[HGXC]

[HGXC]

[Erik Boehm]

Yup, Mark misses the point.

We are supposed to be a part of this organization.
Our association with the USHPA is voluntary (somewhat).
If the association turns its back on hang gliding, those of us that hang glide have every right to be PO'd.
I don't care if the same amount of money could recruit more PGs than HGs

If it no longer serves us to be members of the association, we shouldn't keep being members, just to give money to promote PGing.

Half the members are PGs... great, we won't ignore PGs.
But that also means half the members are HGs, and thus it is ludicrous to ignore HGs.
If half the money is collected from HG pilots, and HG pilots depend on other HG pilots to ensure a large enough base to support manufacturers, ensuring access to equipment, then half the promotion money should be spent on promoting HGs, or the promotion should be for HG and PG, and unbiased towards either.

By his own admission, PG numbers are stagnant.... its not some exploding sport.

And if it was, would it need any promotional help?
Either way, his statement should anger us.

Flying a speed wing is probably not my sport.....
My Association should promote my sport, if it doesn't, and promotes a different sport, its time to find myself a new Association.

There is a reason that cycling races like the tour d' france, are not ran by the same organizations that do BMX competitions, or those "sprint" bike races, or mountain biking races (though I could conceive some mountain bike races and street bike races falling under the same group).
They are all bikes, and all have pretty much the same hardware.

That doesn't make them the same sport.

So just because a speed wing is basically a small PG, does not make it the same sport.
Ridge soaring in stronger winds, I can relate to.
Going down a hill on skiis, with multiple short flights along the way, doesn't really seem like what I do, even if I were to do speed gliding like my bro.

So including them.... is a grey area to me...

[Wingspan34]

[HGXC]

[Wingspan34]

[HGXC]

[sam kellner]

[topgun21]

Maybe a less aggressive tactic, only pay a percentage of your membership dues directly proportional to the amount of resources they put into promoting the sport of HG. So if 1/4 of their promotion money goes to HG then only pay $18.75 (assuming a pilot membership due of $75), maybe then they will get the point?

[SeeMarkFly]

[Wingspan34]

[bobk]

Sorry I haven't been able to chime in for a while. I consult on a project that's just gone through a major technology challenge, so I've been working 16 hour days and sometimes spending the night at the office...

There have been several comments on starting a new HG organization, and I think that's a good topic. Our society is set up to allow market competition to be the final oversight of any organization. There is no other authority over what USHPA should or should not do. In that regard, I think a competitor might be the best thing for USHPA.

Personally, I am still a Regional Director, and as long as that remains true, then I would not feel free to play a major role in a new organization (but I could certainly join it).

On the other hand, there's a bunch of the Jebb supporters who've started a recall election against me, and they certainly have significant support in some circles. So I might not be a Director much longer and that would remove any conflict of interest in helping get a new organization off the ground (poetic justice?).

I guess my point here is that if I am not recalled, then I would like to work within USHPA to continue to make improvements. But if I am recalled, then that's telling me that the majority (at least in our Region) has rejected those improvements and that would certainly justify looking into a new national organization.

In some ways this mirrors our local San Diego struggle. I gave the SDHGPA about 6 months to come up with at least a biwingual representative to the Soaring Council. For 6 months, they only provided PG pilots as representatives. Eventually I formed the Hawks and that made all the difference!!

And speaking of the Hawks, I'd like to mention that everyone is welcome to join. It doesn't cost anything and it shows support for hang gliding at Torrey Pines. That might turn into a national organization (we already have a sister chapter in Utah) or it might not. But either way, it's a good mechanism to bring HG pilots together as a group to focus on issues that are important to us. This web site (hanggliding.org) is another excellent mechanism for that, and I think this site could also be the basis for a new national organization. So for now, I would just say promote hanggliding.org and join the Hawks. Both are free and both make a statement about hang gliding.