A Note from John Heiney titled "A Word to the Wise"

[Bob Kuczewski]

John Heiney has been an icon in the sport of hang gliding for decades. He's accomplished way more than I would ever attempt to document in one post. You're welcome (and invited) to explore the depth of John's work in hang gliding at his web site:

     http://www.johnheiney.com

I'm making this post because I just visited John's site, and I found a prominent link (first in a long list on his home page) titled "A Word to the Wise". I've quoted it below.

John's "Word to the Wise" is a bit off topic for "Hang Gliding General", and it might go against the practices of many many good people on this forum. Please don't be offended.

John's comment is about substance abuse, and it's a topic that different people view differently from different perspectives. I suspect those different perspectives arise because different people are ... well ... different. So the wise words of advice that John offers to some may not be needed by others. That's up to each of us to decide. I can only say that I've seen a lot of wasted lives in my years, and if this helps anyone, then it's worth the post. If there are any significant complaints, I'll be happy to move it to the Free Speech Zone.

Without further ado, here's John's quote:

A Word to the Wise

Our society places great value on alcohol. From my observations, alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes are good for turning talented young individuals with potential and great promise into bums, very slowly.

If you are an intelligent person, be sure you do not allow the mass-hysteria promoting the coolness of drinking and drugs; that bombards young people in our society, to prevent you from enjoying a fun life and developing the special thing that you have to contribute to the World.

Alcohol, drugs and cigarettes all deliver outside chemicals to the brain that stimulate an artificial feeling of reward. If you do this, you have no need to do anything real; because you can get the artificial reward the easy way.

Our body generates the real chemicals naturally when we accomplish something of value. Then we experience the feeling of real reward.

It's important to find the one thing to do with your time that makes you feel good about yourself and devote your life to it.

Thanks John.

[Free]

I think this is what John Heiney was talking about.
Too many years of drugs and party and people lose what little mind they had.

Re: What do ratings really mean?#404867
By blindrodie - Tue Sep 04, 2018 8:44 am
Many of "us" are lucky to even have a rating system, recognized at the very least by the FAA. In this day and age many need insurance and therefore a need for the USHPA. Then again many of us don't need insurance to fly.

I believe without the USHPA those (important) few that would never join or start a free flight career, do! For many, again that's a good thing. It gives the few that want to go that route a reasonably safe way to do so. It offers them structure and goal setting that so many need to get into and STAY in free flight. I'm OK with that.

Ratings mean that for better or worse there is a system that one can follow and benefit from. When I started I was part of the generation that did not feel the need to be a member of anything other than the local crew, to fly. We took matters into our own hands and that kept us skimming down the hillsides well into sunset.

Then wings started to take us up AND away, so those that were not ready for that stopped flying and those of us that wanted to go up and away, flew even more! Sadly those daze are gone even though one can still get a wing and go fly without any training what-so-ever. That's what has everyone's panties in a bunch. We as pilots still attract a lot of attention on a level that many DO NOT understand and the folks that want us to have structure get spooked!

Ratings only mean what you want them to mean. Thankfully, that is a good thing for all of us at the moment...

8)

"Tow me up. I'll find my way down"

Kansas City Hang Glider Supplies
Guggenmos E7
H.E.S. Q330
WW U2 145
FlyTec 6015
CG 1000
Tracer Plus
Organ Donor

Read more: http://forum.hanggliding.org/viewtopic. ... z5QNOsWd89