From Reg 11 Director

[SamKellner]

Many schools - the way we know them now - will seize operations,

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/NTHPA/conversations/messages/5053

They better not try to seize my operation

USHPA has a list of names and donation amounts and we hope to see the name of every Texas pilot on that list.

5053 PONY UP TIME

tikimashy

Dec 23 9:54 AM

THE PLEAD
Cowboy Up adds a more public voice in joining with others who are so vocal in pleading with members to help fund our RRG. And it is OURS folks – yours, mine and ours. If our membership fails at this one task our best days are behind us. Many schools - the way we know them now - will seize operations, sites will be lost, and participation will decline, a cascading affect, hang gliding and paragliding in this country will be a small fraction of what it is today. Cowboy Up will move and set up shop in another country. We don’t want that, yet that is the reality of our situation.

THE GUILT
Like so many others, Cowboy Up has given money to help fund the RRG and of course we’ll give even more, but we want to make sure that everyone is doing their part – we are many, and every dollar makes a difference. Step up and get your “I donated” sticker and be proud you played a part in something so meaningful.

THE REALITY
It is entirely too late for criticism folks, that’s the thermal of Christmas past - the time to act is now; we have to get this one right. Call it shameless begging, call it self-serving, call it whatever you like – we are all in this together. “Free Flight”/“Free Lunch” – no one rides for Free.

THE “FREE FLIGHT” THANK YOU
You believe in FREE FLIGHT okay, here you go; Once the RRG is fully funded Cowboy Up will:

1) Give each Texas pilot who donates $100 or more gets a free Aerotow to be used by the donating pilot; or

2) Each Texas pilot who donates $500 or more will receive a free Aerotow (to be used by the donating pilot), and a free Tandem Discovery Flight to be used by any person they wish (subject to our weight and age restrictions).

USHPA has a list of names and donation amounts and we hope to see the name of every Texas pilot on that list.

Anyway, this is just a little incentive and big thank you.

THE HOPE
It really is pony up time folks, the lights will dim and go dark if this goes sour. It’s up to each of us to keep that from happening. Let’s just get it done. Donate Now! https://ushpa.aero/donation_form-RRG.asp

Bart & Tiki
Cowboy Up Hang Gliding
Houston, Texas

[Rick Masters]

Do you think the Region 11 Director has a commercial interest in "free" flight?

[SamKellner]

I'm pretty sure that is true that CowboyUp does have one of the larger commercial interests.

Not as heavy as FBO foot launch sites, perhaps.

Bart and Tiki do aerotow out of Wharton, Tx. now. They were in Jackson Hole, Wy. for several years before moving south.

I think they do a lot of Groupon instruction.

Earlier this year I tried to set up some tandems at CU, for H-1 that could have benefitted, but Tiki wanted full Groupon price.

They have a good safety record I think, but, IMO, fall into the tandem exemption abusers.

[Bob Kuczewski]

Dear USHPA,

lack_of_planning_mug.jpg (11.76 KiB) Viewed 6173 times

It's pathetic how USHPA came up with this RRG scheme without any discussions with the members. It appears to have been hatched behind closed doors to benefit the people who've been USHPA insiders all this time.

I suspect that the big schools "behind the scenes" have already tallied up their assets and have more than enough to pay for this RRG to cover their operations. But they'd much rather get as much as possible for free by getting the rank and file USHPA members to "DONATE" first. Every dollar you "DONATE" is one less dollar they have to take out of their profits on March 1st.

It's particularly disturbing that regular USHPA members get to "DONATE" (translation: you give your money) while the people with the real money in the sport get to "INVEST" (translation: they get your money).

That's why none of this was discussed with the membership, because the membership might want to have some ownership of their own RRG.

Sorry, the little guys get to give, the big guys get to take.

USHPA as USUAL.