Breaking USHPA's Monopoly Control of Flying Sites

[Tad Eareckson]

My brain belatedly kicked in regarding Monday-Tuesday thing. Thinking was that DockGreblo couldn't be excluding u$hPa flyers five days a week including weekends and tossing them the same crumbs as the Bob Show faction. So I did a search: Dockweiler "hang gliding" rules. And...

http://windsports.com/pdf/DockweilerRules.pdf

BULL'S-EYE. Had to transcribe the text 'cause it's just a crappy image document:

DOCKWEILER STATE BEACH TRAINING PARK FLIGHT RULES

Please read, initial at the bottom, and return to Site Manager

1. Flyers must present a current USHPA membership rating card designating the pilot as Intermediate, Advanced, or Master rated pilot, or be under the supervision of a Windsports Certified Flight Instructor
2. Each must register with and receive authorization from the Site Manager before flying.
3. All flyers must sign county approved liability releases.
4. No flying unless Green Flag is displayed on flag pole.
5. Safety Director or Site Manager may refuse flying privileges to anyone if he determines their actions will be detrimental to safety or the smooth operation of theflight park.
6. All flyers shall wear protective head gear and fly with equipment that is airworthy in the opinion of the Safety Director
7. Only pilots and equipment approved by the Safety Director or Site Manager will be allowed to fly at Hang Gliding Area 3 (north area).
8. Only instructors approved by the flight park operator shall be allowed to train or supervise students or flyers.
9. All flyers and instructors are directly responsible to and shall comply with, directives of the safety director.
10. Spectators, pedestrians, and cyclists have the right of way at all times. No flying if a spectator is on a slope or in a designated landing zone. Treat each visitor with courtesy.
11. No stunt flying.
12. Walk gliders up approved walkways.
13. No Alcohol or drugs allowed.
14. Clear landing zone immediately after each flight.
15. Secure your glider when unattended
16. No launching or landing outside of designated boundaries
17. No flying above 60 feet AGL at any time
18. No dogs allowed
19. When carrying equipment across the bike path, use extreme caution and yield right-of- way to all traffic.
20. No slope soaring without Safety Director approval.

Pilot initial here __________

WINDSPORTS Hang Gliding
Dockweiler Flight Park hours Wednesdays-Sundays 12pm-sunset (weather permitting)
Office hours are Tuesdays-Fridays 10am-5pm (818)367-2430 windsports@earthlink.com

What a load o' crap. Welcome to Air California Adventures North.

- Let's really do this right and use periods at the ends of almost seventy percent of our sentences.

- Obviously MUCH too challenging a site for a Two to fly without being supervised by Windsports Certified Flight Instructor - whatever the fuck that is.

- What if the Site Manager doesn't FEEL LIKE issuing authorization after you register? Whole bunch o' bullshit dependent upon the whims and opinions of titled officials whose only specified qualifications seem to be that they're Windsports staffers.

- Wanna fuck somebody over just for the helluvit? Wait until he's set up and moving to launch position then strike the Green Flag due to the high risk of sunburn / shark attack in current conditions.

- Only instructors approved by the flight park operator shall be allowed to train or supervise students or flyers. And of course the flight park operator would never in a million years even dream of doing anything to discourage an instructor competing for area student business.

- What's "stunt flying"? Aerobatics? Not hooking into a backup loop? Flying prone on the basetube and wheel landing?

- Looks like I can fly drunk but can't take a scheduled baby aspirin on site.

- At Jockey's Ridge it was left up to the pilot's skill level and current conditions to determine whether or not he'd be permitted to slope soar.

And don't tell me that the Windsports assholes who manufactured all this bullshit empowering themselves with all these arbitrary dictatorial powers are far too ethical to have ever dreamed of abusing it.

But anyway... Now we see why the Bob Show Exemption pilots are relegated to the Monday-Tuesday crumbs and we note that u$hPa pilots can't fly with the Bob Show Exemption pilots wearing their u$hPa Focused Pilot wristbands.

If BSE pilots show up Wednesday-Sunday that entire corrupt u$hPa/DockGreblo infrastructure collapses.
- Good news... On Crumb Days you don't get subjected to all that vile corrupt u$hPa/DockGreblo crap.
- Bad news... Windsports can't EVER afford to relinquish ANY of their iron fisted control of Cookie Days.

[bobk]

Thanks for bringing the discussion back on topic Tad.
The dockweiler situation isn't perfect, but let me quote Rick Masters from the U.S. Hawks forum:

The US Hawks have established a legal precedent that marks the beginning of the end of the illegal U$HPA monopoly created by amateur sportsmen pretending to be totalitarian authoritarians on crack.

Rick goes on to say:

Taking away Bob's RIGHT to fly hang gliders at Torrey Pines was a stupid overreach by U$HPA. Such blunders take time to correct themselves and often result in unintended consequences. The unintended consequence here is the eventual loss of the U$HPA's insurance monopoly on flying sites across the country.

That's true ... but only if pilots at other sites take the steps needed to apply this precedent to their own local sites.
Fort Funston would be a good site to liberate from USHPA's insurance monopoly. Are you up for that Steve?
Are there other sites where this precedent might be applied?

[Tad Eareckson]

Oops. Looks like somebody neglected to adequately check the traffic to make sure that there'd been nothing relevant posted in the prior 44 minutes and 10 seconds.

So remember what I said about despising destruction of people's work and obliteration of history? That can mean one's own work and history after it's been publicly posted.

http://www.kitestrings.org/post10386.html#p10386

Bob Kuczewski - 2017/08/05 16:01:34 UTC

The title of this topic is "Breaking USHPA's Monopoly Control of Flying Sites".

Pity the reader who opens this topic expecting to actally read about that important issue.

Instead they get everything from a dangling participle lecture (complete with Nazi suicide video) to "who banned who" to Tad's "emotional wreckage" to obscure references to Jim Rooney and Dr. Trisa Tilletti to jabs at "their Creator" to "Homosexual-Relationship-With-A-12-Year-Old-Boy " to Donald Trump's wall. And that's just on the first page.

And while the grammar police are (incorrectly) crying "Dangling Participle", all manner of "I'da" and "hafta" and "Whatsamattah" and "Get fucked" and "Bull fucking shit" flow freely and without comment.

You say that you "despise destruction of people's work and obliteration of history" yet I've seen you shuffling posts around and scrambling the names of your bootlickers to cover their misdeeds.

As I said ... pity the reader who opens this topic expecting to actally read about USHPA's insurance monopoly.

The title of this topic is "Breaking USHPA's Monopoly Control of Flying Sites".

I know. You posted it here.

Pity the reader who opens this topic expecting to actally read about that important issue.

I tend not to pity Kite Strings readers. I've had no indications that anybody's had a gun to his head and his eyes taped open being forced to read it. And I'd hazard a guess that the vast majority of readers here know what to expect. And for people too fuckin' stupid to figure out how not to read something in which they have no interest unassisted there's a little button that does this:

This post was made by bobk who is currently on your ignore list. Display this post.

I know, I just tested it out. But Kite Strings tries to avoid catering to that class - 'specially with The Jack Show a click or two away embracing it full bore.

Instead they get everything from a dangling participle lecture (complete with Nazi suicide video)...

It was a take-off on "Inglourious Basterds". It was a JOKE.

...to "who banned who"...

WHOM. (See "Inglourious Basterds II".)

...to Tad's "emotional wreckage"...

Sorry Bob. Everything's great. Natural selection worked exactly as it was supposed to have. Like you said. Like with Sam and Terry.

...to obscure references to Jim Rooney and Dr. Trisa Tilletti...

Sorry. Change those to obscure references to David Jebb and Mark G. Forbes to bring things into proper context.

...to jabs at "their Creator"...

Care to take a clear unambiguous position on that issue? Or have you done the math on how much alienation it would cost you?

...to "Homosexual-Relationship-With-A-12-Year-Old-Boy "...

Recall the source for that one?

...to Donald Trump's wall.

The ones the Mexicans are all currently building to help make America great again. (How's that been working out for you?)

And that's just on the first page.

And to match the current top topic on that parameter we need to do 161 more.

And while the grammar police...

Nazis.

...are (incorrectly) crying "Dangling Participle", all manner of "I'da" and "hafta" and "Whatsamattah" and "Get fucked" and "Bull fucking shit" flow freely and without comment.

Those aren't clear enough for you? I'll be more than happy to explain them in detail.

You say that you "despise destruction of people's work and obliteration of history"...

Yeah. See a bit above. (Rather ironic now, dontchya think?)

...yet I've seen you shuffling posts around and scrambling the names of your bootlickers to cover their misdeeds.

Sure Bob. That's what I'm doing. Good thing we have you here to help keep everybody straight on things.

As I said ... pity the reader who opens this topic expecting to actally read about USHPA's insurance monopoly.

'Specially all the ones who are interested in the material who've never heard of the Davis and Bob Shows.

And now...

Thanks for bringing the discussion back on topic Tad.

As far as I'm concerned - and probably ditto for a lot of others - the discussion never went off topic. Lotsa times things aren't just one dimensional.

The dockweiler situation isn't perfect, but let me quote Rick Masters...

Taking away Bob's RIGHT to fly hang gliders at Torrey Pines was a stupid overreach by U$HPA. Such blunders take time to correct themselves and often result in unintended consequences. The unintended consequence here is the eventual loss of the U$HPA's insurance monopoly on flying sites across the country.

Reminds me a bit of my situation with u$hPa and the Flight Park Mafia. (Good thing I had you in there on the Board at the time getting Dennis Pagen to talk some sense into me.)

Fort Funston would be a good site to liberate from USHPA's insurance monopoly. Are you up for that Steve?

I'd guess not - directly anyway. But he's been instrumental in getting a lot heavy damage done to a lot of the right people - and not all of that has been entirely fun.

Are there other sites where this precedent might be applied?

Torrey?

And here's what I had just about ready to directly follow my previous post.

P.S. Another really interesting dynamic to this lunatic situation...

The analysis of the anecdotal "data" of the new Dockweiler regulatory system will show that the accident/incident/injury rate per flight for Crumb Days will be EXACTLY the same as it is for Cookie Days - ZERO, to be precise.

And that will reveal that pile of DockGreblo safety regulation / supervision to be the total bullshit we know it to be.

Same bullshit we saw when Trisa and fiends pushed through mandatory tandem Cone of Safety training for the AeroTow Special Skill / Rating.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TUGS/message/1184
aerotow instruction was Re: Tug Rates

Larry Jorgensen - 2011/02/17 13:37:47 UTC
Air Adventures NW
Spanaway, Washington

It did not come from the FAA, it came from a USHPA Towing Committee made up of three large aerotow operations that do tandems for hire.

Appalling.

Pretended there was a safety crisis that only aforementioned tandem training could address, started blowing up in their faces when the 582 / short runway guys went ballistic 'cause the underpowered tandem tows were highly likely to kill people at both ends (recall the 1996/07/25 Dave Farkas / Bill Bennett / Mike Del Signore twofer that was nearly a threefer and would've set a hang gliding kill world record that would've still stood today, over 21 years later) and finished when one of the tandem aerotow instructors who was teaching this crap got splattered solo using the finest AT equipment money could buy for reasons forever beyond our ability to comprehend.

And we still don't have so much as a bent downtube's difference to cite as justification for all that now extinct expensive, burdensome, humiliating, dangerous crap.

And note that a new Two is good for aerotow certification - pro toad in strong thermal stuff after a few pulls if he wants - but can never be good enough to fly Dockweiler unsupervised when it's blowing straight in at five to ten on a Cookie Day.

[bobk]

Oops. Looks like somebody neglected to adequately check the traffic to make sure that there'd been nothing relevant posted in the prior 44 minutes and 10 seconds.

So remember what I said about despising destruction of people's work and obliteration of history? That can mean one's own work and history after it's been publicly posted.

One of the downsides of forums is that two people can be speaking past each other as they work on separate responses in isolation.

When I saw your earlier on-topic post (thanks again), I decided there was no benefit to being further critical of all the off-topic posts. So I pulled my post a few seconds after posting it.

Since you've dredged it up from the deleted posts buffer, it is a good example of my philosophy on forums. I generally post to achieve a goal and NOT to put anyone down or embarrass them. When I saw that the topic was back on track I was happy to remove my critical post even though I had invested considerable time keying it in via a tiny smart phone interface.

I have to say it's nice that you found and posted my deleted post because it underscores my good intentions. Thanks.

[bobk]

Reminds me a bit of my situation with u$hPa and the Flight Park Mafia. (Good thing I had you in there on the Board at the time getting Dennis Pagen to talk some sense into me.)

Thanks. That's another good example of my character and my approach. When the U$HPA Board was screaming that "the sky is falling" because some guy named "Tad" was writing to the FAA, I kept my cool and recommended against the Tim Herr legal lynch mob they were planning for you. You weren't even in my region, and I'd never heard of you before then, but I still stuck my neck out and spoke up for you because it was the right thing to do.

A sincere "Thanks Bob" would be appropriate, but I haven't been holding my breath these past 7 or 8 years. Again, my goals are in the future ... and not in the past.

[Tad Eareckson]

One of the downsides of forums is that two people can be speaking past each other as they work on separate responses in isolation.

Also, arguably, one of the upsides.

When I saw your earlier on-topic post (thanks again), I decided there was no benefit to being further critical of all the off-topic posts. So I pulled my post a few seconds after posting it.

Since you've dredged it up from the deleted posts buffer...

There being no possibility that I just got it in the window of those few seconds you just referenced.

...it is a good example of my philosophy on forums. I generally post to achieve a goal and NOT to put anyone down or embarrass them.

'Cept when you have people of varying ages in need of your protection. Then it's no holds barred.

When I saw that the topic was back...

Still.

...on track I was happy to remove my critical post even though I had invested considerable time keying it in via a tiny smart phone interface.

You at least need to have a pad with a keyboard.

I have to say it's nice that you found and posted my deleted post because it underscores my good intentions.

I didn't find your deleted post. I found it when you posted it. If I've got a deleted post buffer somewhere I've never seen it.

Thanks.

Don't mention it.

That's another good example of my character and my approach.

Yeah, I'm afraid so.

When the U$HPA Board was screaming that "the sky is falling"...

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skysailingtowing/message/7067
AT SOPs - proposed revisions

Subj: Re: [Tow] AT SOPs - proposed revisions
Date: 2009/05/10 02:08:52 UTC
From: cloud9sa@aol.com
To: skysailingtowing@yahoogroups.com
cc: GreggLudwig@aol.com, lisa@lisatateglass.com

Hi Tad.

I'm Tracy Tillman, on the USHPA BOD, on the Tow Committe, and I am an Aviation Safety Counselor on the FAA Safety Team (FAAST) for the Detroit FSDO area. As a rep of both the USHPA and FAA, I would like to help you, USHPA, and the FAA improve safety in flying, towing, and hang gliding.

...

Additionally, if you want to really present a convincing argument, you should also: (a) get other experts to co-sign your letter, such as those who have some or most of the aerotowing-related credentials listed above, who have been doing this for many years with many students, and who support your argument; and (b) present reliable data based on valid research showing that there is a significant difference in safety with the changes that you recommend. Supportive comments from aerotow experts along with convincing data can make a difference. Otherwise, it may seem as if your perception of "the sky is falling" may not be shared by most others who have a wealth of experience and who are deeply involved in aerotowing in the US.

...because some guy named "Tad" was writing to the FAA, I kept my cool and recommended against the Tim Herr legal lynch mob they were planning for you.

You mean the one like:

http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2742
July 26th, 2017 - Freedom from USHPA Day at Dockweiler

Rick Masters - 2017/08/01 06:46:36 UTC

Taking away Bob's RIGHT to fly hang gliders at Torrey Pines was a stupid overreach by U$HPA.
Such blunders take time to correct themselves and often result in unintended consequences.
The unintended consequence here is the eventual loss of the U$HPA's insurance monopoly on flying sites across the country.
This cynical corporate strategy was a fiction from the beginning, far outside the intent of the FAA, but it might have been able to continue, had the U$HPA Directors been less full of themselves and more open to criticism.
Once they began incorporating draconian banishment of hang glider pilots from hang gliding sites for anything but safety violations, their days were numbered.

which would might have resulted in their days starting to get numbered years earlier?

What was it you stopped them from legally - or illegally - doing to me? I recall getting my flying career abruptly effectively terminated right about that time. Could I have been looking at prison time for sending an open letter to the FAA? Lethal injection maybe?

You weren't even in my region...

Wasn't a regional issue. Physics, aerodynamics tend to be pretty similar in most of the areas constituting the United States.

...and I'd never heard of you before then, but I still stuck my neck out and spoke up for you because it was the right thing to do.

Just to silence me more gently and leave u$hPa free to...

http://www.shga.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=3840
[TIL] About Tad Eareckson

Bob Kuczewski - 2013/03/10 18:20:34 UTC

I first learned about Tad Eareckson when I was Regional Director and the USHPA Board circulated a letter he had written (with intention to send?) to the FAA about some dangerous practices in hang gliding.

...continue violating the crap outta just about any aerotowing regulation or SOP you wanna name, ignore advisories, endanger all personnel involved - front and back ends, maintain the kill rate to which they'd grown accustomed.

A sincere "Thanks Bob" would be appropriate, but I haven't been holding my breath these past 7 or 8 years.

You wouldn't have had to if you'd done your job and bothered to determine that what I was saying was legitimate. I wasn't in your Region 3 but aerotowing isn't entirely unknown there and some of your constituents have been known to travel to Non 3 AT operations.

Again, my goals are in the future ... and not in the past.

- Wish I had the option of doing something a few days back into the past.
- Here's a thought... Use the past as a model and think about things you might have done better.

I dunno about this Dockweiler thing. I'm afraid it may have been a perfect storm phenomenon - unlikely to repeat itself at another time and place. Hang glider people are just about all total dregs, totally devoid of principles and a lot of site resources are privately owned or club controlled. And Dockweiler is about the only significant site in the country at which some bozo could buy a thirty year old glider at a garage sale and have a hard time getting hurt.

My main airtime source prior to Ridgely was Woodstock and that has LOTSA potential for really bad stuff to happen to people who aren't properly checked out so it's a solid Three or Two with supervision.

[Steve Davy]

Fort Funston would be a good site to liberate from USHPA's insurance monopoly. Are you up for that Steve?

http://www.flyfunston.org/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1738&p=4305
USHPA INSURANCE EMAIL 22OCT2015

Dan Brown - 2015/11/14 20:32:55 UTC

A number of years ago I contacted the Dept. of Interior attorney who was handling legal matters for the GGNRA about the insurance requirement. The GGNRA is part of Interior.

The attorney agreed that the insurance requirement was redundant because of the Recreational Use Immunity Statute. The Statute provides immunity for landowners allowing recreational users on their property. It does not apply to commercial users. The GGNRA rationale for the insurance is that it provides an extra layer of protection.

Card holding, USHPA rated, incompetent flier crashes into an innocent someone and that someone then files suit against USHPA. Other than some innocent bystander getting crashed into by a USHPA rated incompetent flier I don't have an issue with the above scenario, Bob.

[bobk]

I'm not sure what you're saying here. Can you expand on it?

By the way, in reviewing USHPA's handling of Tad's FAA complaint, I found myself reading through the following topic:

http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=463

It's an interesting read. It's particularly interesting to see how complimentary I was of Tad for so long ... even as our disagreements began surfacing. It's a good (long) read for anyone wanting to understand the history.

[Tad Eareckson]

It's particularly interesting to see how complimentary I was of Tad for so long ...

Yeah. Almost as complimentary as he's always been of Sam. EXTREMELY interesting. But then after a while Tad changed.

It's a good (long) read for anyone wanting to understand the history.

Or one could go to the original source material:

http://www.energykitesystems.net/Lift/hgh/TadEareckson/4144review.pdf

much of which are copies of incident reports from the magazine - back in the days when the membership was permitted to know stuff about how their buddies were getting killed.

Speaking of history...

http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=463
Davis Straub's "Oz Report" Conflict of Interest

Bob Kuczewski - 2011/02/11 16:13:44 UTC

I remember when I was Regional Director there was a big dust up about Tad back in May of 2009, and some of the Directors were calling for legal action to censor him. On May 11, 2009, I sent the following message to the Board. I believe in open dialog, so I started by pointing out that Tad had included his email address in his letter (so we could contact him). I then offered my support for Dennis who suggested that we try to talk with Tad before taking legal action. Here's my message to the Board:

Sent: Monday, May 11, 2009 12:40 AM
To: Pagen, Dennis; Tate, Lisa
Cc: USHPA Regional Directors
Subject: Re: aerotow SOP complaint

Hello Dennis (cc Gregg and other Regional Directors),

First, I think Mr. Eareckson's email address was in Gregg's original letter included below if anyone needs it (TadErcksn@...).

Second, I cast my vote for having Dennis write a letter to Mr. Eareckson as he suggested. Mr. Eareckson is obviously intelligent and passionate, and we can certainly use those qualities if we can harness them in a positive direction. If Dennis can do this, then that's the win-win solution. Another invitation to attend (or even present) at the next Towing Committee meeting might also be a good idea. I vote for inclusivity over litigation.

Third, I'm not an expert in towing, but I consulted someone who knows the topic pretty well. His comment was that while it might be good for USHPA to make recommendations in this area, there is still plenty of room for innovation. For that reason, he doesn't think USHPA should mandate any kind of obligatory system that would stifle that innovation - whether Mr. Eareckson's or any other. I have very little background in towing, so I'm just passing this perspective on for your general consideration.

Thanks,
Bob Kuczewski

Of course, there was a lot more to this exchange than I've posted. For example, Brad Hall didn't miss an opportunity to snipe at me as he often did in front of the Board. I've got all the email messages from that exchange and I may post them when I find the time. It's interesting (and enlightening) to look back at the past ... with the knowledge of what's happened since then.

Bob Kuczewski - 2011/02/12 06:56:36 UTC

Without naming names (I'm curious to see if they'll own up to it first), on May 10, 2009, one Director wrote:

We need to consider getting an injunction against this guy communicating with the FAA on this subject.

That same day, another Director responded:

I forwarded the letter to Tim Herr yesterday asking about this.

For those who don't know, Tim Herr is ... USHPA's lawyer!!

A third Director (who I'll call "Mr. X") chimed in that same day with this:

Perhaps a strongly worded letter from Tim will do the trick. We can't force Tad to work within the USHPA framework but we can make it unpleasant and expensive for him if he chooses to makes derogatory and false statements about USHPA to the FAA he can't back up.

If I understand the previous comments, his sending USHPA a draft letter is an indication of willingness to engage in some dialogue before going to the FAA.

Good luck with this guy!

That's an example of USHPA's typical tactics: Call up the lawyer, then Attack, Attack, Attack...

Think any of these guys need any more time to come forward?

[bobk]

You know Tad ... I was having that same thought.
Let me fire up my "way back" machine and see what I can find. But be prepared that you may not like some of the answers.