P
?
What is Papalotes 2153?
?
Sources report it is a code name for a top secret classified government project of AI drones that fly in
swarms in the lower Stratosphere
that will one day be able to control the weather.
So far all they can do
is take cool pictures.
THE ROBOTS ARE COMING
New HG Rack
Drilled some holes in a brush guard, some Aluminum, old downtubes and bolt it on. Not as sturdy as would like but carries 1 or 2 light gliders where it needs to go just fine for now. Will reinforce when the weather gets warmer and there is more flying to be had.
The United States Hang gliding & Paragliding Association A few years ago the national organization for Hang gliding and Paragliding (and kind of Mini-wings) had to make some big and critical decisions to maintain insurance, primarily for flying sites, and then eventually for schools, events and other situations. It was a huge, mostly thankless job and along the way many frustrations have been expressed from both members, the current governing bodies, schools, land owners etc. A committee was tasked to see if they could come up with a plan to restructure the organization and it is now being proposed to the general membership to vote on. I highly recommend to members to go online and read the Proposal as well as the arguments for and against. There is a lot of information and potentially big changes but this article is just a little illustration of how things are currently and how they could be if the proposal is approved. For those who are not members, hopefully this helps you learn something about flying hang gliders in the U.S. Also check out their the potential Ambassador Program and it’s potential to promote the sport and it’s pilots. Go to USHPA.org to learn even more.
For this article we will be looking briefly at these parts of the Proposal: -Transition from 27 member board to 10 (8 nationally elected every 2 yrs, 2 appointed) -Transition from 12 regions to 5 (originally there were going to be no regions any longer but due to wide concern new region lines are being presented) -Diversity on the Board -And just a few of some interesting statistics found along the way. Important note: This has nothing to do with the RRRG or PASA, they are separate organizations with separate governance and functions although are associated with USHPA.
The United States Hang gliding & Paragliding Association
As of Feb. 5 2019 there were aprox. more than
36,754 recorded members of USHPA, at least
28,438 of which are expired or inactive. That means there is potentially one person for every 8,928 people you meet in the U.S. that knows about hang gliding and/or paragliding and the national organization. There is only a little more then a 1 out 4 chance that the person is an active member of USHPA.
8316 active members 3326
ratings
As of this date there were aprox. , with . That would mean that active hang gliding and paragliding pilots of USHPA make up 0.001013519654366% of the national population.
0.001% OF U.S.
62% PG
38% HG 7.62% BiWingual
Current USHPA Governance Structure
Hang glider Pilot Paraglider Pilot Bi-wingual Pilot
-not including Administrators, Examiners, Observers, Instructors, Mentors, Committees, Chapters, Clubs, Event and contest organizers, etc.
OFFICERS Executive Director
President
Operations Mngr
Comm. Mngr
Info. Serv. Mngr
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Memb. Coordinator
Tresurer
Secretary
Vice President
DIRECTORS
PUBLICATION STAFF NOT INCUDING WRITERS OR PHOTOGRAPHERS Editor
Art Director
Copy Editor
HG:BiWingual:PG 12:12:9 and 1 unrated
53% HG
46% PG 32% BiWingual
Current Regions Feb. 2019
Normally 12 regions and 27 Directors but currently regions 6 and 11 are combined, so only 11 regions and 26 Directors. 20 regionally elected directors, 5 directors at large and one Ex-Officio Director of the National Aeronautic Association (NAA).
Region__ |# Directors 1 2 3 4 5 6+11 7 8 9 10 12 Dir at large
Region__ |# Directors 1 = 12% 2 = 16% 3 = 12% 4 = 12% 5 = 4% 6+11 = 4% 7 = 4% 8 = 4% 9 = 12% 10 = 16% 12 = 4%
If you distribute in the Ex-Officio Region__ | # Leadership 1 Director, Officers, and the 2 Publication staff, and where they 3 are from, (all 34) then USHPA 4 5 regional representation is actually 6+11 more like this: 7 8 9 10 12
New Regions 1 2 3 4 5
Considering Transition from 12 Regions to 5
= 11.8% = 14.8% = 11.8% = 20.5% = 5.9% = 2.9% = 2.9% = 2.9% = 11.8% = 11.8% = 2.9%
New Regions 1 2 3 4 5
The Proposed Regions
based mostly on pilot populations.
New Region # members as of Nov. 2018 1 - North West - 1808 2 - Centeral west - 1775 3 - South West - 1873 4 - South East - 1563 5 - NE + International - 1792
THE GOAL At Least 1 Director from each region
Ideal Region__ |# Directors 1 2 3 4 5
Region__ |# Directors 1 2 3 4 5
based on Current proportions of Regional Leadership this is most likely scenario
Region__ |% Directors
1 2 3 4 5
Not likely but Possible
ROUGHLY
= 17.6% = 17.6% = 29.4% = 20.5% = 14.7%
Note: It’s not surprising to see so much potential representation from Region 3 when you combine the headquarters in Colorado with Southern California. However if you exclude those from Colorado it is interesting to see how much representation comes from the south east, especially since, according to the population count, it has the smallest number of pilots in the organization.
The Diversity Matrix
Again I highly recommend checking this out on USHPA’s web site via 02_apendix B Governance Proposal 2018 to understand it fully. There is also a great video explaining it on Youtube: USHPA Governance Proposal 2018 - diversity in director elections: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5cc0tNDNT0&feature=youtu.be This is an interesting and creative way to keep the proposed smaller board still diverse among these 3 variables (combining age and gender as one variable) prioritized in this order: 1. Region 2. Wingtype 3. Age and Gender
Goal to Have at least: - 1 Director from each region 1 2 3 4 5 - 3 from each Wing type
PG PG PG HG HG HG
-3 Older than 40
+ + +
-3 Younger than 40
-
-2 Women
W W
-
-
Note:”Goals are directional and [would] rarely be fully realized, depending on the diversity of candidates that run. If no women run, for example, no women will be elected.” Also “...not [always] taking the candidate who received the most votes.” Taking top voted for required diversity variables, Region first, then wing, then age or gender.
Example of Proposed Board:
10 Nationally Elected
+M +M +M +M +M +W
2 Elected by board (likely to be Tresurer and Secretary)
+M -m +M
-m
Region1 x6 3 HG:7 PG 8 Old : 2 Young 1 Woman
Never should happen: +M
+M
+M
+M
+M
+W
-m
+M
-m
+M
+M
+M
+M
+M
+M
+W
-m
+M
-m
+M
+M
+M
All Paragliders
ALL same Region
+M
-w
+M
+M
+M +W +M
+M
All Hang gliders
Could happen: +M
+M
+M
+M
+M
+M
+M
+M
+M
+M
Majority same wing, same region all Older Male
+W
+W
+W
+W
-w
+W
-w
+W
-w
+W
-m
-m
-w
-m
-w
-w
-m
-w
All Women
All Millenials
( the WUSHPA )
(Dunnies from KHK and Lookout?)
-m
-w
It is important to remember that all directors are now, will, and would be
Volunteers.
They may all have different reasons to be leaders at a national level but are any of them doing it to make a living? I don’t think so. Will anymore or even enough Pilots, with existing size board, or smaller, want to volunteer in the future? Is the current board not, or not act, diverse enough?
Probably the most important Question is:
“How do these changes or lack thereof affect my flying?” Your personal, and the nations ability to fly? The answers may vary widely or will it even matter?
If it doesn’t matter should you even vote? or join if your not a member?
Yes you probably should. Just like you should check the weather before you fly. Sure you don’t have to and you’ll “probably” be OK. Or you “probably” wont, and would have been if you’d checked the weather before and had the ability to make better decisions later. It is possible you might not get the outcome you wanted, however with such a small membership, your vote truly will go a long way. ( It is a little confusing though, on Feb. 4th a email was sent that said only 23% had voted, but then on Feb. 11th another email said that only 18% had voted? )
Eric’s Ramble:
Whatever the outcome, it is a great thing that this is up for vote among the general membership as it should be. After all, it is a member driven organization, not a for-profit corporation. It does not belong to a single man, or board, or the schools, federal government, or even the insurance organization. Participation from many is essential, just like it is at our flying sites. When we care, which is most of the time (not all communities are equal), we keep flying sites and landing zones clean, open and accessible. We keep each other safe and take pictures and videos published on our own social media to show others how amazing hang gliding and paragliding is. USHPA is responsible for doing that too, and actually has stepped it up a bit by hiring a Communications Manager and presenting the ‘brand ambassador’ program. However they are still lagging in promoting and expanding the sport by not incorporating mini-wings or PPG. Yet those sports are growing wildly on their own, maybe even because they are not a part USHPA. Honestly the chapters, clubs, manufacturers, and schools do all the heavy lifting in the country to maintain the flying sites. Which should not be surprising since they do have the most at stake, and will be the ones most concerned about the outcome of the vote. Perhaps that is the best reason to vote or join
USHPA, to support the interests of your local chapters, clubs, instructors, and flying sites. Too many times I read in the arguments about the proposal something about the members not being interested or enthusiastic enough to help lead and make tough decisions. I agree to an extent that there will probably not be many committees formed or a surge in volunteerism, but the fact that there is any doubts in the interest, enthusiasm, skills and of what the greater membership is capable of, is upsetting to me. It is almost as if (unintentionally I think) some of them don’t want the membership to vote. In my personal experience, I have repeatedly seen the power to achieve incredible things from the members and (non-members) of the flying community. Whether it’s cleaning an LZ, driving people up the hill (all day long) organizing multi-day events and competitions, or saving peoples lives, etc. In the past there have been disagreements, feeling and egos have been hurt, and some people have been kicked out, but ultimately we are all in this for the same thing: to fly. So whether we have 27 or 10 directors, 11, 12, or no regions, make sure USHPA knows you are there. The best way to get prices back down, to open more flying sites, to make more resources and more pilots is through collaboration together. I would not expect any board of directors to make change unless guided by the voices and pressures of those they represent. The insurance issue had a big influence, but the interests of the member should always be the guiding force for major decisions. The leadership we have now is full of good people who are skilled, passionate, and have worked very hard to battle issues like insurance, safety and training, and keeping sites open for use. I think some may feel like they are alone in those battles and that only they know what’s going on. Maybe some want it that way. However it has been proven that members do not want to be left in the dark or told things last minute, hence a part of the reason for this proposal. So if you vote (for or against), join, or renew your membership, you are effectively showing the leadership or future leadership, who is here and who cares and essentially who matters. Plus it is so very easy to vote. You don’t have to go anywhere special or stand in line. You don’t have to fill out a complicated ballot that some lady will just throw in the trash when you are done. It’s not like voting for other things. Conversely, if you don’t vote, it may prove to the leadership that the members do not care. In the summer of 2018 only 175 people (less than 2% of members) provided feedback regarding a proposal. With turnouts like that it would be easy to believe that input from the general body is unnecessary. Perhaps in that instance they should heed the advice of the insurance provider and the “big schools” since they do care and do communicate with USHPA often (we can discuss that dynamic later). In the worst case, USHPA changes the SOP’s and BY-LAWS again to eliminate the necessity of a membership vote so that USHPA could take the interests of USHPA the corporation, and not the peoples. From the pilots I’ve talked to and from the leaders individual arguments I think that is a highly unlikely scenario, nor would they allow something like that to happen. If it did, it’s not the end of the world, or flying. but I hope it doesn’t. -em
Did you Know...?
USHPA FAST STATS
5%
or more of the membership may call a special meeting That’s about 416 members
490
There are active members who are neither HG or PG rated
There are
4 Master rated
HG&PG pilots
The State with the most members
by far is
California - over 10,000 only 2,436 are active
Oregon has the most Active members 2,481 The State with the lowest number of Pilots is
North Dakota 4 active out of 14
USHGA was created in 1974 When the Proposal was presented in Nov. 2018 there were
8,811
recorded members
On Feb. 5, 2019 only 8,316 were counted active. These numbers are not perfect but that would mean roughly
5.6%
let their membership lapse in less than 3 months Not great months for new pilots to learn to fly and join the organization either.
CHECK OUT this winter Bar Mitts There are a “handful” of companies that sell them or also some aviation (or biking) minded gloves or make your own. Made these out of some Fleece, Polyester, Mylar, and some Velcro. These are still in testing stage but they work well in that you can still wear glove inside them.
Cloudbase Mayhem Podcast Host Gavin McClurg is a Paraglider Pilot and the podcast
mostly centers on PG flying but has had some great interviews with Hang glider pilots too like; Larry Tudor, Kari Castle, Dustin Martin, and Jeff Shapiro. In November he aired Episode 80- “The History and Future of Hang gliding” with a handful more HG pilots. Recently he also interviewed Mark “Forger” Stucky who is a Pilot of.... just about everything, but most recently Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship 2! Yes he is a HG/PG pilot who has flown into space. Forger is also a USHPA Board member and Treasurer. Hear him in Episode 82 “...becoming rocket man”.
Cloudbase Foundation is another organization formed by pilots but for the communities they fly in. They help raise funds and manage as well as do the physical labor of projects to help less fortunate folks around the world as well as a few nationally. You can donate or learn more about how to help out with specific projects and even present projects to aid those in need near your flying sites.
@Chazzybob
IN THE LZ
It’s cold out there. Skiers, Snow boarders and Climbers over the years have developed gear to survive the harsh Mountain temperatures. NASA made breakthroughs for man to walk in space. We use tips and tricks from both to hang out somewhere in between.
LY FLY FLY