BlueSky Thursday

[mingram]

Today was my first day towing ever and it turned out to be a great day to learn. I was learning to tow on PG. It was cloudy enough to make things smooth and Steve made me really comfortable. The forecast was for increasing clouds, 2mph from the South. I arrived at 8am and two other pilots (one beginning hang/one beginning para) who were already setup and towing. Ann Dunlap showed up with her hang glider a little later.

We did scooter tow until 1pm. I didn't have my altimeter at the time, but my best scooter tow was probably 800-900 ft. I got 10 easy tows on scooter and there was enough lift to make 360s and land back by the scooter.

I transitioned to truck towing in the afternoon around 2:30 or so. By this time it was a little sunnier with thermal cycles blowing 5-10mph still mostly straight from the South. I got 3 truck tows between 1000 to 1200 ft. The final tow was around 4:30 under completely cloudy skies, but it was bouyant enough for a 14 minute flight and a small gain of 100 ft. Two of my truck tows had false starts but Steve is quick to release pressure and make them a non-issue. Truck towing a PG feels comfortable and Steve said I could come back anytime. I really enjoyed the day and will definitely be going back for more.

Matt

[uplandann]

Great to see you there, Matt. You did awsome for first time towing... I'm envious that you got to truck tow.

[RichH]

Matt sorry I missed u I was out there the day before but all we were able to do were some extended sled rides..Hope to catch u out there next time...Rich

[mingram]

It was good seeing you too, Ann. Hopefully Steve gets you truck towing next time. All of your flights looked good.

[pch]

FYI Steve is not PG rated for instructing or towing. He may be a great HG instructor, but not sure if he fully understands PG flight dynamics fully.
Peter Humes
USHPA PG Basic Instructor

[Flying Lobster]

FYI Steve is not PG rated for instructing or towing. He may be a great HG instructor, but not sure if he fully understands PG flight dynamics fully.
Peter Humes
USHPA PG Basic Instructor

Oddly enough, some PG people have been asking the same about you since nobody has seen you fly!!

marc

[markc]

Let's keep it civil, people! It's always appropriate to ask **questions** if one has concerns about ratings, currency, etc. But off-the-cuff comments and nearly-rude comments aren't really helpful.

MarkC

[AcTiOnJaCkSoN]

Awesome, I haven't seen any paragliding at bluesky yet, but have met a few pg pilots learning to hang glide. Really like to see paragliding done in person looks like a lot of fun.

[Flying Lobster]

Let's keep it civil, people! It's always appropriate to ask **questions** if one has concerns about ratings, currency, etc. But off-the-cuff comments and nearly-rude comments aren't really helpful.

MarkC

Sorry Mark--but Pete's comments smacked of being self-serving and impugning Steve's vast experience with towing--BTW there is presently no specific pg tow admin endorsement that I know of--they are platform specific. I checked Blue Sky's website and it says they offer paragliding instruction--I couldn't find anything claiming that Steve Wendt personally offered USHPA certified PG instruction. What are the odds that he might hire an instructor to do that?? I think this could have been avoided had he simply called and asked before firing off a public statement calling into question the qualifications of a respected local flight park.

marc

[markc]

Believe me Marc, I understand where you are coming from... I just wish that your initial post had been more along the lines of your response (above), and I just wish that if Pete has concerns, that he would discuss them in a way that is more helpful than an off-the-cuff comment about someone "not understanding PG dynamics".

I don't mean to discourage conversation when I interject my own comments about keeping things civil. Rather, I'm trying to encourage thoughtful, high signal-to-noise ratio conversation. Taking the high-road, ya know?

So please don't take the "be civil" comment too personally, it's really a request/plea to everyone who uses the forums, one which I try to bring up several times a year.

MarkC

[mcelrah]

As regional director, I have taken an action to ask the USHPA towing committee to "grandfather" Steve with appropriate PG towing credentials, in recognition that it is he who is the authority on surface towing, to incude towing PGs. Get the paperwork to conform to reality... - Hugh

[Flying Lobster]

I just scanned the SOP's and sure enough, the tow admin appointments were changed two months ago to be glider type specific, though as an instructor I heard nothing about it. The administrator appointment seems to be tied to the tow supervisory level--I don't think it's a regional director option, might have to check in on that. More restrictions--fewer instructors and members...the beat goes on.

marc

[mcelrah]

Ya, and I'm fighting a rule-bound mindset on the tow committee, training committee, tandem committee - the whole BoD really. Lot's of lawyer-induced thinking. People mean well, want to promote safety, but fail to consider that there are giants of the sport who don't necessarily fit their nice straight lines and flowcharts. Need a Hippocratic oath for lawmakers (state, federal, as well as USHPA): "First, do no harm." - Hugh

[Flying Lobster]

FAR 103 flight is still relatively regulation-free--I foresee an eventual "break-point" where USHPA will likely need to get direct FAA regulation involved in order to enforce the lawyer/liability obsession and thereby mandatory membership.

marc