US Hawks Hang Gliding Association

Posted: **Tue Oct 04, 2022 3:19 am**

This topic is about the upcoming USHPA elections (2022).

I recently saw the following slides posted (sorry for the size, the font was already too small to shrink much more):

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These slides read like a typical MBA (Borg) presentation. I don't know much about Charles Allen or Stephan Mentler, but if they've teamed up with Nick Greece, I'm not impressed. Nick was at Torrey many years ago as a member of the Jebb regime. I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw a cement truck (fully loaded).

I actually wrote the reference to "a typical MBA (Borg) presentation" from the feel of these slides and before looking closely at their resumes. Sure enough, 2 out of 3 proudly list their MBA degrees as qualifications to be a USHPA Director. I guess that fits. USHPA is much more of a business than it is an association of pilots.

Of course Nick Greece lists his history of leeching off the sport as a consultant for the RRRG, Executive Director of the Foundation for Free Flight, and the editor of USHPA magazine (for 10 years). How many articles did Nick commission or publish about USHPA's irresponsible practices that led to their loss of insurance? That would be zero. Good job Nick.

Their slide number 3 is titled "Grow Membership". Hmmm.... Do any of these three candidates have any idea how many members have been expelled or left in disgust over USHPA's track record of backing businesses over pilots?

Did any of these candidates make any suggestions about improving the involvement of the actual members? Did any of them dare to commit to open voting by the USHPA Board? Did any of them suggest an on-line forum where members could ask questions of their Directors? Did any of them suggest how to better empower local clubs to bring in new members? No, no, no, and no.

I haven't given it much thought until now, but I think I would rank Nick Greece a close third behind Mark Forbes and Tim Herr as the primary participants in USHPA's decline.

Posted: **Thu Oct 06, 2022 11:13 am**

I had watched Charles' video on HG.org before looking at to US Hawks. I totally agree with Bob's statements here about nick Greece.

I'm surprised that he hasn't been killed an a PG collapse yet, but maybe he quit flying across Utah mesas from windward to leeward sides In time to avoid his demise.

In the beginning of Charles video there is a statement that PG is the future of freeflight. There have been unsafe aircraft designs throughout aviation history and they didn't stay in use very long. Now, one of the most unsafe aircraft designs of recent times, one that can't fly safely through ordinary turbulence, is the future of freeflight? WTF :!:

Frank

Posted: **Thu Oct 06, 2022 2:16 pm**

Frank Colver wrote:There have been unsafe aircraft designs throughout aviation history and they didn't stay in use very long. Now, one of the most unsafe aircraft designs of recent times, one that can't fly safely through ordinary turbulence, is the future of freeflight? WTF

There's a well known saying in aviation:

There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots.

It's interesting to think about what this age distribution slide may be telling us.

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Is this a reasonable conclusion from that graph:

There are old pilots and there are PG pilots, but there are not that many old PG pilots.

Posted: **Thu Oct 06, 2022 8:23 pm**

Sharp, Bob!
Let us say we live forever on Earth and able to fly, if alive.
In 1000 years experiment: 100 PG pilots to start. 100 HG pilots to start. At end of the 1000 years: No PG pilots left. But 99 HG pilots left flying. Natural wind mixing with the deal ....

Posted: **Wed Oct 12, 2022 9:42 am**

From the Oz Forum ( https://forum.ozreport.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=72515 )

2022 USHPA Election
Post Tue, Oct 11 2022, 07:52:28 pm

Steve Pearson

Vote for veteran BOD members:

Please check your email for the USHPA election ballot. For those of you who might be undecided, please consider those who have contributed so much to our community and association over many years: Jamie Shelden, Paul Voight, Matthew Taber, Tiki Mashy and Bill Hughes. We need your votes!

I guess it all comes down to experience and previous contributions. The work of USHPA evolves from grinding deliberations in committees rather than wholesale proclamations of change (directors only approve the work of committees). It's so easy to break what we have and much harder to restore it. Even the most well-intentioned and executed big ideas, like self-insurance and the governance proposal, have resulted in unforeseen consequences with significant damage. I favor a path of continuous incremental improvement, where we identify and fix specific and well-defined issues with a large consensus of support from all stakeholders rather than strong-arming short-sighted and self-interested policies. Big-new ideas more often fail, as anyone who has been around knows. Understanding and embracing the constraints of our diverse leadership and membership is difficult and frustrating at times. *None of us get what we want*. These 5 individuals are long-term participants and contributors in the committee process and appreciate both the opportunities and limitations of the bureaucracy. I hate politics and bureaucracy and I'm not good at it either. I was blessed with 45 years in a partnership without these dynamics and where it was so much easier to get things done. The best directors are those with a large well of experience in community development, with diverse ideas and passion for implementing them, but also the ability to listen, support others, and compromise. It only takes one disruptive person to suck the oxygen and derail all progress.

If you read my reply to Davis, you would understand that directors don't have any mechanism to advance their ideas except through the committee process. That requires a lot of work, compromise, listening and consensus building. The people that I identified in my initial post are the only ones with committee experience. Beyond that, they *each* have many years of participation on multiple committees and had advanced to the leadership chair position based on the support of their peers, before I even became a director.

"Veteran" Directors? Would they be the people responsible for this graph?

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Would these "veteran" Directors be the ones who:

Ignored the problems at Torrey for a decade?
Presided over USHPA's loss of affordable insurance?
Presided over USHPA's liquidation of assets?
Presided over the decline of hang gliding?
Voted to support USHPA's unprecedented retaliation?
Condoned USHPA's refusal to renew legitimate chapters?
Passed SOP changes limiting free speech?

Posted: **Wed Oct 12, 2022 2:52 pm**

Wow!!!

A surprise in the people running for USHPA board. Look at David Hanning's answer to the question if he has ever been repremanded or suspended by USHPA. We should ask him about the hios insurance.

Frank

David Hanning’s statement as candidate for the USHPA board:

HAVE YOU HAD ANY USHPA SUSPENSIONS OR REVOCATIONS?

Yes - in 2018 I received a revocation of my paragliding administrative privileges based on politically charged and motivated individuals trying to stop me from having a successful paragliding business in Tennessee. The actions against me are without merit or honor and have generated massive angst and issues within the community we continue to grow and love. As a result, I became land owner of the two best launches in the SE USA to ensure I would not go away. We operate independently as JUSTFLY-SVS Flight Parks and are insured by XINSURANCE, and have grown the paragliding business in the SE USA independent of USHPA, proving that there is more to my suspension then is reported by USHPA and it's representatives. I am happy to share all the knowledge because I know it will help us avoid such cancel culture in the future.

Posted: **Wed Oct 12, 2022 4:08 pm**

Thanks Frank.

I went to the USHPA elections site: https://www.ushpa.org/page/elections and found the statements in their downloads section:

Posted: **Wed Oct 12, 2022 9:45 pm**

I find zero mention of "hang gliding" in Hanning's statements in that PDF, and zero the same at his collapsible canopy business website.
In all the statements of candidates I find no mention of a move to cure the BobK-truth challenge.

Frank: https://www.xinsurance.com/

Posted: **Thu Oct 13, 2022 4:49 am**

JoeF wrote:Frank: https://www.xinsurance.com/

Thanks. I just left them a message asking specifically about recreational coverage. I'll let you know what I hear.

US Hawks Hang Gliding Association

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