careful consideration, I quoted from the lease: "The general public shall not be wholly or permanently excluded from any portion of the premises". I told them that I was asserting my right to be on that public ground, and they again asked Robin if they should arrest me. He said "yes", and I was arrested and taken to jail for the night and part of the next morning. I believe the charge was "tresspassing". I am scheduled to appear in court on December 22nd, 2014.

I am asking - for the record - exactly what USHPA is willing to do regarding this matter. If the answer is "nothing", then please say so for the record. I am a current USHPA member, and my member number is ....

Sincerely,
Bob Kuczewski
858-204-7499

Let's see what kind of "support" a pilot gets from USHPA.

[Rick Masters]

Welcome to journalism.

[Bob Kuczewski]

Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations.
                 - George Orwell

Who would know that better than you, Rick?

Thanks for the great thoughts reflected in your post.   

[Bob Kuczewski]

Let's see what kind of "support" a pilot gets from USHPA.

Well ... I did get a response from USHPA President Rich Hass, and I will be posting it soon. In his response, Rich made a somewhat disparaging comment regarding my candidacy for Regional Director. That got me to thinking about how I would respond if I were in his shoes (or any of our Region 3 Director's shoes). Here's my reply to Rich Hass and the other Directors:

Hello Rich, Region 3 Directors, and Silent Observers,

I got a long reply from Rich Hass which I'll pass along a bit later. In his reply, Rich made a somewhat disparaging reference to my candidacy as Regional Director. So I'd like to take this opportunity to let everyone see how I would have responded if I were in his (or any of the other Director's) shoes:

===================================
Hello Bob,

I want to thank you for having the courage to video tape and report this incident. It's clear that you endured considerable abuse for this, and as a USHPA Director I want to apologize for the behavior of the USHPA instructors who participated in the harassment that you've experienced.

I can assure you that such behavior will NOT be tolerated, and I will be personally seeking the maximum penalty that USHPA can impose - including but not limited to removal of instructor ratings.

Bob, as USHPA Directors, we cannot see and know everything that happens at our sites. So we MUST rely on the pilots - from coast to coast - to step forward and report these kinds of safety violations that could easily jeopardize our flying sites and our members. I am appalled and disgusted at the obvious bullying tactics by USHPA instructors who were clearly attempting to intimidate you from performing that necessary function. I would have expected a USHPA instructor (like Gabe Jebb) to politely thank you for pointing out his lapse. I would have expected a site operator (like Robin Marien) to likewise thank you for helping improve the quality and safety of the instruction at his site. The fact that they chose instead to taunt, harass, belittle, and eventually jail you is beyond my comprehension.

Bob, let me apologize if I've ever shown any uncertainty as to the validity of your efforts to reform Torrey Pines. What I've seen in just this one incident (let alone the numerous incidents in the past) is more than enough proof that USHPA's "hands off" approach at Torrey Pines has failed. I am hereby committed to USHPA taking an active leadership role at Torrey Pines, and I will be recommending that we increase our representation for USHPA and USHPA Chapters on the Torrey Pines Soaring Council so we can better represent the hang gliding and paragliding pilots at that site. Please accept my apology that this has been allowed to go this far, and let me know what USHPA can do to help in your defense against the obviously fraudulent charges that have been filed against you.
===================================

Well, that's what I would have done as a Director or President of USHPA. Stay tuned to see what actually came from . . .
     . . . the desk of Rich Hass.

Bob Kuczewski

[Bob Kuczewski]

As promised above, here's what I actually got from Rich Hass. I'll be dissecting it in following posts to point out all the half truths and misstatements. Until then, please feel free to read through Rich's letter to see how many you can find!!   

Bob,

USHPA requires helmets for both occupants when flying tandem. USHPA requires pilots to wear protective headgear when flying at USHPA-insured sites. USHPA’s Basic Safety Requirements require protective headgear while in flight. I checked, and I don’t see any requirement for helmets/protective headgear when kiting. Gabriel Jebb wasn’t teaching at a USHPA-insured site and he wasn’t flying. As such, he didn’t directly violate USHPA guidelines or SOP’s. If there is such a requirement and I missed it, please bring it to my attention.

At the same time, I think we all agree—instructors need to set a good example when it comes to best practices. When instructors are demonstrating inflation techniques, they should be wearing a helmet—as should their students. After your incident was brought to USHPA’s attention, Greg Kelley, as chair of S&T, contacted Gabriel and discuss the importance of the hemet requirement whenever clipped in. This was done before your email below was even received.

In the future, consider working with your regional directors or the S&T committee to resolve issues like these. No need to get yourself arrested unless you are doing it for the sake of publicity. USHPA won’t get involved in your dispute with the Gliderport. Regarding this latest stunt, It will be up to the court to decide the matter, now.

Bob, I couldn’t help but notice that the very detailed description of the incident you posted fails to mention the number of times you’ve confronted instructors at the Gliderport. It also fails to mention how your decision to serve as a paid expert witness, testifying against the Gliderport and USHPA instructors may have influenced how Gabriel responded to your passive/aggressive attempt to harass him while he was teaching. You’ve offered yourself up as an expert witness on the management of flight parks for the purpose of discrediting the concession operation. If the people reading your account of this most recent confrontation understood the backstory, it would certainly help them frame an understanding as to why Gabriel responded as he did when he saw you filming. I’m just saying, if you are as open and as transparent as you claim to be and as you expect others to be, why not let the flying community know you have agreed to receive compensation as an expert witness, where the outcome could involve closure of a landmark flying site? Yes, I know you claim that’s not your stated goal and you say you don’t intend to pocket the money you earn as an expert witness but the facts are, you did agree to the compensation and you are doing everything possible to disrupt Gliderport operations, where the end result may put the site at risk rather than simply causing a change in management.

You are free to serve as an expert witness. I’m just suggesting that you be honest about it. People have a right to know what their candidate for RD is up to.

One last thing: You are no Rosa Parks. Your self-described comparison to her is insulting and demeaning to those who put their lives on the line during the civil rights movement. There is no comparison. None.

Thanks,

Rich

PS—If you or anyone chooses to cross-post or quote from my response, please post it in its entirety.

[eagle]

TARGETING OF PILOTS
The truth is Myself & other pilots are being threatened in the same way.. 

All While the glider port management & staff break laws & flight rucles..

PUNISMENT for speaking up on the web, & I didn't say a word at the port. Was told to take my glider off the hill . after 25 yrs of doig so....Where pilots often keep gliders over night Free at no charge
( included in the $150 anudal site usage )
There new rule , no gliders on th hill over night ...
Option is there overpriced storage that most can't afford... another $600 annually.

WE ARE UNDER A CONSTANT THREAT  ...
This is how it goes...

They claim .. Selective enforcement.
1. Pilot disrupting business or breaking a rule.
2. Give pilot a notice to leave. Grounding or Banning pilots for period of time . . . No Judge, Jury or trail.
3. They Call police.
4.  Police make an arrest of trespassing.

therefore
1. Can't speak out.
OR EVEN TALK ABOUT IT
2. Can't film to prove anything.
3. Cant call Police , they do nothing. Gets worse.
4. I Have no Voice in Anything.

SO FAR Our Leaders have failed.

A. City Fail to take action
B. POLICE fail to correct problems
C. USHPA failure in taking action.. irresponsible control of our sport.
Failure in pulling ratings of key people in control;. Incuding Flight Directors, tandem pilots & instructors.
Targetting pilots who speak up. Instead of doing Your jobs

I"ll be sure to mention You, as this will go public .. (You guys are great)

Welcome to America

[SamKellner]

Eagle,

Sounds like some collateral damages going on there.
Thanks for standing up for HG at Torrey

Rich's reply: People have a right to know what their candidate for RD is up to.

It's after they are elected that their actions are most important and we sure don't know which RD supports what, because they rubber stamp the decisions that

ushpa: "are made by the committees""

Yeah we have heard that for years and years.

[Rick Masters]

When I lived in Texas, we would describe such actions that befell BokB as being "hornswaggled."

Hornswoggle:
to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.
to bamboozle; deceive.

BobK is member of the U$hPA and Torrey.
Did his membership help? No.
Calling the police on someone exercising their rights is a serious and stupid action.
It doesn't matter if you don't like them.
This could cause the gliderport to change hands.
It was that serious and that stupid.

It wasn't BobK that called the police.
It was a U$hPA paragliding instructor.
Now BobK has to defend himself in court.
Crybabies invite laughter when they blame BobK
For waving their dirty laundary.
They brought what is to come upon themselves
Because they couldn't keep their own house in order.
And deservedly so.

It is time for hang glider pilots to start over.
And, oh! Who is the guy working to replace the U$hPA?
It's BobK of the US Hawks. Imagine that. What a coincidence...
Wait 'till that comes up in court.
I wouldn't want to be anybody but BobK in that courtroom.

[BigBird]

I'm not in anyway surprised at Rich's response or attitude. We’ve had interaction with this guy ourselves. I just saw this post and haven't read all of the responses yet. But, I do want to quickly respond to this quote from Rich.

Rich says; "I’m just suggesting that you be honest about it. People have a right to know what their candidate for RD is up to."

Really Rich?? What about Region II and the BS Jugdeep is pulling at Hat Creek Rim and declaring a chapter of the USH"P"A (Shasta Sky Sailors #57) “disbanded" in his run for Region II Director? He's running on some sort of "site preservation" platform. Site preservation, really? Based on what experience or expertise? There's no mention of his past experience in the field of site preservation, just what he's says he’s doing at Hat Creek Rim. And, speaking of Hat Creek Rim, a site BTW, that has survived and thrived for forty years under the care of the Shasta Sky Sailors, Jugdeep is a complete no-show when it comes to keeping the flying community updated about his efforts there with what he terms as a “long-term management plan” for the site - NOTHING. Perhaps he’s keeping it top secret because of the group that he’s apparently endorsing to take control of that site’s future - you can see their “care” and expertise for "site management" here: http://hatcreek.info/RespectTheRim.htm

How dare Rich bust anyone’s balls while sitting there maintaining a blind eye to the dirty work of the real problem individuals in this sport!

CC: Rich

[wingspan33]

Bob,

I just found out, from another source, about your arrest at Torrey Pines. I sent you a medium length (for me ) email regarding what went on and how it could end up badly for the (corrupt?) concessionaire at Torrey Pines. The whole thing stinks of criminal actions (as committed against you) along the lines of "Filing a False Police Report" as well as "Police Misconduct".

After writing up my email I came here to see what there was to see on the US Hawks. !!!!!!!!!!

Bob, . . . what occurred at the Glider Port amounts to criminal Assault & Battery by Gabe Jebb! Seriously!!!! All Jebb had to do was make physical contact in a threatening manner. And in looking at your video captures that's EXACTLY what he did!!!! I would strongly advise you to go to your local police station ASAP, with a copy of the unedited video tape, and file an Assault & Battery complaint, along with a "Filing of a False Complaint" charge - with the video record as evidence. I expect that there were at least a few witnesses as well? If willing, they can make witness statements.

FYI - Here in NY, if a police department will not accept a complaint, a citizen has a legal right to write up (in proper form) their own criminal complaint and file it directly with the court. I would hope/expect that the same is true in California. So, if the police won't accept your direct complaint to them, write your own up and submit it directly to the City Court (its very important that the form of a self written complaint is correct!).

Connected with the above, did the police ask to see what occurred between you and Jebb, as recorded on the video? I expect that they did not. Also, were they informed, after their arrival, that you had been video recording and that that led to the incident? If they really wanted to arrest the correct person I expect that they would have kindly asked to view the tape, with your permission. Then they would have, instead, arrested Jebb for criminal Assault & Battery. It could be that they intentionally didn't want to look at the video so that they could have an "excuse" to arrest YOU instead of Jebb. It's time to take away the police's excuse. File your own complaint. If you don't, no one else will.

Good Luck!