2015/03/27 Jean Lake crash

[Tad Eareckson]

u$hPa - 2015/10/22

Fellow Pilots, Chapters, Instructors, and Schools,

Fuck all of them.

Insurance is a critical element in support of free flight in North America...

How 'bout competent airmanship? Just kidding.

...and a significant benefit that members expect from USHPA.

Pretty fuckin' obvious that they totally gave up on competent training and safe practices standards at least a decade ago.

To support our mission of ensuring the future of free flight, insurance is a top priority.

Along with your mission of:

Safety. USHPA will steadily foster a culture of safety.

whatever the fuck that's supposed to mean.

Without it, site landowners would no longer be protected, members would no longer have protection from third party claims and therefore would face increased financial burden in the event of an accident...

Of a what?

...and all pilots would lose access to a significant number of our flying sites, including hallmark sites like Fort Funston, Yosemite and the Point of the Mountain.

And the hang gliding contingent has already lost access to Torrey - for all practical purposes.

We are in a difficult situation:

Painted yourself into the mother of all corners? Bummer. I feel your pain.

...we are being forced to evaluate new insurance options in order to protect the future of free flight...

Oh. When did you decide to start PROTECTING it?

...and this will impact our entire membership.

Fuck you and your entire membershit - and the horses y'all rode in on.

We're writing this letter to share with you - our members - information about upcoming changes and how they are likely to affect you.

Ever consider doing something like that with respect to fatality reports? Just kidding.

We want you to understand what's happening...

Did you need to change the bylaws for this reversal of course?

...and the actions we are taking to navigate this complex situation.

Just take a look at your compass heading and add or subtract 180 to get a result equal to or less than 360.

Background

Decades of unbridled sleaziness and corruption.

USHPA has experienced increased insurance premiums in recent years (200% in the last 5 years).

Ponzi scheme collapse.

Even more disturbing, in the last few months hang gliding and paragliding schools have been notified by the underwriters that they will not be able to renew their individual school policies.

What?

http://www.willswing.com/disclaimer-boilerplate/#more-3655
Disclaimer - Wills Wing

Disclaimer

Wills Wing authorized dealers are independent business entities, are not employees or agents of Wills Wing, do not directly represent Wills Wing, and are not authorized to enter into contracts, agreements, or commitments on behalf of Wills Wing. Although Wills Wing safety policies require that certain items be purchased from an authorized Wills Wing dealer, those policies do not require that an order be placed with any specific Wills Wing dealer, and any such order that is placed with a Wills Wing dealer is considered by Wills Wing to be an agreement entirely between the dealer and the customer. Although Wills Wing policies state certain expectations of authorized dealers, Wills Wing does not evaluate dealers with respect to either their ability to meet or the degree to which they customarily meet such expectations. Customers are encouraged to conduct all appropriate due diligence in evaluating any authorized Wills Wing dealer with whom they plan to do business.

The underwriters read the disclaimer and reacted accordingly? Go figure.

For many reasons we anticipate that at our upcoming renewal (March 2016) we will be facing, at best, major premium increases, and, at worst, an inability to renew our policy. We were first made aware of this possibility two months ago, and have devoted an enormous amount of time and resources into confirming the likelihood of this event and exploring possible solutions.

What effect did that have on the quality of your cover-up and disinformation campaigns?

Here are some principles that have guided our research:
First, USHPA must continue to have insurance that covers its pilots, chapters and flying sites for recreational flying...

Fuck recreational flying. What does that hafta do with the tandem thrill ride industry?

...and must identify a sustainable insurance solution that will protect free flight for years to come.

Or months. Whatever you can manage.

Second, we must identify a solution that imposes the least financial burden on members possible.

Lighter fishing line? Cheaper AND safer. Win/Win.

Identified Solution
We've explored every option we can imagine...

Which, obviously, would exclude items like competence and decency.

...researched other action sports communities...

Oh. Hang gliding's an "action sport". And all this time I've been thinking of it as a flavor of aviation. Thanks for clarifying that for me. Everything's starting to make sense now.

...explored other insurance carriers, and run analysis on our claims history and all of the complex analytics available to us.

Guess you had Dense Pages, Dr. Trisa Tilletti, Davis Dead-On Straub, Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney at the core of that effort.

We've enlisted feedback and expertise from all across the industry.

Ever think of doing something like that to bring hang gliding in line with conventional aviation? Just kidding.

We know that losing insurance, and thus most of our flying sites, is unacceptable to our members.

Really? They've never had much of a problem with the crippling and killing rates.

These are challenging, complex circumstances that require making bold and creative steps to protect our sport.

Well no problem then. You've got some of the boldest and most creative individuals I've ever known on your Board. Boldness and creativity were exactly the qualities that got them elected.

In response, we've started the process of forming a self-insurance entity called a Risk Retention Group.

No problem then. u$hPa's gotta be the world's leading institution for retaining risk. Makes the tobacco industry look like totally incompetent amateurs. Over thirty four years and not one single instructor teaching hook-in checks. Talk about discipline.

What is a Risk Retention Group?
A risk retention group (RRG) is an alternative risk transfer entity created by the federal Liability Risk Retention Act (LRRA). An RRG must be established as a liability insurance company under the laws of at least one state - its charter state or domicile. The policyholders of the RRG are also its owners. In our case, the owners of the RRG will be USHPA (who will purchase insurance from the RRG similar to its current insurance) and various hang gliding and paragliding schools (who will purchase commercial school insurance from the RRG). More info: Wikipedia page on Risk Retention Groups

Ooh. Pretty complicated. Can you get Tim Herr to explain this to us?

How Will We Fund the RRG?

Bigger tandem thrill ride industry kickback?

One unavoidable fact is that significant capital will be required in the short term to establish the RRG before our March 1st insurance policy renewal date. The vast majority of USHPA's assets will be pledged to the RRG to fund the initial investment.

Just take it out of the Instructor Certification Program budget. No one will notice the difference.

The Foundation for Free Flight (FFF) will make a major contribution; insured schools will also invest. We will solicit donations and investment capital from members who are able and willing to help.

Tad? Bob?

Within the next month or two, we need to raise a total of $2 million to fund the RRG. We believe that between USHPA, the FFF, the schools...

...FOCUSED PILOT wristband sales...

...and member donors we can achieve this goal.

Creating the RRG will result in increased expenses for USHPA, and will force us to increase dues in order to continue obtaining the insurance that members and free flight rely on.

Free flight my ass.

We do believe this option imposes the least financial burden on our members. Here are the proposed dues that would be effective starting January 1, 2016:
Pilot membership: $150
Rogallo membership: $350
30-day membership: $8

Add a couple zeros to the end of that last figure. That would solve a lot of hang gliding's problems.

Even with these proposed increases, dues would still be comparable to or less than other international free flight organizations.

Until the ripple effect starts kicking in within another half hour or so.

Refer to chart below.

The initial capitalization is the first challenging aspect to obtaining insurance through an RRG. From the beginning, the RRG must be self-sufficient; the insurance regulators will require it to be profitable. The profits of the RRG ultimately return to its owners: USHPA and the flight schools that purchase the insurance. It is our hope that as loss ratios improve, premiums will decline and we'll be able to hold the line or reduce dues over time.

Assuming you have anybody left to fly.

If we are able to reduce dues while still ensuring the future of free flight, it is our commitment to do so. We will be revisiting this possibility annually.

Risk Management and You
If we continue to have accidents that injure third parties, damage their property, and generate claims, we'll exhaust the reserves and be forced to shut down both the RRG and USHPA.

We hope it never comes to that - and with your help it won't.

I'll be doing everything within my capacity.

Risk management is every member's responsibility.

Even though I'm not a member. I really feel strongly about this.

Each of us can have an impact through our individual actions...

Yeah...

1-1916
http://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5788/23461251751_e98b9c7500_o.png


We've been getting a lot of those this year.

...and also through our influence on others.

C'mon guys. Get back out there on the training hill this weekend and get that flare timing perfected. And between hops work on re-read the excellent article by Mike Meier, "Why Can't We Get a Handle On This Safety Thing?"

We need to change our culture and celebrate incident-free flight.

Aw fuck. We gotta steadily foster a culture of safety AND celebrate incident-free flight? How are we gonna find the time to do hang checks and inspect our backup loops?

We need systems for identifying risk and modifying behaviors and practices to reduce the risks we all face when we fly.

Just read the past two decades of magazine archives and note all the issues about which there aren't any articles.

We need to tighten standards for site management plans, take a harder look at instructional practices...

Harder than WHAT? How closely were you looking at Kelly Harrison's "instructional" practices and what were you finding wrong with them BEFORE the impact? And how 'bout Aerotow Industry Standards and Practices?

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9Ek9_lFeSII/UZ4KuB0MUSI/AAAAAAAAGyU/eWfhGo4QeqY/s1024/GOPR5278.JPG

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xh_NfnOcUns/UZ4Lm0HvXnI/AAAAAAAAGyk/0PlgrHfc__M/s1024/GOPR5279.JPG

Everything OK there?

...and enforce a zero-tolerance policy for violations of the rules...

'Specially having a helmet on at all times when clipped into a glider. Let's have a few permanent rating revocations to show people we mean business.

...particularly with respect to tandem instructional flights.

- Tandem WHAT flights?

- Yeah...

The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, Inc. - 2014/03/14
Standard Operating Procedure
12. Rating System
02. Pilot Proficiency System
11. Hang Gliding Special Skill Endorsements
-A. Special Skills attainable by Novice
-D. Aerotow

05. The candidate must also demonstrate the ability to properly react to a weak link/tow rope break simulation with a tandem rated pilot, initiated by the tandem pilot at altitude, but at a lower than normal release altitude. Such demonstrations should be made in smooth air.

Let's set a floor of three thousand feet and limit the flight times to two hours after sunrise and before sunset for simulations of weak link induced increases in the safety of the towing operation to make really sure no one is seriously inconvenienced.

If we are able to improve our overall level of risk management and reduce accidents (and claims), the RRG could become financially strong enough to provide benefits back to the members.

Oh.

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25321
Stop the Stupids at the USHPA BOD meeting

Mark G. Forbes - 2011/09/29 02:26:23 UTC

We can establish rules which we think will improve pilot safety, but our attorney is right. USHPA is not in the business of keeping pilots "safe" and it can't be. Stepping into that morass is a recipe for extinction of our association.

So your sleazebag attorney was wrong. NOT being in the business of keeping pilots "safe" is a recipe for the extinction of your bullshit association.

Next Steps

Shoot your fuckin' sleazebag attorney for leading your bullshit association to the brink of extinction and to send out an unmistakable message to his enablers.

Nobody WANTS to increase dues;

Haven't asked me.

...in fact, USHPA has fought year after year to keep our dues...

...and safety standards...

...among the lowest in the world.

By treating the sport as a Ponzi scheme - that's now collapsing.

However, the board sees no other option to keep our association and our sport viable.

It's not YOUR sport, motherfucker. You're just parasites on it.

The board will meet by conference call on Monday, November 2, 2015 to vote on the 2016 budget and to set the dues rates effective January 1, 2016.

Maybe expel another member or two while you're at it. Alan Deikman maybe. He endorsed Tad Eareckson's hook-in check article. I don't know how you can possibly not see that as acting in a manner contrary to the interests of the Corporation.

This letter is intended to give you some advance warning of what's coming, and let you know why it's happening.

Everybody and his fuckin' dog knows why it's happening - and why it SHOULD BE.

Normally the budget is approved at the October Board of Directors meeting, but has been delayed to provide time to gather feedback.

Feedback? Suck my dick, Mark.

However, it can not be delayed any further due to requirements related to forming the RRG.

If you have comments for the board's consideration before they vote on the proposed budget and potential allocation of assets to form the RRG...

Suck my dick, Board.

...please send them to me at insurance@ushpa.aero and I will share them with the directors in advance of Monday's call. Alternatively, you can contact your Regional Director directly via the Board of Directors list (in the Members Only area).

Suck my dick, Larry Dennis and Felipe Amunategui.

Mark G. Forbes
USHPA Finance/Insurance/Risk Management Committee Chairman and Treasurer

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.

The FAA gets a lot of letters of complaint from a lot of yahoos. For best effect, I suggest that you describe in your letter (and also post to the skysailingtowing group and share with the USHPA Tow Committee) your areas of expertise (if any) related to this issue, and list your qualifiications, logged hours, and currency in certain categories, such as:

1. hang glider pilot rating and logged hours
2. hang glider aerotow rating, logged hours, and logged number of tows
3. hang glider tug pilot rating, logged hours towing, and logged number of tows
4. hang glider aerotow administrator appointment date
5. hang glider aerotow supervisor appointment date
6. hang glider tanderm instructor rating, logged hours of aerotow tandem instruction, and logged number of instructional flights
7. airplane pilot license ratings and logged number of hours
8. airplane tow pilot endorsement date, logged number of hours towing with airplane, logged number of tows
9. sailplane tow pilot license ratings, logged number of hours, logged number of tows.
10. sailplane instructor license date, logged number of hours of instruction, logged number of instructional tows
11. any other flying or engineering-related credentials that you may have as evidence of your competence to make these claims.

(BTW, if you have an AT hang glider rating or above the you would/should have received the USHPA Aerotow Guidelines as part of your instruction from the person who taught you to aerotow and/or gave you your AT rating, and you should currently have access to them via the packet that is accessible to you on the USHPA web site, if your AT or higher AT-related ratings and appointments are current.)

It would also be good for the FAA and USHPA to know what kind of ultalight or sport plane tug and airplane you use for towing hang gliders and sailplanes with at your operation (if any), along with a general description of your towing operation or who you provide towing and instructional services for (if any).

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.

This information would also be very helpful in convicing the USHPA and others to take your complaint seriously. Most of the individuals who serve on the USHPA Towing Committe have most of the credentials listed above, so it will be great for you to let them know about your similar credentials and depth of experience, too. If you do not have those credentials, it will be a simple matter for the USHPA Tow Committee to respond to the FAA to discount your complaint, so it will be very important for you to present this information in your letter to the FAA and to others now.

The best way to make change is to get involved, and join the Tow Committee at its meetings. That's what people who really care do to make change. Such is the nature of the great opportunities we have to make a difference in the US (although it means having to spend time, money, and effort, compared to the ease of just sitting in front of a computer.)

Good luck with your endeavor, and regards,

Dr. Tracy Tillman
USHPA Director, Region 7
FAA Detroit FSDO FAAST Aviation Safety Counselor

Sky's falling - sleazy semiliterate motherfucker. And I've lived long enough to watch it go. And I never thought I would.

Dr. Trisa Tilletti - 2012/06

Unlike the FAA's relatively clear-cut legal rules, the practical aspects of weak link technology and application are not so clear-cut. For some people, talking about weak links is more like talking about religion, politics, or global warming--they can get very emotional about it and have difficulty discussing it logically, rationally, or with civility.

As the most powerful hurricane in the recorded history of the Western Hemisphere prepares to slam into Mexico - asshole.

[Tad Eareckson]

Mark G. Forbes - 2015/10/22

Risk Management and You
If we continue to have accidents that injure third parties, damage their property, and generate claims, we'll exhaust the reserves and be forced to shut down both the RRG and USHPA. We hope it never comes to that - and with your help it won't. Risk management is every member's responsibility.

Each of us can have an impact through our individual actions, and also through our influence on others. We need to change our culture and celebrate incident-free flight. We need systems for identifying risk and modifying behaviors and practices to reduce the risks we all face when we fly. We need to tighten standards for site management plans, take a harder look at instructional practices, and enforce a zero-tolerance policy for violations of the rules, particularly with respect to tandem instructional flights. If we are able to improve our overall level of risk management and reduce accidents (and claims), the RRG could become financially strong enough to provide benefits back to the members.

Hey Mark...

I'm the world's foremost expert on fighting (against you assholes) for doing exactly what you now claim you want and need to be doing to ensure u$hPa's survival. And I can give you a thousand solid reasons why there's no way in hell you're gonna be able to do more than delay the inevitable by a week or two.

This sport stank on ice when I got into it in 1980 and you slimeballs have been accelerating its trajectory to the south ever since. u$hPa/US hang gliding is controlled by a confederation of mafia crime syndicates that OWN local governments, law enforcement, the FAA, the press... And NOTHING is gonna change that or the way they do business.

Not one of these motherfuckers is ever gonna admit he's been doing anything wrong or could've been doing something better for the past twenty years. Quest and Lookout aren't gonna put out advisories admitting that they've been flooding the market with total shit aerotowing equipment for decades and will exchange it for stuff that works at no cost to the owner - and apologize to the families of all the people they've killed.

You've said it yourself:

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=27736
Increase in our USHpA dues

Mark G. Forbes - 2012/12/20 06:21:33 UTC

We're re-working the accident reporting system, but again it's a matter of getting the reports submitted and having a volunteer willing to do the detail work necessary to get them posted. There are also numerous legal issues associated with accident reports, which we're still wrestling with. It's a trade-off between informing our members so they can avoid those kinds of accidents in the future, and exposing ourselves to even more lawsuits by giving plaintiff's attorneys more ammunition to shoot at us.

Imagine a report that concludes, "If we'd had a procedure "x" in place, then it would have probably prevented this accident. And we're going to put that procedure in place at the next BOD meeting." Good info, and what we want to be able to convey. But what comes out at trial is, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, my client suffered injury because USHPA knew or should have known that a safety procedure was not in place, and was therefore negligent and at fault." We're constantly walking this line between full disclosure and handing out nooses at the hangmen's convention.

If you:

- try to implement any of the reforms you could and should've implemented decades ago you're gonna get immediately and very justifiably sued out of existence

- continue to maintain your long track record you're gonna go extinct anyway - just may take a little longer

Either way, you're fucked. Reminds me of a low level lockout with an Industry Standard release. Make the easy reach you're gonna be dead in a heartbeat. Continue to fly the glider and you'll live a couple seconds longer but you're gonna end up just as dead

And there's no way to turn the clock back to have done things right in the first place.

[Tad Eareckson]

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

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.

Wanna see what I can do in the way of making things unpleasant and expensive for YOU, motherfuckers? I can wait until you get a few million bucks in your Risk Retention Group fund, help Arys' family and their attorney understand the derogatory true statements about u$hPa I can back up in my sleep, and wipe you off the face of the fuckin' continent. And don't think for a nanosecond that I don't hate your fuckin' guts enough to make that happen.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=33546
USHPA raises rates 50%!!!

NMERider - 2015/10/23 03:31:09 UTC

If we each individually make the following happen then the dues can be decreased once the RRG is funded.

Each of us can have an impact through our individual actions, and also through our influence on others.
We need to change our culture and celebrate incident-free flight.
We need systems for identifying risk and modifying behaviors and practices to reduce the risks we all face when we fly.
We need to tighten standards for site management plans, take a harder look at instructional practices, and enforce a zero-tolerance policy for violations of the rules, particularly with respect to tandem instructional flights.

Here's a zero-tolerance policy we had "in place and had been worked on over quite literally HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of tows":

http://ozreport.com/12.081
Weaklinks - the HGFA rules

Davis Straub - 2008/04/22 14:47:00 UTC

Pilots must use weaklinks provided by the meet organizers and in a manner approved by the meet organizers. All weaklinks will be checked and use of inappropriate weaklinks will require the pilot to go to the end of the launch line to change the weaklink.
Weaklinks will consist of a single loop of Cortland 130 lb Greenspot braided Dacron Tolling line and should be placed at one end of a shoulder bridle. The tow forces on the weaklink will be roughly divided in half by this placement. Pilots will be shown how to tie the weaklink so that it more likely breaks at its rating breaking strength.

How'd that work out for us?

Davis Straub - 2015/10/23 03:42:19 UTC

Refers to the tandem deaths in Las Vegas?

- Ya think?
- Only one of those deaths mattered - and it wasn't the skydiving instructor's.

Marcos70 - 2015/10/23 03:51:58 UTC

We need to change our culture and celebrate incident-free flight.
We need systems for identifying risk and modifying behaviors and practices.

Really? Do we not? There is a tremendous culture of accountability and safety.

Yeah, right. That's why Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney went to jail after launching unhooked and crashing his tandem thrill rider into the powerlines.

I think he is on to something with the Tandem stuff.

They don't call him Davis Dead-On Straub fer nuthin'.

I cannot fathom why or how we can justify indemnifing Commercial tandem operators.

We lost the choice. We let them and their tug drivers take over the sport.

They create enormous risks that we shoulder and most are just bucket listers that won't ever produce USHPA members that have to pay these nausea inducing dues for tandem operators. Why not make the mini-membership commiserate with the legal risks that they bring?

Yeah. The motherfuckers sure have made the sport pretty commiserable for us recreational pilots.

NMERider - 2015/10/23 04:37:16 UTC

Sounds like you're ready to run for RD or at least submit your analysis to your RDs for the dues increase vote coming up in November, and again for the next board meeting.

Obviously our sport's risk score was hurt following the Jean Dry Lake tragedy.

- Child murder.
- Despite the fine efforts of u$hPa's cover-up and spin machinery.

Prior to that we were hurt when the helpful spectator was seriously injured at Chelan Butte by the hang glider whirling in a dust devil...

Who says he was a spectator? All we know for sure is that he was some guy trying to help hold the glider down. And nobody's so much as whispered that he did anything incompetently in his effort.

...when it was not tied down (in violation of site rules).

Can you quote me those site rules?

http://www.westcoastsoaringclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5959
Chelan Butte Dust Devil Blender....

Holger Selover-Stephan - 2010/07/08 16:35
Portland, Oregon

There are tie-downs at Chelan Butte and this glider was tied down until the pilot removed them to move his glider to the launch.

I'd like to hear how a glider's supposed to get to launch position and airborne if there are site rules mandating that it be tied down at all times.

The HG pilot who knocked out the power in Lake Elsinore on Thanksgiving years ago didn't help our cause any.

Wonder if the power got knocked out at Coronet Peak.

What about the pilots who post videos of nearly hitting bystanders during their look-at-me-I'm-so-fucking-bad-ass videos posted to DoucheToob?

Got any links?

I could tell you story after story about just how badly our sport's safety culture has failed over the past seven years since I returned.

The sport's a dickhead magnet and its safety culture has been nonexistent since the beginning of time.

There is a tremendous culture of accountability and safety.

Really? I'd love to know where and how this is working so well. Please tell me more.

Lockout Mountain Flight Park...

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=20756
How is Zach Etheridge doing?

Bob Flynn - 2011/02/04 11:26:34 UTC

Lookout keeps this kind of stuff under their hat. You never hear of accidents there. But every time I go there, I hear about quite a few. Blown launches, tree landings, etc.

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=4171
Have you ever blown a launch?

David W. Johnson - 2007/11/05 00:57:23 UTC
Huntsville, Alabama

Just so you will know, blowing a launch is probably not the worst feeling in the world.

My fourteen year old daughter's first mountain launch went wrong. I got to watch her fall forty feet into the trees.

Everything turned out alright. She bruised her knee and even the glider wasn't badly hurt, but I have never posted the video on the net out of concern for the sport.

What happens in Rising Fawn stays in Rising Fawn.

Even without the Kelly Harrison episode...

Fuck Kelly. It was the Arys Moorhead fatality.

...I think we'd still be facing a dues increase for being a bad risk pool. I cannot imagine that tandem fatality in Canada did not adversely affect our position.

Only the first part of the flight could be considered at tandem. And even that's a bit iffy since there was never more than one person hooked into the glider. And in the US Lenami thus wouldn't have been required to be wearing a helmet. So let's toss that one out from the tandem incident pool.

I also cannot imagine the rash of fatal and serious accidents has gone unnoticed either.

Despite the best efforts of u$hPa and Tim Herr.

Even if your chapter excels at safety and accountability that is not what I see across the board.

If there were actually a chapter that excelled at safety and accountability it would be at war with the rest of hang gliding culture. Clubs do not exist in vacuums and one hundred percent of them have a percentage of members trained and rated from points far far away.

Davis Straub - 2015/10/23 04:40:28 UTC

Killing ourselves should not affect our liability insurance.

Keep it up anyway, Davis. I really appreciate the entertainment.

NMERider - 2015/10/23 05:04:23 UTC

I'm not an insurance actuary or whatever the insurance industry calls a risk analyst. But it sure shows me that our sport's culture of safe practice and risk management is seriously lacking. If we have such low regard for our personal safety then what does that say about our collective regard for the safety of other persons and property?

Nothing. People aren't trashing themselves and causing innocent bystander carnage out of low regard for the relevant issues. They're doing it as a consequence of incompetence and/or stupidity.

Marcos70 - 2015/10/23 05:19:31 UTC

There is indeed great interest in risk management and safety in the sport.

And how to kill it in order to keep the assholes who control this sport from appearing to be the assholes they are.

You and others are always bringing up safety issues or all sorts and doing so is welcomed and encouraged on this site.

Oh really?

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=14312
Tow Park accidents

Jack Axaopoulos - 2009/11/12 14:49:58 UTC

One of the stated goals of this site is to promote HG. MOST views on this site are NOT from members but from visitors, they have no ignore button.

Having Tad run around every day giving the impression that there is a massive weekly slaughter of pilots at tow parks due to their horribly dangerous devices surely doesnt promote HG. Especially when the safety records are quite excellent.

Like Jim said, theyve gone a decade with no fatalities at their tow park. Pretty damn good I say.

Yet listening to Tad, you would think guys were dying all over the place
He's been nothing but misleading and negative and ignored multiple warnings from me. So He's GONE

And here I was thinking that always bringing up safety issues of all sorts was contrary to the primary mission of The Jack Show which is to sucker in as many young wuffos as possible and show them how safe hang gliding is and what a great job we're doing keeping everybody safe and sound. And that always bringing up safety issues of all sorts was decidedly UNwelcome, DIScouraged, and grounds for lifetime expulsion.

It could of course get better, but I don't think that is realistic.

Nah, total fuckin' fantasy. If, for example, we had more people doing sidewire stomp tests on the ground we'd have more sidewires blowing on the ground and fewer flights getting successfully airborne. Or if we had more fags using wire crew in dangerous launches we'd have more fags engaged in the sport.

There area variables the atmosphere as well as human fallibility that can be managed only to a point.

And what better illustration of your point than that "sentence".

What do we do...punish and shame pilots that don't land perfectly, or break a downtube to make them safer?

Yes. And we write off fatalities like Joe Julik and Jesse Fulkersin who died because they were upright and thus too slow or possibly prone and too slow on final as inevitabilities resulting from invisible dust devils and insanely dangerous LZs.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=33546
USHPA raises rates 50%!!!

NMERider - 2015/10/23 05:44:49 UTC

Yes, there is and it's alive and well and helping our future.

Oh. Hang gliding's got a future.

But right now we are paying for the past and it's going to take years to overcome our past.

How long's it gonna take Arys Moorhead and his family to overcome our past?

We as a sport are now on probation whether USHPA...

Meaning Tim Herr - the asshole who put hang gliding in the crisis situation we see now.

...wants to come right out and say that or not. We have been tried by the court of insurance industry and our case presented to risk assessment or underwriting jury and have been found to be a bad risk.

Perfect match for the character.

As such the economic models of the industry dictate that our premiums be high enough to prevent a loss suffered by the insurer. I just spent the last half hour searching for material on insurance assessment theory and practice. It's been studied since ancient Greece and there is a wealth <pun intended> of industry knowledge and actuarial models in place to help keep the insurance companies profitable. In order for us to be considered a good investment we need a good track record going forward.

Order up another couple spools of 130 pound Greenspot.

Even assuming for the sake of argument that there is zero correlation between self-injury and other injury/property damage I would be loathe to deny that the industry does not tie the two together intimately.

People who slam in tend not to slam in on or near the old Frisbees in the middles of LZs.

So I agree that there are a lot of pilots and instructors who are busting their butts to make this sport safe for everyone.

Nail that flare timing. Once you've perfected your landing skills there's no fuckin' way you'll present the least threat to anyone else - anyone else who doesn't run up and hurl himself into the twenty-five foot radius target circle at the wrong moment anyway. A person of a varying age making a grab for the old Frisbee fer instance.

Not just the participants but for anyone exposed. It only takes a small handful of participants to deviate from this norm in order to tar the rest of the sport with the same brush.

Perish the thought that the sport should be tarred.

Everyone needs to be on board with this.

Too bad Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney and Ryan Instant-Hands-Free-Release Voight ain't on The Jack Show no more. Both such stellar unifying figures.

'Accident-Free Are We' needs to be everyone's motto.

We've got it. Nine US fatalities so far this year and nothing remotely resembling an accident as a contributing issue.

We need to be accident-free as a group.

You're doing pretty good. Let's start working on the stupidity now.

The grass-roots culture shift that is taking place needs to be far-reaching.

The grass-roots culture shift that is taking place IS far-reaching. More and more people are re-reading the excellent article by Mike Meier, "Why Can't We Get a Handle On This Safety Thing?"

I see no reason that can't happen and become what's considered normal.

And what will be considered normal will be a huge improvement on what used to be considered...

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=32681
Tandem crash in LV (speculation thread)

Mark G. Forbes - 2015/03/30 23:29:59 UTC

News reports are of little use since they're written by people who have no idea how our sport works or what is typical.

...typical.

You, as well as many others are on the right track.

I can hardly wait to see the results.

[Tad Eareckson]

Hey u$hPa...

Several times during the flight, the tandem instructor was observed making radio communications to the tow vehicle operator through a hand held radio (mounted on his right shoulder strap) that had been radio checked just prior to the flight.

Yeah. And, as we've illustrated and discussed before:
http://www.kitestrings.org/post7968.html#p7968
here we observe the tandem instructor making radio communications to the tow vehicle operator through a hand held radio (mounted on his right shoulder strap) that had undoubtedly been radio checked just prior to the flight - as all good tandem instructors always do...

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from a video the tandem instructor posted on Facebook the day before the tandem instructor's last tandem instructional flight.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7597/16975005972_c450d2cdda_o.png


http://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5788/23461251751_e98b9c7500_o.png
1-1916

But if we look at this excellent u$hPa video on pre flight safety for hang gliding:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW8qZESnFvQ


posted four years, one month, and four days prior to the tandem instructor's last tandem instructional flight...

Pre Flight Safety for Hang Gliding - Revision

USHangGlidingParagli / Paul Voight - 2011/02/23

Check that your helmet is secured...

05-065603-05

...your radio is working...

10-082203-06

09-082108-07

08-082011-08

KE6VUM --- radio check.

06-065902-09

...and then hook into your glider.

you seem to be placing some emphasis on having a radio headset wired into one's helmet with a cable running from the helmet to a PTT switch secured to one of one's fingers.

I'm thinking that this would allow the solo pilot to send and receive radio communications a lot more easily, effortlessly, efficiently, quickly, reliably, safely than making radio communications through a hand held radio (mounted on one's right shoulder strap) that's been radio checked just prior to the flight and NOT wired into anything. Am I not correct in this thinking? If the tandem instructor had been equipped as the solo pilot is, might not have the tow vehicle operator been able to have an indication of the "lockout"...

The first indication of the lockout to the tow vehicle operator was seeing the glider impact the ground.

...a bit BEFORE he saw the glider impact the ground? Possibly even well before the BEGINNING of the "lockout"?

I realize that this would almost certainly make it much more difficult to observe the tandem instructor several times during the flight making radio communications to the tow vehicle operator through a hand held radio (mounted on his right shoulder strap) that had been radio checked just prior to the flight on a crash video - but would that really be that much of a problem?

This accident demonstrates a "perfect storm" of multiple factors where the elimination of any one or two of them might have prevented the fatal result. Although tandem hang gliding fatalities are exceptionally rare, the rarity of such events should not give you any comfort. Instead, you should review your own tandem and towing operational practices to see where you can take steps to decrease the inherent risks.

You are encouraged to re-read the excellent article by Mike Meier, "Why Can't We Get a Handle On This Safety Thing?" (http://www.willswing.com/why-cant-we-get-a-handle-on-this-safety-thing/). Although published in 1998, the risk mitigation analyses and approaches in the article are timeless and still applicable. Additionally, the technical information in "Towing Aloft" by Dennis Pagen and Bill Bryden is an excellent and complete reference on towing equipment and procedures.

The USHPA Safety & Training, Towing and Tandem Committees are working together on an operations advisory bulletin regarding tandem and towing operations to assist you in reducing your risk. Recommendations for reduction of risk in tandem/towing operations will likely include:

- Recommendation that payout winch tow operations utilize knowledgeable and trained spotters capable of observing the entire flight and releasing tow tension by both dropping system drag and severing the tow line;

- Recommendation that before each flight, the Tandem Instructor perform a demonstration of the activation of the primary and secondary release systems immediately prior to every flight both as a teaching moment for the student pilot and test of the release system;

- Recommendation that wheels not be mounted outside the control frame;

- Reminder of the low cost and easy reduction of risk through an early termination of a tow as compared to the potential high cost and inherent risk of continuing a "non-perfect" tow;

- Reminder of your ability to reduce the inherent risk by being ready, proficient and able to get through all of the sequential emergency lockout procedures - "release, cut, throw parachute" -within the time/altitude available.

I'm not seeing anything about the radio configuration. Is that because you just ran out of room with all those other excellent recommendations? Or because:

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=27736
Increase in our USHpA dues

Mark G. Forbes - 2012/12/20 06:21:33 UTC

We're re-working the accident reporting system, but again it's a matter of getting the reports submitted and having a volunteer willing to do the detail work necessary to get them posted. There are also numerous legal issues associated with accident reports, which we're still wrestling with. It's a trade-off between informing our members so they can avoid those kinds of accidents in the future, and exposing ourselves to even more lawsuits by giving plaintiff's attorneys more ammunition to shoot at us.

Imagine a report that concludes, "If we'd had a procedure "x" in place, then it would have probably prevented this accident. And we're going to put that procedure in place at the next BOD meeting." Good info, and what we want to be able to convey. But what comes out at trial is, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, my client suffered injury because USHPA knew or should have known that a safety procedure was not in place, and was therefore negligent and at fault." We're constantly walking this line between full disclosure and handing out nooses at the hangmen's convention.

In response to this incident, your thoughts and ideas are actively solicited as we use the lessons learned to develop the operations advisory bulletin to help our other pilots and students avoid similar fates.

Ooh! Ooh! I've got one! Don't just make radio communications to the tow vehicle operator through a hand held radio (mounted on the tandem instructor's right shoulder strap) that has been radio checked just prior to the flight. Make radio communications to the tow vehicle operator through a hand held radio (mounted on the tandem instructor's right shoulder strap) that has been wired to a helmet headset and finger mounted PTT switch and radio checked just prior to the flight.

If you use that suggestion can I get a free tandem instructional flight as a prize? Or are Paul Voight and KE6VUM gonna get all the credit?

N3PGE out.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=45440
The Future of Free Flight in the U.S. is at Risk!

Janica Lee - 2015/12/11 17:55:43 UTC

True instructional tandems have their value.
Whether + how "discovery" commercial tandems can have their place in the shared liability pool of the RRG bears closer inspection.
Case in point - Jean Lake.
The independently operating tandem pilot only had USHPA instructor insurance (which does not cover 3rd-party liability).
He did not pay for 3rd-party liability coverage thru the expensive commercial school insurance.
The boy's family brought suit against USHPA - probably as a 3rd party injured by the loss of their son.
Word on the street is Jean Lake was the tipping point. I do not know if that is true. USHPA can neither deny nor confirm since the case is ongoing.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=2190
Suicide of the USHPA

Rick Masters - 2015/12/03 08:51:05 UTC

It was dishonest to say the membership hike and donations went toward a one-time payment because if you fail to maintain the minimum pile of cash for the fund, it gets decertified.

Like a glider:
- in foot launch and landing configuration
- used as a trainer by Joe Greblo
- being pro toad
- in a lockout while the passenger makes the easy reach to his release

There's some stories of RRGs that failed because of substantial payouts.

So think ahead. Any big lawsuits on the horizon that haven't been settled yet? For instance, any little children killed while joyriding with USHPA-certified instructors as the USHPA BOD looked the other way? Any chance of a sympathetic jury? No, I mean for USHPA. No? Uh, oh. Any award has to be added to the RRG minimum. Where does that money have to come from? And how does the lawyer get paid? What has he charged so far? Oh, my... Good thing they had towing insurance. Isn't it? It doesn't? Oh, my... I hope they don't drag the Foundation for Free Flight down with them. They gave how much? Oh, my...

Rick Masters - 2015/12/04 02:35:30 UTC

A man and a wing.
No formal competitions.
We will have to give up some things to survive.

Like chicks and people of varying ages - 'cause Rick has defined hang gliding as a MAN and a wing.

And Bob doesn't protest. Which makes one wonder a wee bit about Emperor Bob's justification for banning T** at K*** S****** as being Emperor Bob' wanting The Bob Show to be a safe place for people of varying ages to visit.

But among the things we will not have to give up are competing against nature or against each other, informally, for distance, speed and altitude.

Freedoms of speech and association fer sure - but not all that other stuff.

Rick Masters - 2015/12/08 18:16:44 UTC

Over 100 participants have died globally in hang gliding and paragliding tandem flights but the one that might exhaust the imaginary RRG and bring down the USHPA occurred at Jean Lake, Nevada this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSdOcksHhwk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b1L1okMsb8


I find the following article very interesting.

Although Harrison held, as I understand it, a USHPA Master rating, the article probably got it wrong that the USHPA denies Harrison was a member.

The article also illustrates how attractive an RRG can be to a certain group of people -- people who might be thrilled to learn Harrison actually was a member of the USHPA.

http://blogs.findlaw.com/injured/2015/07/hang-glider-accident-liability.html
Hang Glider Accident Liability - Injured

Christopher Coble, Esq. - 2015/07/23 10:59

Hang Glider Accident Liability

An instructor and an 11-year-old boy were killed in a hang gliding crash near Jean, Nevada last March. A subsequent investigation revealed that the instructor did not have the proper permits to be flying in that location, and his business wasn’t licensed in the counties in which it was operating.

So who regulates hang gliding companies, and who is liable in a hang glider accident?

Industry Self-Regulation

Hang gliding is regulated by the U.S. Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association. Although USHPA encourages membership from "all those who wish to fly," neither John Kelly Harrison, the instructor killed in the crash, nor his company, Las Vegas Hang Gliding, are listed as members.

According to its website, USHPA also offers:
1. A pilot rating program.
2. A structured instructor certification program.
3. A training structure for tandem flight and aero towing.
4. Local club affiliation for the benefit of negotiated site insurance coverage.
5. A national magazine for flying, product and safety information.
6. Third party and participant liability insurance coverage for members.

Accident Investigation

Because Harrison and Arys Moorhead, an 11-year-old from Farmington, New Mexico, were flying over federal land, the fatal crash was investigated by the Bureau of Land Management. A BLM spokesperson said Harrison was not permitted to fly in the area, a dry lake bed 30 miles south of Las Vegas.

The Moorheads were visiting the area and decided to try hang gliding. The tandem glider with Harrison and Moorhead was tethered to a truck to raise and steady it. The truck's driver thought Harrison had released the glider when he made an abrupt turn, causing the accident.

It's unclear if Harrison or his company, Las Vegas Hang Gliding, carried commercial liability insurance, or if the Moorheads would pursue a wrongful death claim. Police have not charged the truck driver in the accident.

Take Precautions Before Taking to the Skies

Thrill-seekers looking to try hang gliding should make sure the instructor and company are properly permitted, licensed, and insured. If you've been injured in a hang gliding accident, you may want to consult with an experienced injury attorney today.

Related Resources:
- Injured in an accident? Get your claim reviewed by an attorney for free. (Consumer Injury)
- Wrongful Death (FindLaw's Injured)
- What is a Wrongful Death Lawsuit? (FindLaw)
- When Is It Too Late to Sue for Injury? (FindLaw's Injured)

Brian Scharp - 2015/12/12 20:47:27 UTC

Although Harrison held, as I understand it, a USHPA Master rating, the article probably got it wrong that the USHPA denies Harrison was a member.

The records are quickly removed from the USHPA membership directory.

Sam Kellner - 2015/12/12 21:51:23 UTC

You mean quickly, as in, soon after the deaths?

Yeah, like try finding:

Terry James Mason - Leakey, Texas - 31982 - H3 - 2011/07/22 - Sam Kellner

Not a trace. Bit surprising too - since u$hPa never acknowledged the guy got so much as scratched after you executed a good decision in the interest of his safety with your dump lever.

Rick Masters - 2015/12/12 22:08:34 UTC

USHPA - 2015/05/11

At 2:43PM on Friday March 27, 2015, Master rated hang glider pilot, Advanced Instructor and Tandem Instructor Kelly Harrison perished with his 11 year old student during a tandem hang gliding flight.

I also have this:

John Harrison - 9979 - H4 - 1977/04/15 - A. Hoffman - FL AWCL CL TUR XC - Exp: 2016/12/31

Yep, that's him...
- got demoted back to his Four level for killing a person of a varying age
- scored his Four at age seventeen (started at age eleven (like Arys))
- no towing, instructor, tandem qualifications
- renewed his membership to cover till the end of the next calendar year from beyond the grave

Try:

John Kelly Harrison - 55 - Nevada - 53375 - H5 - 1996/10/23 - Joe Greblo - PL TFL TPL AWCL CL FSL RLF TUR XC - ADV INST, TAND INST - Exp: 2015/06/30

I have neither suspected nor looked to see if this has been "removed."

The real one was - a step or two too late.

It would be unwise as the ambulance chasers would have a field day.

Hear that, ambulance chasers?

John Kelly Harrison - 55 - Nevada - 53375 - H5 - 1996/10/23 - Joe Greblo - PL TFL TPL AWCL CL FSL RLF TUR XC - ADV INST, TAND INST - Exp: 2015/06/30

Brian Scharp - 2015/12/12 22:38:10 UTC

My mistake, he's still there.

Nope. But he's still here. (The other guy's from California.)

[Tad Eareckson]

http://ozreport.com/22.231
Mitch Shipley heading east

Davis Straub - 2018/11/19 20:29:02 UTC

In his new Bailey-Moyes Dragonfly with a 912S engine

http://www.facebook.com/mitch.shipley/posts/10218062559301869
Mitch Shipley - Day 2

Mitch Shipley - 2018/11/16

Day 2 started with a hot tub and coffee thanks to Leo and his wife Janice. You just can't get better hospitality than that!! If you ever get the chance visit Introflights.com in Pahrump NV just do it! Leo then escorted me out and took a few in air shots. Then off to Sedona - one of the all around most beautiful places on the planet.

http://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4839/32043596438_3ea60594dc_o.png

The u$hPa operative motherfucker who ran the cover-up for the 2015/03/27 Jean Lake Kelly Harrison / Arys Moorhead murder-suicide leaving the town of the home of the victim's great grandparents - Stanley...

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... and Dorothy (deceased two summers ago) Oloff. May not know, obviously wouldn't give a rat's ass if he did.

Took me a while to confirm/ID this one.

36°05'43.04" N 115°56'24.31" W

That's pretty much the southwestern-most corner of Pahrump civilization - below and a bit to the right of the Dragonfly's tail. Oloff's place - 641 Lupin, 7.83 miles to the NW. Looking at the Nopah Range.

(Went through there a couple times last winter.)

[Tad Eareckson]

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=59602
A small business instructor responds

Swift - 2019/05/07 00:29:18 UTC

USHGA first, and then USHPA both openly violated the Part 103 Tandem Exemption # 4144 from day one.
They either knew what they were doing was illegal or they did not understand the simple exemption.
It shouldn't have taken a law degree to figure it out.

Maybe we could get Mark Forbes or Tim Herr himself to answer the question.
They were in control then and now. Neither seems to be elected.
What did you know and when did you know it?
What is the official statement today, in light of the many years of illegal operation sanctioned by the USHGA?

Every tug was illegal for years and now you want a dues paying member to ground tow true Part 103 aircraft?
Is this the answer we get for what killed the 11 year old passenger with a 30 day membership at Las Vegas?
Did the grieving family get their USHPA dues refunded?
How much did Tim Herr, make for making sure that all their legal recourse was thwarted?

What more should we expect from you two with future elections overridden by the power grab reform vote?

USHGA first, and then USHPA both openly violated the Part 103 Tandem Exemption # 4144 from day one.

Motherfuckers openly violate every regulation and SOP they can think of. That way the shoddiest of lunatic procedures and equipment become "typical" rather than grotesquely negligent. Then every time they murder a new victim they can talk about better risk mitigation strategies rather than identifying actual issues and opening themselves up to getting promptly sued out of existence.

They either knew what they were doing was illegal or they did not understand the simple exemption.

Let's go with "A".

It shouldn't have taken a law degree to figure it out.

Or to implement the strategy I just described.

Maybe we could get Mark Forbes or Tim Herr himself to answer the question.

They were in control then and now. Neither seems to be elected.

And increasingly less tolerated.

What did you know and when did you know it?

Decades later than I really should have.

What is the official statement today, in light of the many years of illegal operation sanctioned by the USHGA?

I couldn't possibly comment.

Every tug was illegal for years...

Because they were HEAVY and POWERFUL enough to do the job SAFELY and EFFICIENTLY - or anyway would've been if idiot fucking Bobby Bailey and Bill Moyes hadn't designed the back end as...

http://www.chgpa.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3600
Weak link question

Jim Rooney - 2008/11/24 18:54:27 UTC

I'm confused. I never said the tug's ass was endangered. That's why we use 3strand at the tug's end. Using 4 strand can rip things off (it's happened). When forces are achieved that do break a 3 strand, your tail gets yanked around very hard, which does have implications as to the flight characteristics and flightpath. AKA, I have no desire to allow you to have the ability to have that effect on me when I tow you... esp near the ground.

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24846
Is this a joke ?

Davis Straub - 2011/08/28 15:26:28 UTC

Then again, Russell Brown had us double up behind him after six breaks in a row at Zapata. We couldn't figure out why we had so many breaks so quickly. Maybe just coincidence.

...a giant backup Infallible Weak Link.

...and now you want a dues paying member to ground tow true Part 103 aircraft?
Is this the answer we get for what killed the 11 year old passenger...

Jean_Dry_Lakebed_Accident_Report_and_Analysis.pdf

At 2:43PM on Friday March 27, 2015, Master rated hang glider pilot, Advanced Instructor and Tandem Instructor Kelly Harrison perished with his 11 year old student during a tandem hang gliding flight.

Student. Arys Thoring Moorhead - 2003-2015.

...with a 30 day membership at Las Vegas?

It's Vegas, ferchrisake. You go to Vegas you EXPECT everything to be a dice roll.

Did the grieving family get their USHPA dues refunded?

Well... 99.9 percent of thirty day memberships are used for single discovery flights. And Arys got about a third of one of those. So maybe just a 66 percent refund.

How much did Tim Herr, make for making sure that all their legal recourse was thwarted?

I'm sure he'd have done it solely for the pure satisfaction he'd have derived.

What more should we expect from you two with future elections overridden by the power grab reform vote?

Similar but even better results.