Sorry Christopher, it wasn't my example. I don't know what steps were taken to figure out solutions at the time. My point was that the current process could have accommodated the situation that was described. More importantly, if others are trying to organize instructor training I wanted them to have a roadmap with solutions.Christopher wrote:in the quoted example you lead with- "Despite Paul's experience and credentials (let's us just say that they are vast), he wasn't allowed to conduct the clinic at Crestline" -who prevented Paul from instructing?
All of them.Christopher wrote:Which of your 3 suggested solutions would have accommodated instruction in this case?
I was referring to bringing in an administrator who was not already running a local school (the initially described situation). USHPA Administrators lead clinics and certify Instructors .Christopher wrote:What do you mean by "an administrator from elsewhere"? Have you just nominated the would-be instructor the 'administrator' of the clinic, or does being an "administrator" signify and require something other than holding a USHPA Instructor certification?
The list of PASA certified hang gliding schools is here: https://www.pasaschools.org/certified-f ... t-schools/ I'm not sure how that defines the scope of the problem as option 3 (the club-led option) does not require a PASA school. The relatively small number (I counted less than 20) speaks to the need to hold these clinics and why it was important to get the options out there.Christopher wrote:How many PASA-insured hang gliding-specific schools are there? Could you list them? It would help us understand the extent of the problem.
I think the initial quote could be seen as USHPA being the sole problem. We have two aspects to our sport, PG and HG; both working under the same set of solutions. Yet, one is growing and one is declining. USHPA may well be a drag on both, but it seems unlikely to be the key factor in the decline of HG. I do not believe USHPA alone can kill or save HG but I hope we can be helpful and not harmful in that effort.Christopher wrote:The impression from what you've written here, Alan- both in tone and specifics of response -is that you don't agree with the last part of Davis' summation. Is it your belief, Alan, that hang gliding in the United States will survive in some substantial form- or even thrive -under these policies as they are presently implemented? This is a point that must be made explicitly clear- does your understanding diverge from folks like Davis Straub, Steven Pearson, and many would-be instructors? Such a disconnect would profoundly impact moral and confidence of membership for the stewardship of our association. Frankly, most everybody knows and respects these folks- and wouldn't know you or Martin Palmaz, even if enjoying the shade of the same tree.Davis wrote:I'm quite certain that all the USHPA BOD members, USHPA personnel, the RRRG volunteers, and Tim Herr have the best interests of the organizations and membership at heart and that they work hard to do the right thing. The problem is the solutions that they have come up with are killing the sport.
Actually I think you are mostly correct. We got the patient to the hospital and kept them alive when death was imminent, but they are still bleeding badly. The surgery that kept them alive also aggravated the bleeding. Can the community work together to save the patient? As an HG pilot myself, I hope so.Christopher wrote:It seems like you're saying 'hurray! -we saved the patient' and Davis, Steven, 'no- you've just put a tourniquet around the neck.' Insurance, flying sites- what are they without instructors? These conjoined twins share a heart, right?AlanC wrote:It is definitely harder, more time consuming, and more expensive to be an instructor today than it was pre-insurance crisis. But, we do have insurance and have preserved places to fly; both of which also seem like essential components of the survival of the sport.
Christopher, I think that last question is really important and I really wish I had the answers. There is a group of awfully smart people trying to figure things out that invited me along this year. They know the market better, they have more experience in the sport and they spend virtually every waking hour thinking about the sport we love. I have to be optimistic that our flying community can and will figure out how to have a sport called Hang Gliding into the future, and I hope we can all contribute to that goal.Christopher wrote:The "long term" is right now- not tomorrow, not next week - NOW. This last question you ask- it seems really important. Was it just rhetorical? Do you have an answer, or suggested course of discovery? Or are you suggesting the problem isn't with regulation choices, but is purely an expression of hang gliding culture?AlanC wrote:Paragliding now has more instructors than before the crisis using the same solutions. Don't get me wrong, I think the small (and shrinking) volume of H1/H2's we're producing is unsustainable over the long term. While overall USHPA membership is up, hang gliding continues to trend down. Why the difference given the similar circumstances??
Alan