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SDHGPA 2019 Election & Survey Results

1/15/2019

2019 Election Results

Election Ballots were sent out to the 2018 and 2019 Members as of Dec 10th following the Nov 17th General Meeting & open nominations period through email. 35 Ballots were received by the Jan 1st response deadline. All non submitted ballots are determined to be abstentions.

2019 Voting (Board) positions were ratified by each receiving 100% of votes cast:

President: Steve Rohrbaugh
VP: Jeff Brown
Secretary: Nik Hawks
Treasurer/Sites Director: Bill Helliwell
Safety Officer: Philip Wessinger
Co-Safety Officer: Joseph de Beer

Appointed Non-board voting positions for 2019:

Social Committee Chair: Josh Gelb
Black Mountain CAC: Dave Metzgar, Antonella Zampolli (Incumbents)
TPSC rep: Kim Mccoy
Website: Steve Rohrbaugh, Nik Hawks, Philip Wessinger, Christopher Smith

Social Committee Volunteers

2019 Survey Results
Thank you to all that responded to the Survey!

It helps to direct what we as Club Members want the Club to be and set some direction. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns about the SDHGPA & its direction, please let us know. by talking with one of the Bard Members or come to the meetings. If you offered to help or are willing to help, please reach out and we will try to get you involved. Help is always appreciated.

We will try to incorporate the higher requested meeting topics into this calendar year meetings

Meeting Topic Interests:

Food at Meetings:

Meeting Nights:

Comments:

Doing a great job
Keep up the good work!
Mid-week meetings don't work for folks who would need to travel.
I'm now living in Europe but miss you all.
Sorry - I am not a full time resident of San Diego, so it is hard to volunteer.
Need to ask Pala/Robert's Ranch if we can place a small storage shed behind the building at the LZ
Just a shout out thank you for all the effort and work everyone puts in to consolidate the community and support so many sites. Much appreciated and keep up the great work! Also great addition to have Nik Hawks as part of the community.
As much as I would to be more involved, I work Graveyard from Monday-Friday. If the option of meetings were to be held on Sat./Sun... then I would be more than happy to be more active...
I am very pleased with the current atmosphere in the club. GREAT JOB!!

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SDHGPA Telegram Flight Planning Group

1/14/2019

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Join the New SDHGPA Telegram Flight Planning Group to find out who is flying where.

There are a few different ways and Apps you can use to interface with the SDHGPA Telegram group. Each App & Interface has slightly different features. Try a few different ones to see what you like. See the Telegram page for Apps & interfaces.

The Telegram chat group is posted to the Who's Flying Where page page under "What's Happening" for ease of access when a Telegram app is not available and to allow Visiting pilots visibility to information prior to joining. The Group is also embedded on the What's Happening page.

The SDHGPA Telegram group is limited to Annual Members & Visiting Temporary Member Pilots or past member Pilots that had a membership starting in 2019 forward.

To join the Telegram Group, There is a group invite link on the Members Only main info page.

Invite links are also now provided with the Membership Card / Parking pass email that is sent after completing and submitting the SDHGPA Membership Application & Waiver. This is how Visiting pilots may join the group.

Notes: If Chatting from the SDHGPA web pages, "C" Icon and "Chatbro" will precede your own name in Telegram native apps. If chatting from a Telegram App, your Icon and name will display as normal without the Chatbro tag and Icon in all interfaces.

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The 9 Points of control: groundhandling

1/11/2019

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I was out kiting the other day in swirly winds and was joined by a relative newbie to the sport. As I watched them kite, I noticed a few things that suddenly gelled for me.

First, that kiting (and paragliding) is an extraordinarily complex activity that pretends to be simple: Get the wing up, keep it stable overhead.

Depending on conditions, that can be as easy as using just the hips to pull up the wing, or as difficult as using all 9 control inputs you have when kiting. More on those 9 inputs in a bit.

Article by Nik Hawks

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VOTE, yo!

1/8/2019

1 Comment

Voting for whether or not we should reorganize the USPHA governance system is NOW OPEN starting today and ending February 21.

Why should you vote? [Nik's OPINION ONLY: Whether you acknowledge it or not, USHPA does a TON of admin work and thinking so you can focus on flying. Your vote helps determine HOW they do this. I've always been a huge fan of letting other people do boring paperwork AND supporting them however I can so I don't have to do it. While I won't tell you which way to vote, I strongly recommend you take the time to check out the proposal and cast a vote. Check your email for your personal link and vote now!]

Click the Read More button to figure out what we're talking about and how you can contribute without taking away from your flying time.

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what I learned in 2018

1/4/2019

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An Intermediate Pilot's Journey

What can you learn from a year of flying?

My intent this year was to focus on the fundamentals of paragliding: Launches, landings, and basic wing management in the sky. Here's how that worked out:

Article by Nik Hawks

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The helmet question

12/29/2018

14 Comments

There’s nothing like being in the market for a helmet to have everyone you meet mention, “Well, when you buy one, let me know what you got.”

I got into the market after slamming into a mountain and cracking my helmet in the crash. Cracking a modern helmet is not easy, and it made picking out my second helmet a far more serious affair than when I bought my first.

Article by Nik Hawks

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Annual 2019 SDHGPA Membership Renewal is now open

12/10/2018

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SDHGPA Annual 2019 Membership Renewal is open for the 2019 Calendar Year!

Now is the Time to renew as All 2018 memberships expire on Dec 31st.

If you have not renewed for the 2019 calendar year, please renew at:
https://www.sdhgpa.com/join-sdhgpa.html to continue all of your great membership benefits without a gap into the new year.

SDHGPA membership benefits:

Site & gate access to the following sites:
- Palomar
- Laguna
- Big Black
- Little Black
- Horse
Site Guide & News Updates to the above sites along with Blossom, Otay and other nearby sites.
SDHGPA Weather Stations with accurate current conditions at your favorite sites (more being added each year)
Quarterly Fly-ins

Great Meeting Topics & clinics throughout the year

Access to the Member Only section of the Website
- Local Pilot Roster & Contact Directory
- XC maps & way point files including the
- Master SDHGPA Google Earth Site Guide file
- Meeting notes & presentation materials
- Membership Card & Parking Pass re-printing
Helping to protect The Sites & Landowners by carrying Site Landowners as Additional Insured to the USHPA Chapter policies for the following sites: Palomar, Laguna, Big Black, Little Black, Horse, Blossom.
Site Maintenance for all of the above sites (depending on permissions negotiated) that includes Windsocks, Outhouses at Palomar Launch & LZ, Mowing, & other launch & LZ surface maintenance from erosion & other.
Plus More!

You can check Current Membership Status under the Membership menu.

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GATE CODES CHANGING - 2019

12/10/2018

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Notice: Palomar & Laguna Gate Codes will be changing to the 2019 Combo by the end of January.

All Gate Codes are available in the Member Only Section

2019 Gate code for Laguna and Palomar gates is: XXXX (will be updated mid Jan)

Reminder: All 2018 Annual (calendar year) memberships expire on Dec 31st.

For 2019 Site & Gate access: Join or Renew SDHGPA Membership if you have not already done so for the 2019 calendar year.

Site Gate Codes are only provided to Annual Members after Membership Verification and may take several weeks to process. If you desire immediate site gate access, Please Fly with current local active Annual Member Pilots for site access and site briefings. Visiting pilots can only gain gate access with a Full Member guide present.
Annual Members will receive a separate email after verification on how to access the Member Only section of the website and receive current gate codes.

Plus you get all the other great SDHGPA membership benefits:

Site & gate access to the following sites:
- Palomar
- Laguna
- Big Black
- Little Black
- Horse
Site Guide & News Updates
SDHGPA Weather Stations with accurate current conditions at your favorite sites (more being added each year)
Quarterly Fly-ins

Great Meeting Topics & clinics throughout the year

Access to the Member Only section of the Website
- Local Pilot Roster & Contact Directory
- XC maps & way point files
- Master SDHGPA Google Earth Site Guide file
- Meeting notes & presentation materials
- Membership Card & Parking Pass re-printing
Helping to protect The Sites & Landowners by carrying Site Landowners as Additional Insured to the USHPA policies for the following sites: Palomar, Laguna, Big Black, Little Black, Horse, Blossom.
Site Maintenance for all of the above sites (depending on permissions negotiated) that includes Windsocks, Outhouses at Palomar Launch & LZ, Mowing, & other launch & LZ surface maintenance from erosion & other.

You can check Current Membership Status under the Membership menu.

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Understanding USA Airspace for Paraglider, Hang Glider pilots

11/20/2018

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This is a great overview of how Airspace effects us as HG & PG pilots:

Understanding USA Airspace for Paraglider, Hang Glider and Ultralight pilots

A big thank you to Ty Gunnlaugsson out of Colorado for putting this together!

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USHPA Film Festival - San Diego

11/16/2018

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SDHGPA will be hosting the
USHPA 2018 Film Festival November 17th!

Location: Palomar Main LZ

Please RSVP

Film Fest & Fly-in RSVP

The San Diego Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association presents the 2018 USHPA Free Flight Film Festival, featuring five new films showcasing hang gliding, paragliding, and adventure travel in the US. The two-hour showing will be held at on November 17th at The Palomar Main LZ starting at 5:30pm with Fly-in & BBQ before. The amazing visuals and compelling stories are sure to appeal to all audiences – pilots and non-pilots alike.

“The USHPA Free Flight Film Festival showcases the best hang gliding and paragliding has to offer, from imagery captured utilizing a Cineflex camera stabilization system mounted to a helicopter, to a first-person GoPro masterpiece shot by professional pilots,” said Martin Palmaz, Executive Director of USHPA. “This festival highlights the heart of hang gliding and paragliding, from projects working with communities, to flying and camping over vast mountain ranges, to aerobatics, to a lone falconer and his pursuit of the perfect flight. There is something for everyone.”

Films included in the 2018 Film Festival showing:

Building Dreams
Inspired
Maters, Misfits of Moab
The Perfect Flight
North Of Known

Hang gliding and paragliding are a combination of adventure sport and aviation. Pilots fly light and non-motorized foot-launch aircraft both recreationally and competitively. Hang gliding pilots hang prone in a harness, suspended from the airframe, and exercise control by shifting their body weight. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminum alloy frame covered with synthetic sailcloth to form a wing. Paragliding pilots fly lightweight aircraft that have no rigid primary structure and resemble elliptical parachutes. The pilot sits in a harness suspended below a fabric wing that is comprised of a large number of interconnected baffled cells. Hang gliders and paragliders can travel hundreds of miles on rising columns of air, called thermals, soar for hours in the wind pushed upward by coastal terrain, or simply fly down from a mountain in calm, still, air.

Event & Site Location : Palomar Main LZ
(SDHGPA Palomar Main LZ - Roberts Ranch, 15482 CA-76, Pauma Valley, CA 92061) (map)

When: Rough Schedule
9:00am - Start Meeting in Main LZ for BBQ set-up and dropping off supplies.
10:30 - 3pm Carpooling to launch: Many will be coming out later in the day. Please try to wait for others and carpool up to launch from the LZ to minimize number of cars on launch.
We expect it to be flyable until dusk. See forecast to be updated below.
11:30 - Peak Heating
BBQ will start as people start to land.
4:46 - Sunset
~5:00 November General Club Meeting
5:30 ~ Film Festival Start

SDHGPA Membership is Required to fly Palomar.
This event is Free to SDHGPA Annual Members, & SDHGPA Visiting Pilot Members
+ side dish Potluck item & BYOB: so plan to bring an appetizer, side dish, salad, or dessert to share.
Non Flying Guests: $5 Donation for the BBQ main course.
Remember to bring a beach chair for the film

For detailed Site info, see the Palomar Site Guide
If you haven't flown Palomar before or checked out the site guide this month for updates, please read the site guide prior to arrival. It may save you from landing in a burial ground or from wandering into rotor, or it may even help make your flight epic!

Cost:
Free to SDHGPA Members & $5/ non flying guest BBQ donation is appreciated
SDHGPA Membership is required to participate in the Fly-in at Palomar and covers the BBQ.

Any new (late) Annual Memberships joining for the Fly-in will be rolled over into a 2019 Annual Membership as an added bonus.
(Full Annual Membership, or Visiting Pilot membership is valid for this event. For non flying guests, a $5/ person BBQ donation is appreciated)

Note that all Cars must have a parking pass in the LZ & Launch (& no parking out on the road).
Please take care of Memberships and print parking passes before driving out if not current.
All memberships are on line and easier with a strong connection. . .
To Check Current Membership Status

Weekend Mountain Flying Forecast

The forecast looks pretty good. It will be mostly sunny and comfortably warm, at least until the sun goes down. Wind will be out of the West at 7 mph. That is fine for PG pilots, but a little light for HG pilots to take off. I like at least 10 mph at the Palomar launch. However the thermal forecast is good, 450 fpm. Thermals will add to the general wind and will make for good take off cycles. Just be patient. Wind will be Westerly all over the county, so the wind aloft will be light Westerly. It should be possible to get to 5,000' around launch, and to 7,000' back at the towers.

On Sunday the wind goes East again. At Laguna wind will be moderate, 12 mph gusting to 18. The upper launch may be ok. Lift at 500 fpm will get to 7,000'. At Horse wind will be East all day. At the Palomar launch wind will be 6 mph from the WestSouthWest. But watch out, at ridge top the wind will be from the East, at least 10 mph.

Bill H.

from NOAA:
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 72. Light west wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Current Conditions on Launch

Please RSVP

RSVP Responses

ABOUT USHPA
The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (USHPA) is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to support sport flying in foot-launchable, unpowered soaring aircraft. USHPA develops, standardizes, and administers programs that foster and promote practices for safe flying. USHPA maintains a working relationship with the FAA and other regulatory organizations to ensure continued access to airspace. The organization also maintains relationships with public and private entities to promote the procurement and maintenance of flying sites.

USHPA is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. For more information on hang gliding and paragliding, go to www.ushpa.org.

ABOUT SDHGPA
The San Diego Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (SDHGPA) is a hang gliding and paragliding club dedicated to the promotion and preservation of foot launched soaring (non motorized "free flight") in San Diego County. SDHGPA is a local chapter of the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, USHPA. We work collaboratively with land owners and governing agencies at the local level to keep our primary flying sites open by maintaining, insuring, purchasing, regulating, and monitoring our launch sites and landing zones. Our guiding principle is that all foot launched pilots of hang gliders and paragliders alike share common goals and interests best served by a united effort to promote flying safety, education, and good community relations in San Diego County. We support hang gliding and paragliding at the national level through the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (USHPA) and concurrent membership in that organization is the one and only club membership requirement.

History: The SDHGPA is the Oldest and Longest Running Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club and Organization in San Diego and Southern California originally organized in 1973.

For detailed Club History and History of motor-less Free Flight in San Diego that goes back to the 1930's, See: SDHGPA and San Diego Free Flight History.

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Meeting Minutes, News, & Articles

SDHGPA 2019 Election & Survey Results

SDHGPA Telegram Flight Planning Group

The 9 Points of control: groundhandling

VOTE, yo!

what I learned in 2018

The helmet question

Annual 2019 SDHGPA Membership Renewal is now open

GATE CODES CHANGING - 2019

Understanding USA Airspace for Paraglider, Hang Glider pilots

USHPA Film Festival - San Diego

SDHGPA

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