When did HG mag stop publishing letters in every issue?
When USHGA started gearing up to eliminate any appearances of controversy, dissent, minority positions from its organization in order to more efficiently sell the product and started publishing pure unadulterated crap such as Dr. Trisa Tilletti's "Higher Education" series of articles on aerotowing.Steve Seibel - 2014/02/25 00:26:42 UTC
When did HG mag stop publishing letters in every issue?
Precisely.I guess it's been at least that long since I looked at the magazine on a regular basis. Look back at some of the old issues-- I'm talking early to mid Nineties and sooner, before my time-- there's some really interesting stuff in those letters. All kinds of interesting discussions about real things. Now I guess the magazine is aimed more at a reader population that expects to be spoon-fed shiny little capsules of bling by the "experts"?
http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1009Or at least that's the opinion of someone in charge?
Flight School Standards
Bob Kuczewski - 2012/04/18 16:23:01 UTC
USHPA's lawyer runs USHPA ... and NOT ONE OF THE DIRECTORS has the backbone to stand up to him.
Where the controllers of the main forums manipulate discussions with basement, lock, delete, ban buttons...Yes I know, we have all our discussions on the internet these days...
http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=14312
Tow Park accidents
http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=592Jack 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
Linknife
...to do the same thing USHGA does.Davis Straub - 2010/04/03 12:46:26 UTC
Tad is gone.
http://www.chgpa.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2467...but... seriously, compare the word count in any of the old magazines compared to what we have today. Word count has crashed dramatically, while shiny bling count has skyrocketed.
weak links
http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=592Jim Rooney - 2007/07/22 20:16:36 UTC
If you wish people to read what you write, try writing LESS.
Linknife
http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24846Sam Kellner - 2010/03/28 21:41:19 UTC
Yeah, I don't even read all of those long winded "explanations".
Is this a joke ?
http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=802Rob Clarkson - 2011/08/25 14:27:03 UTC
Am I supposed to read through a 12 page document and from that figure out the point of this thread?
AL's Second flight at Packsaddle how it went
http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=28581Bob Kuczewski - 2011/10/23 16:29:29 UTC
As for Nobody's request for me to read a document, I haven't found the time yet. I'm sorry, but I don't have time to read everything that everyone asks me to read.
How to get banned from kitestrings.org ((tad drama)lol)
That's a problem when you've got a sport infested with semiliterate douchebags with twelve to fifteen second attention spans.Orion Price - 2013/03/12 15:20:37 UTC
Wow, that was the weirdest thing I've ever seen. 71 pages of .... well you can see what it is. The ignorant building an obelisk to the unknown. Weird world out there.
As you can plainly see from the schematic below:
Why? Who would spend the time to make this shit.
Drive a stake through its fuckin' heart.Robert Moore - 2014/02/25 00:54:20 UTC
Why do you care? The mag is a dinosaur, isn't for or about HG any longer - and the internet is far better at entertaining and informing us about our favorite activity. Let it go...
He's DEFINITELY right.Steve Seibel - 2014/02/25 04:03:00 UTC
You are probably right.
Kill it.wonderwind_flyer - 2014/02/25 14:02:10 UTC
NW Michigan
The magazine has definitely morphed over the years into more of a flying vacation style magazine. Lots of pretty pictures (of paragliders mostly) but informative/educational substance is far and few between these days. However, it may still be important to care about the magazine if only because we pay for it.
No fuckin' way.Can we change the direction of the magazine? Maybe -- Maybe not.
To test this out, perhaps each of us that would like to see a change to the magazine content should write an article, submit it and see if we notice a difference during the next year's worth of issues.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hhpa/message/11361Subj: FTHI
Date: 2009/10/13 16:03:35 UTC
From: nick.greece@ushpa.aero
To--: TadErcksn
Hi there,
Sorry it has taken me a bit to reply. Your ideas are being considered at the committee chair level. I sent your article to Joe Gregor, the safety chair, for comment and he will get back to you shortly.
Thanks and let me know if you have any questions!
Nick
Question
http://www.shga.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=3638Zack C - 2010/10/15 13:25:36 UTC
Speaking of which, while I can fault Tad's approach, I can't fault his logic, nor have I seen anyone here try to refute it. You may not like the messenger, but that is no reason to reject the message. I've already stated why I'm not adopting lift-and-tug...what about the rest of you? I'm asking because it doesn't look like Tad will stop until he sees the changes he's advocating or is banned. Before the latter happens, maybe the former deserves a chance.
Sunday I performed a hang check at Pack, stepped onto the ramp, and proceeded to wait for a lull in which to launch. Due to this discussion I realized at this point how dangerous it was for me to assume I was hooked in. It's like assuming it's OK to lock your car because you remember putting your keys in your pocket a few minutes ago, only the consequences of being wrong are much worse than a call to AAA.
FTHI
Mike Blankenhorn - 2012/10/26 02:39:07 UTC
Wow, I never saw it put quite like that before. Great write up!
Anything of any practical value to the sport? Just kidding. Your prospects for getting it published should be pretty good.Steve Seibel - 2014/02/25 14:55:55 UTC
I already have...
Sam Kellner - 2014/02/25 22:07:59 UTC
Sure enough.I wrote CJ Sturtevant about that >5yr ago. How the mag was promoting flying sites out of US. She came back with a blistering reply.
She's been doing the mag sooo long. Not editor now, just a different hat. At that time I was organizing an annual event and could advertise with them for $$$. Any wonder why member numbers are down in USA.
That's the thing with volunteers, too often those that are able $$ to volunteer are not the best for the job. JMO
Andrew Vanis - 2014/02/25 22:36:38 UTC
Albuquerque
And what happened?
Yes.Sam Kellner - 2014/02/26 11:52:02 UTC
The targeted adverts. still prevail.
Now if an individual were guiding tours at one of the featured exotic locations featured in the mag, and was a mfg/dist/sales. of the wings pictured in the articles, and was on the ushPa BOD.
Is that what we are paying dues for?
Dennis Cavagnaro - 2014/02/26 12:52:42 UTC
My observation is the relationship between USHpA and its members are far cooler and less service oriented then the SSA and sailplane pilots.
It's a shame and the magazine is a perfect example. Our sport of flying is very vulnerable and has little room for this lack of support.
Especially when he got unguarded comments from top players...kukailimoku - 2014/02/26 18:13:10 UTC
Oahu
Ah, for the days when Gil Dodgen was driving the magazine. That guy was a real pro.
...into print.Gil Dodgen - 1995/01
All of this reminds me of a comment Mike Meier made when he was learning to fly sailplanes. He mentioned how easy it was to land a sailplane (with spoilers for glide-path control and wheels), and then said, "If other aircraft were as difficult to land as hang gliders no one would fly them."
And now...Mike Badley - 2014/02/26 18:17:15 UTC
Sacramento
Wow - the rag sure has changed from when it strictly served HG. I used to look forward to the monthly editions as I would see a lot of 'do it yourself' kind of articles about techno stuff that we could emulate at home.
http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22308
Better mouse trap(release)?
Jim Rooney - 2010/12/16 18:47:05 UTC
A few years ago, I started refusing to tow people with home made gear.
I like the idea of improving gear, but the lack of appreciation for the world they were stepping into didn't sit with me.
For example... flying with the new gear in mid day conditions?
Are you kidding me????
Approach it for what it is... completely untested and very experimental gear which will likely fail in new and unforseen ways as it tries it's damndest to kill you... and then we can talk.
If you wanna read the crap Dennis passes off as physics just buy his books.Product reviews on all the new gliders and gear so that we had a chance of knowing a little more when we decided to spend our dollars. Pictures of the local dudes doing zany stuff. Some good stuff from Pagen about the physics of flight and the air we fly in.
It's not free.If I didn't get it free with my membership - I wouldn't buy that magazine at all.
Now it's a bit like AP or some 'Good Day America' with a lot of fluff pieces - tons of foreign site info (that I think is cool if this were a Euro HGPA magazine, but doesn't do diddly for me. Half the mag is a wash for me because I could care less about what the PG crowd and gear is (but the same could be said for them about the HG stuff). Way too much content from C.J. and pals and not enough from Joe HG from Someplace, USA. It's glossy and has some nice photos from the top-shot Robo-pilots flying in the Alps - but I miss the 'open faced helmet' grins from average guys having a spectacular day that they captured and want to share. I also miss all the cartoon art from guys like Eric Fair and the 'fun' of the regional 'fly-ins'.
Anyway, it's all about change - and as we (at least for ME anyway) get older, the less I like change.
Comet - 2014/02/27 05:56:27 UTC
Gil was fired by USHPA after about a quarter century of loyal service. It was a despicable and cowardly act by the association. I had a long conversation with him after his termination and he was quite bitter. The association wanted to get rid of the old-line HG emphasis and get with the new jazzy PG stuff and Gil, as a staunch HG guy, stood in the way of progress. They shafted Gil, and in the process they shafted hang gliding.
Dennis Cavagnaro - 2014/02/27 14:28:02 UTC
This is true. It's history now and we can go back and change but the promotion and subsidizing of the PG movement by the org changed its image and the perception of our sport forever.
The PG takeover and the backroom agreement by manufacturers not to build on the advantages of rigid wings in contest and market crippled our sport. Instead of focusing on producing the best performing gliders and driving up the standards we dumbed them down.
Fine. Let them have their own organization.zamuro - 2014/02/27 14:42:11 UTC
As much as I like HGs and distrust PGs as an aircraft, for safety reasons this sounds a bit like a conspiracy theory. IMHO It is just practicality that made PGs overtake HGs. They are just easier to carry around and also easier to learn.
I also think that if HG manufacturers would have spent more effort in developing more practical gliders (e.g. short pack Finsterwalder) instead of mainly focusing on increased performance then perhaps the HG decay would not have been that sharp.
Dennis Cavagnaro - 2014/02/27 15:05:00 UTC
Actually I recalled specifically the intention of Jayne to take in and promote PG way before they grew in numbers. It happened by design.
It may be a matter of demographics but the sport grew when the performance of the gliders grew and once we emphasized Falcons and gliders of less performance the pilots started to bleed off. I do think that pilots are competitive in nature and want to go higher farther faster.
There was a movement in sailplanes to produce a cheaper standard glider (world class) that everyone could fly and be the same. It was not successful and I think it was because we are individuals who want to have a edge on the other guy.
How about a short pack ATOS?
zamuro - 2014/02/27 15:28:06 UTC
That would be great. But probably too costly for most. I agree that many pilots strive for performance but I don't think that is the majority as the PG/HG ratio shows. Also I would argue that despite their performance limitations PGs are not that bad at XC.
Most people just want to fly and see new places from the air and with a PG you can hike or take a ski lift in many mountain locations around the world. You can also land in a tighter spot and get a ride back much more easily. You don't even have to have a driver.
PGs are doing amazing bivouac flights all over the world (Himalayas, X-alps) which is quite fun to read about it. There is no question in my mind that as an adventurous teenager with some ignorance about safety issues as I was (and 99% of the other kids) I would have taken PG and not HG if it would have been available when I started (1977).
Let's not forget Dragonfly jockeys.Chris McKeon - 2014/02/27 16:16:57 UTC
A group is being OWNED.
Hi Hi Guys:
You know that here in the U-S, we Hang Glider pilots should tread gently when talking about our keepers, our masters. Obviously, I am referring to Para-Glider pilots As all of you are aware of. We, Hang-Glider Pilots handed over our organization to Para-Gliders in the Mid-80's.
I don't. Fight a delaying action if that's the best that can be done. Better than nothing.So, regardless of how one might feel about what was done to our organization back then or how one might feel about Para-Glider pilots, I think we need to accept the situation, as it is.
Dennis Cavagnaro - 2014/02/27 16:19:57 UTC
Mid Nineties.
Ever wonder if they were the only ones in the section because they were of no practical value to the sport?Steve Seibel - 2014/02/27 22:09:02 UTC
Hmm, must have been at least early 2000's, because I submitted several around that time, and they never were the only ones in the section.
As long as they pass Tim Herr's screening process - same as the fatality reports.I got a reply back saying that they do run letters to the editor.
Anyway we'll see if they run my latest...
Fuck the magazine. Boycott it. Kill it.Patrick Halfhill - 2014/02/28 12:43:42 UTC
Unfortunately you have to get your material in three months before the magazine is published. As members of the sport class team going to France we wanted to announce our raffle/fundraiser. But it wouldn't get into the magazine until we were packing our kites up to leave.
That way when a weak link breaks on you, ITS A NON-ISSUE. Genius huh??? 
