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Meeting Minutes, News, & Articles

SDHGPA "Free Flight Forever" Donation Matching

2/29/2016

3 Comments

 
3-29-2016 Update ​
THANKS TO ALL PILOTS:
The USHPA RRG initial minimum funding Goal Has Been Reached!
We Also Made Our full SDHGPA matching donation goal of 100 pilots and $10,000.00!

Thank you to all our members that donated so generously, to put SDHGPA into the Free Flight Forever Founders Circle.
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If you have not already donated, it is not too late to add your name to the list of donors!   

The money we raise above this initial minimum goal will be used to increase the RRG's initial capital, offset startup costs, and make it easier to gain approval from the insurance commission. This will make the RRG stronger and better able to protect our sites, schools, and members.
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Add SDHGPA as your Chapter Affiliation
​and SDHGPA will add $100 per new Donor!
Donate Now
If you have already made a donation and did not name SDHGPA as an Affiliation -
You can update your Chapter Affiliation , or privacy settings using this form:
Update Chapter Affiliation

1-27-2016
USHPA is getting close, But Let's drive this over the top!  
​The USHPA fundraising goal was set as a minimum. The more we raise, the lower our premiums will be.

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Add SDHGPA as your Chapter Affiliation
​and SDHGPA will match $100 of your tax deductible donation!

Free Flight as we know it it today is at risk and we will likely lose most of our Flying Sites in San Diego on March 1st if we do not rally to support USHPA's Free Flight Forever campaign. 

​Martin Palmaz on State of USHPA Insurance
Yes, this is a big deal.
​If we as USHPA members do not reach the , Free Flight Forever self insurance fund raising goals, and if USHPA is not able to reestablish insurance policies. We , SDHGPA members, will likely lose our ability to fly as we do today at Palomar, Big Black, Little Black, Laguna Upper Launch, Laguna Earthquake Valley LZ, Horse Anderson Field LZ.  All of these sites will all likely be closed starting March 1st of this year if we do nothing. 
What is SDHGPA doing about this big threat to our Flying Sites
The SDHGPA Board has met and we feel that this is as rainy day as it gets. The Board unanimously agreed to bleed down our SDHGPA reserve funds to help ensure that USHPA meets it's self insurance objectives. The following motion was passed unanimously:
SDHGPA will match $100 of each SDHGPA Member's "USHPA Free Flight Forever RRG Capitalization Fund" donations for those that donate naming SDHGPA as a Chapter Affiliation up $10K in total from SDHGPA reserve funds. ​​
That would make a total of at least 20K from SDHGPA.  This is about $80 per Annual Member that we had in 2015 if each member donated. It would be great if all members could donate, but unlikely; So we raised the SDHGPA Matching to $100 per member. ​

To Enable SDHGPA Free Flight Forever Donation Matching:
We need each and every SDHGPA Member to step up and help save our sites
Please consider increasing your donation to at least $100 to maximize SDHGPA Matching, or If you have not already done so, Please
​Donate to The Free Flight Forever Fund. ​​
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Donation Link

When Making your Donation, add SDHGPA as your Chapter Affiliation

If you have already made a donation and did not name SDHGPA as an Affiliation -
You can update your Chapter Affiliation using this form:
Update Chapter Affiliation
FAQ: Yes the SDHGPA match is retroactive. However, you will need to add an Chapter Affiliation if you did not list it. Early donations did not get the option of adding a Chapter Affiliation or sign up for the Donation level Shirt or Jacket. If you need to update your Chapter Affiliation, public/anonymous status and sign up for a shirt/jacket from previous donations, you can do that on this page: https://fs30.formsite.com/officeushpaaero/form25/index.html

Need more convincing on why it is so important?

Think of it as a cheap insurance policy that is tax deductible!
Would you consider driving down the road without auto insurance?  - Don't think so -

Open Letter from Bill Helliwell
Will you fly without USHPA insurance?
 
As you may know, First Flight Insurance Group will not renew the insurance policies that USHPA has with them when the policies expire at the end of February. Check out the USHPA web site and “Free Flight Forever” page for information.
 
You aren't an instructor, you don't to tandem flights. So you think you don't need insurance?
 
Some of our sites that we cover as additional insured will be gone; Big Black, Little Black, and quite likely Palomar. But you will still be able to fly at Otay, Blossom, Horse (without Anderson's field), Laguna (without the upper launch and the lz's at Butterfield and Earthquake Valley).

So what's the problem?
What if you cause injury to someone's property or, even worse, to someone's person?

That injured person may sue you. Are you prepared to cover the cost in money and time? That is what the USHPA pilot liability insurance takes care of. What if you are found liable? That could take a big chunk of what you have now and a chunk of whatever you make in the future. Your quality of life would be seriously reduced.
 
Such accidents are rare, but can be very costly. That is what insurance is for. Such accidents have happened. One example is from Washington. In the setup area a dust devil picked up a hang glider and slammed it into a spectator. The innocent bystander was paralyzed. USHPA insurance stepped in to defend the pilots and land owner. Without that insurance the spectator and family would come after every pilot at the site. Paragliders are not immune. A gust of wind at launch could haul the glider and pilot across the ground and into a spectator. The loaded lines could easily cause catastrophic cuts or worse. It could happen. Do you want to take the chance?
 
USHPA is working on a solution, essentially helping to form an insurance company to self-insure USHPA activities. The insurance company will provide the three types of insurance, pilot liability insurance, site insurance, and instructor insurance. Each of the three types will have its own premium schedule, requirements, and payouts. Governments require such companies, referred to as self insured or specifically a Risk Retention Group (RRG), to follow organizational laws. The one that matters to us is that the RRG must have two million dollars up front. That money is required to form the company, I guess just to be there in case there is a suit soon after the company is formed. In time each type of insurance the company offers will be self contained, no mingling of premiums between the three insurance policies.
 
To Make a Donation today:  https://www.ushpa.aero/donation_form-RRG.asp

If you have questions and want more information on the USHPA Insurance Issues See:
Free Flight Forever

3 Comments
Donald B. (Breck) Betts
1/25/2016 07:54:46 pm

This post is not meant to diminish the urgency of our current insurance problem. We pilots in California have laws that virtually immunize landowners from liability from our gliding activities, as long as we have not paid them in any way. California Civil Code 846 and Civil Code 831.7 have been on the books, and used in court, for many years.

Reply
Donald B. (Breck) Betts
1/25/2016 09:33:09 pm

oops, it is California Government Code 831.7, and CA Civil Code 846.

Reply
Steve Rohrbaugh link
1/26/2016 03:38:56 am

Thank you Breck,

Yes CA Civil Code 846 is yet one Layer protection for the land owner. We even have it posted on our web site under http://www.sdhgpa.com/permits.html

However, what we have negotiated for our Recreational Use at many of our sites is multiple layers of protection like layers of an onion. Even with all the layers of protection, getting land use for our Recreational activities is not an easy task and takes constant diligence to maintain. With just offering land owners and Agencies a single layer of protection it is unlikely that we would have very many of our sites. We always start with the codes, and then build from there.

Our Wavers, Personal Pilot Insurance, and Site Insurance Protection are those additional layers for more iron clad protection. The Site insurance is mostly for protection from 3rd party’s that may get involved. All of our Use Permits and Agreements are conditional based on all the layers of protection.

The cold reality is: If we as USHPA members do not reach the , Free Flight Forever self insurance fund raising goals, and if USHPA is not able to reestablish insurance policies. We, SDHGPA members, will likely lose sites. We will also not have Personal Pilot insurance to cover our damages we cause if we run into something or someone.

Steve Rohrbaugh
SDHGPA President
www.SDHGPA.com

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SDHGPA is a local chapter of 
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USHPA 
(United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association)
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