Sylmar Hang Gliding Association

Within the next few days you and other Region 3 pilots will be receiving a ballot in the mail. The ballot has two questions. The first asks if Bob Kuczewski should be recalled as Regional Director. The second asks who should complete his current term which ends December 2010.

There will be two names on the ballot for the second question, Bob and me.

For the past few weekends I have been hoping for a decent flying day at Sylmar. This first weekend in March has rain in the forecast just like so many past weekends. Before ballots are mailed I was hoping to be able to come to your site to fly and meet several of you in person. Nature has not cooperated up to now, and I will be traveling the next two weekends.

I make this post as a way to say hello.

I got back into hang gliding in 1988 at Sylmar with Joe Greblo's help. The last time I flew at Sylmar was in the early 1990's when there was an over-the-back fly-in to John Bylin's condominium complex. There are probably very few of those long ago pilots still flying at Sylmar. Jonathan Dietch has come to San Diego a couple of times and we have flown together. I have not asked him to endorse me or anything like that. If you know him you could ask him about me.

To learn a little about my thoughts about USHPA and Regional Directors please visit my website: http://tiny.cc/BillHelliwellR3RD

Why run for Regional Director now? Why not wait until the fall when the position Bob holds comes up for re-election? The reason is that Bob does not act the way I think a Regional Director should act, and can potentially do harm over the next several months. There are two main reasons for this opinion.

In a letter to the Mayor of San Diego Bob wrote: "Mayor Sanders, I believe you are ultimately responsible for the actions of the departments, boards, and employees under your management. I am therefore placing the responsibility for this lack of action by your departments on your desk. If this has simply been an innocent oversight, then I expect that it will be corrected quickly now that you are aware of the problem. Otherwise, I will be forced to conclude that this lack of action by your administration has been conducted with your direct knowledge and approval."

You can read the entire letter at http://recallbobk.com/ to help you decide if a person who interacts with government officials in this manner should be a Regional Director.

The second reason has to do with a threatened lawsuit by Bob. He has said "I will NOT say that I will NOT sue USHPA." You can read the entire post at http://sdhgpa.freeforums.org/ . Go to the politics section and find the topic "USHPA Board of Directors Job Description" and find Bob's post on Mon Dec 14,2009 7:59 pm

Also take a look at other forums, for example the OZReport Forum, where many postings have been made. With these rainy weekends we unfortunately have plenty of time to surf the internet. Decide for yourself if Bob should complete his term.

I definitely say: I will NEVER sue USHPA.

Hello Bill

We would love to have you come out and fly with us , bring some San Diego pilots with you ,when the weather gets better.

Peace

billhelliwell wrote:Why run for Regional Director now?

Actually, this question has two directions:

Future: Why don't you run in the fall (instead of now)?
Past: Why didn't you run against David Jebb for the 10 years he was RD (instead of now)?

Both questions are telling.

billhelliwell wrote:Why not wait until the fall when the position Bob holds comes up for re-election? The reason is that Bob does not act the way I think a Regional Director should act, ...

Are you saying that Jebb DID act the way you thought an RD should act? For 10 years you watched what happened at Torrey and you did nothing. You were on the Board of the SDHGPA much of that time and you surely knew the problems there, but you did nothing. You didn't recommend that the SDHGPA look into the unjust banning of pilots with no written reason. You did absolutely nothing. In fact, if you had done your job on the SDHGPA and worked to resolve these matters, they would not have bubbled up to the national level and I would not even be a Director in the first place. It was your own unwillingness to stand up for pilots that allowed Jebb to abuse his own Directorship for so long. And now you want to take my place because I'm doing on the national level what you refused to do on the local level?

billhelliwell wrote:..., and [Bob] can potentially do harm over the next several months.

What specific harm are you accusing me of "potentially" doing Bill? Please be more specific rather than just creating fear, uncertainty, and doubt.

billhelliwell wrote:In a letter to the Mayor of San Diego Bob wrote: "Mayor Sanders, I believe you are ultimately responsible for the actions of the departments, boards, and employees under your management. I am therefore placing the responsibility for this lack of action by your departments on your desk. If this has simply been an innocent oversight, then I expect that it will be corrected quickly now that you are aware of the problem. Otherwise, I will be forced to conclude that this lack of action by your administration has been conducted with your direct knowledge and approval."

First of all Bill, I wrote that letter AS A PILOT BEFORE I was elected as Regional Director. So any implication that I wrote that letter as part of my duties as Director are incorrect. Furthermore, after combing through 3 years of my (admittedly long) email messages, is that the best evidence you have of me "potentially" doing harm? A letter that I wrote before being Director? Is that your best shot? Is that what motivated you to cost USHPA nearly $10,000 to get me out of office a few months early? Does that showcase your decision processes Bill?

Second, you may not understand how the City of San Diego operates under the new "Strong Mayor" form of government, but the Mayor's office is ultimately responsible for the operation of the Park department which was NOT properly overseeing the operation of the Gliderport on the Torrey Pines City Park property. I had every right to make the Mayor aware of these problems and to hold him accountable. What was your solution? Maybe you forgot that I wrote that letter after YOU (as a Board member of the SDHGPA) did nothing!!! I tried to work through the SDHGPA/Soaring Council to get resolution for bans at Torrey, but the SDHGPA (and you) did nothing. Will that be your approach to problems on the national level? Will you just ignore pilots who are being mistreated until they have no other recourse than go to the FAA? Is that your national strategy as well?

I'm sorry Bill, but the SDHGPA (and YOU) dropped the ball at Torrey. You let Jebb get away with whatever he wanted for at least 10 years, and you didn't challenge him once. I finally stood up to Jebb and now you want me removed from office. What does that say about you and the people behind your candidacy?

billhelliwell wrote:The second reason has to do with a threatened lawsuit by Bob. He has said "I will NOT say that I will NOT sue USHPA." You can read the entire post at http://sdhgpa.freeforums.org/ . Go to the politics section and find the topic "USHPA Board of Directors Job Description" and find Bob's post on Mon Dec 14,2009 7:59 pm

Also take a look at other forums, for example the OZReport Forum, where many postings have been made. With these rainy weekends we unfortunately have plenty of time to surf the internet. Decide for yourself if Bob should complete his term.

I definitely say: I will NEVER sue USHPA.

As someone pointed out, for you to make a statement like that is irresponsible in itself. There are clearly things that USHPA can do that rise to the level of a lawsuit. For you to swear that you will NEVER use the tool of the courts demonstrates your naive approach to this organization and its ongoing problems.

Now I don't take legal action lightly, and I can definitely say: "I have NEVER sued USHPA" (please cite any references if you disagree). But when I thought USHPA was breaking the law (and I still do), I hired my own attorney out of my own pocket to advise USHPA that they were wrong. Do you have a problem with that Bill?

For everyone else,

The bottom line here is that Bill Helliwell was recruited by David Jebb's sore losers club. Mark Forbes even admits that people were asking about how to recall Directors the day after I was elected (before I even took office). This election itself is costing the Association nearly $10,000 of our money. Just think what that kind of contribution to a site like Sylmar could accomplish. It only takes 10% of a Region to FORCE USHPA to spend that money. If this recall succeeds it will send a message to the unhappy 10%'s of every Region that they can similarly FORCE USHPA to spend our Association's money on frivolous recalls. I am up for re-election later this same year. If Bill wanted to be RD for the last 10 years he could have run against David Jebb (he didn't). If he wants to be RD in 2011, he can run in this year's process. But to join in a recall just to punish me is a sad waste of USHPA's resources.

Finally, when it comes to spending USHPA's money, I've been like a miser. I spent my own money to challenge the EC. They could have just allowed Directors to attend their meetings and left your money alone. But instead, THEY chose to spend YOUR money trying to keep Directors out of their meetings. Did you authorize that? Also when it comes to expenses, Directors are allowed to file for travel reimbursement with USHPA for attending Board meetings (including some pretty nice hotel accommodations). I have chosen to NOT file for ANY of my expenses because again, it's YOUR money and I have always respected that. Yet Bill Helliwell comes along and spends $10,000 to hold an election in the spring that will be held again anyway later that same year!! If Bill were really "walking the walk", he would have declined to run in this recall election and instead have waited until the normal election cycle as I did with David Jebb. Bill's own actions contradict himself.

Please don't reward this kind of behavior. If you want another Director, fine, please vote me out this fall. But please don't participate in starting a string of "recall wars" just so the "I hate Bob" club can say I was the first Director to ever be recalled from USHPA.

Thanks.

To my friends and acquaintances at the SHGA: forgive me this. There is only so much I offal I can stand to sniff. I promise, after this, I'm back on the silence-is-golden wagon...

Bob, you're very, very intelligent; that's apparent in your writing, your private success and your organization. So it must be a tumor or hormonal imbalance that causes your outbursts and moronic behavior. I can only be grateful that in the years I was out of the sport, Joe Greblo was minding the store instead of you. If he had written letters as a private citizen-pilot that threatened an elected official as you admit and then became a representative of the local club (or national), we'd all be flying at Crestline.

You don't seem to know anyway to deal with anyone that disagrees or threatens you (are you that insecure that disagreement is a threat to you?) that doesn't involve an attack. Your interminable blathering is ample documentation of that weakness.

You have driven yourself into a corner and made yourself a pariah at the organization to which we elected you to represent us. You are now useless. If you were really serious about saving the USHPA money (us, that is), you would have resigned.

Eliot Spitzer knew when he was done. You hiring high priced escorts would only improve your standing.

I can't name anyone else that I have ever (really, ever) met that I thought I liked that could turn me against him so quickly as you have by your own actions. I keep thinking that if I ever see you at Kagel again (when this mess is over, one way or another) that I could still find away to befriend you. However, I remember now that absence behind your eyes, the dead eyes of a true believer (in whatever YOU happen to believe), the eyes of a fanatic and I can truly say that I don't think I could be near you without laughing in your face as soon as you open your mouth. You are a self-inflated caricature of seriousness. I can't type because I'm about to have a laughing fit.

JT... Robin at Torrey. Never met you but love your posts! They're so right on the money. I laughed so much just about pissed myself. JT, you get a free pass whenever you show up! Hope to meet you soon. If you only knew half the truth about Bob...
It's amazing the way he can distort anyone's views; posting or not. Bob, since your such an expert and seem to know everything about Torrey issues, I have 10 questions for you. I'm busy so please keep your replies as short as possible. OK Bob, question #1: How did you come to change the right of way rules for tandems at Torrey? I look forward to your answer Bob, and any questions other pilots may have. Blue skies,Robin Wind WNW 15-25+ gotta fly!!!!

Alright Robin,

I'll play 20 questions with you, and we'll see if you'll stick around for the tough ones...

You asked how I got the right of way rules changed at Torrey. For those at Sylmar who might not know this topic, I'll fill them in...

The Torrey concessionaire (that would be David Jebb) enforced a rule that Tandem pilots could violate the normal "pass on the right" conventions at Torrey. All solo pilots had to give up the ridge to tandem pilots ALL the time. That was great for the concession because they could fly their pa$$engers in light conditions and stay in the best lift - often sending solo pilots to the beach. This was not only a piggish practice, but it was dangerous since it was difficult to tell from head-on when you were approaching a tandem or not - resulting in having to make a last minute decision of whether to pass to the left or the right. You could imagine having to weave in and out through a sequence of tandem, solo, tandem, solo pilots. It was insanity - and very unsafe.

Yet Jebb did it that way for years, and I don't recall Robin objecting once - not once (please correct me if I'm wrong here Robin).

So in December of 2008, I won Jebb's Directorship and David Jebb mostly disappeared. I was told that Robin was in charge right then. If this had been a burning issue with Robin, do you think he might have changed it in December? No. January? No. How about February? Nope, not then either.

It wasn't until there was an accident attributed to this practice that Robin finally relented and changed that rule in March of last year.

So what does that have to do with me - or to ask Robin's question - what did I have to do with that?

It doesn't take a genius to see that the Torrey concessionaire had gotten away with whatever they wanted for years (tandem right of way rules, students landing on the beach while others are punished, kicking Beardslee out for life with no reason, pulling up Ken's favorite tie downs, bait and switch of paragliding for hang gliding...). The SDHGPA just let it all happen. That includes Bill Helliwell who was on the Board for many of those years. Then along comes the Torrey Hawks. Suddenly, there's someone watching what's going on at Torrey. There's a spotlight being shined. There are pilots actually voting in unprecedented numbers. Suddenly, the Torrey concession is under the microscope. But still Robin clung to his tandem right of way rule. And I'll bet he would still be clinging to it if it weren't for two things - the Hawks and the accident. It's important to recognize that BOTH of those elements had to be present for this rule to get changed. The accident alone would not have gotten the scrutiny that it did unless the forces for change were already assembled. Who knows how many accidents (or close calls) were due to this piggish rule? And yet it was never changed until the Hawks came along. You can do the math. So while the Hawks did not directly step in and make that change, I believe it was the pressure of their scrutiny that caused the rule to be changed. I would also credit discussions on hanggliding.org and possibly other forums - often by vocal Hawks members - for "rasing the heat" on this issue. But again, many of those discussions were sparked by the Torrey Hawks finally raising the awareness of pilots around the country about the abusive practices at Torrey.

OK, Robin. I answered your question, now how about if you answer mine...

Will you ...

1) Open Torrey to H3's with a windy cliff launch sign-off in safe conditions?
2) Open Torrey to all qualified instructors who pay their day use fee?
3) Open Torrey to all qualified tandem pilots who pay the $25 "tandem" fee?
4) Establish a due-process system for pilots being banned or punished?
5) Issue a written recommendation to add the Hawks to the Soaring Council as a watchdog group over the Gliderport?

I look forward to your answers Robin.

Sincerely,
Bob Kuczewski

RJM wrote:JT... Robin at Torrey. Never met you but love your posts! They're so right on the money. I laughed so much just about pissed myself. JT, you get a free pass whenever you show up! Hope to meet you soon. If you only knew half the truth about Bob...
It's amazing the way he can distort anyone's views; posting or not. Bob, since your such an expert and seem to know everything about Torrey issues, I have 10 questions for you. I'm busy so please keep your replies as short as possible. OK Bob, question #1: How did you come to change the right of way rules for tandems at Torrey? I look forward to your answer Bob, and any questions other pilots may have. Blue skies,Robin Wind WNW 15-25+ gotta fly!!!!

JT wrote:I promise, after this, I'm back on the silence-is-golden wagon...

JT,

I'd generally respond to your comments, but I'd rather not divert anyone's attention from patiently awaiting Robin's reply. So you get the last word on this, and I'll trust you to keep your promise. Thanks.

Robin? We're waiting for an answer...

Bob Kuczewski

What you mean we, white man?

Tom I hope it doesn't become a racial issue .Bob those people who are against you no amount of writing will convince them otherwise, I can probably try to talk to JT but I think he made it perfectly clear that he won't vote for you.Bob I'm still voting for you even though I disagree the way you handle some of the problems but that's exactly the reason why I'm not in politics, in politics you got to have patience,time, be reasonable, be able to negotiate with the opposition and you got to be able to kiss ass the last part I'm really not good at kissing ass .So Bob don't worry you still have many supporters in sylmar like Oscary, Bobby, Richie, Donnie, Jonathaee, and many more.

Wow Bob that’s keeping it short!
Well it’s obvious that you take credit for something you have nothing to do with.
You keep on about Dave Jebb. Officially, I took over in Jan 2009 and had a lot going on the first few months.
As far as changing the rule I really hadn’t thought about it until the accident. I was on the radio that day with the student and saw what happened. Despite another pilots point of view the tandem had nothing to do with this accident. Even the pilot involved in the accident agreed that the tandem had nothing to do with it. However, a lot was brought up about the said incident and the right of way rules. That evening I talked to Brad Hall and decided to make the change and go back to International right of way rules. So again Bob, you and the Torrey Hawks had nothing to do with the rule change. It was I alone who made that change after a discussion with Brad. That finalized my decision.

I’m said 10 questions not 20. Bob, please one questions at a time.

What is your first question?

Robin.....Bob has given you five already

OK, Robin. I answered your question, now how about if you answer mine...

Will you ...

1) Open Torrey to H3's with a windy cliff launch sign-off in safe conditions?
2) Open Torrey to all qualified instructors who pay their day use fee?
3) Open Torrey to all qualified tandem pilots who pay the $25 "tandem" fee?
4) Establish a due-process system for pilots being banned or punished?
5) Issue a written recommendation to add the Hawks to the Soaring Council as a watchdog group over the Gliderport?

I my self as a high hour H-3 would love to know the answer. please start with #1 Bob will sure be back to answer your second question.(quid pro quo)

Hello adamwn 2000. How are things up in Lancaster? That's easy, all you have to do is call Steve Stackable. Steve is our HG guy. He has helped many H3 pilots get a H4 rating. Ask Bob, 1 of his customers. Give him a call. 858-452-9858 It was epic today + tomorrow looks good too! Robin .

Sorry, double post..

Robin Marien wrote:You keep on about Dave Jebb. Officially, I took over in Jan 2009 and had a lot going on the first few months.

You had so much going on that you couldn't change the tandem right of way rule? You didn't have time to say "Hey guys, we're all going to follow the same international right-of-way rules from now own."? That was too time consuming?

Robin Marien wrote:As far as changing the rule I really hadn’t thought about it until the accident.

Just so everyone is clear ... exactly how long have you been flying tandems at Torrey? And how long has that rule been in effect? In all that time it never dawned on you that it might be dangerous rule?

But if those questions are too much trouble to answer, please skip ahead to Adam's question of interest...

Will you ... (1) Open Torrey to H3's with a windy cliff launch sign-off in safe conditions?

That's a pretty easy "yes" or "no" question. Come to think of it, all of my 5 questions were pretty much "yes" or "no", so there's not a lot of typing involved.

Again, I'm looking forward to your answers. Oh, and where's Bill? He wants to be RD, but he doesn't have a comment on these issues either?

Wait a minute, it's coming back to me now. Robin has Bill Helliwell's campaign literature displayed prominently on the counter at Torrey. I wonder how that happened?

Robin,

Maybe you're confused here. We're not talking about an "H4 Program". We're talking about real H3's being able to fly at Torrey with the appropriate demonstration of skills to any instructor who is qualified to issue an appropriate rating and special skill endorsement.

Does that help clear up the question?

RJM wrote:Hello adamwn 2000 how,s things up in Lancaster?Thats easy,all you have to do is call Steve Stackable.Steves are HG guy.He has helped many H3 pilots get a H4 rating.Ask Bob ,1 of his customers.Give him a call.858-452-9858 It was epic today + tommorow looks good too! Robin .

Thanks Robin, I will give Steve a call. What I'm looking for is a place to get flights and maybe some sign-offs that is closer than Funston and not going to cost me an arm and a leg. Ill wait for Joe Greblo to sign me off for the H-4 as he knows my abilities more than any other instructor. And the chance to log flights at a world famous site would be awesome.


Second Sunday this weekend at Torry. If weather is good could be my first trip down there. Anyone else want to go and take over Torry for a day? I have room in my truck for four pilots. Oscar??????????

adamwn2000 at yahoo dot com

Adam come on down with all your buds any time! I look forward to meeting you and everybody.Got to go winds blowing 20 to 30? solid. Robin

Please let me offer my views on this. Neither Robin nor David Jebb had anything to do with the city of San Diego imposing a hang 4 requirement for hang gliders at Torrey. This was done more than 35 years ago, and after many accidents and injuries.

It may be that asking Robin to reduce this requirement would be like asking the president of the Yosemite Hang Gliding Association to reduce the rating requirement at Yosemite from a Hang 4 to a Hang 3. Even if we agreed that flying off of Glacier Point at 9 a.m. in the morning was pretty darn safe, it doesn't mean that the National Park Service is going to agree and relax their long held rules and regulations.

Flying sites on significant public lands, that have many different groups competing for use rights, are often constrained with regulations that may seem overly restrictive.

Consider this. The legal counsel of the city of Los Angeles has required professional supervision, a hang 3 rating and a $5 million dollar insurance policy, as a condition to fly the dinky 30 ft. tall sand dune at Dockweiller Beach. And you know what, I'm just happy to be there after the 13 year battle it took to get them to allow any hang gliding at all.

Torrey is a very complex flying site, given the relatively narrow lift band, the incredible volume of air traffic, the park operator's flight management responsibilities, the different types of flight vehicles, the variety of winds and how they affect affect launching, flying, andd top landing approach safety, spectator safety, the liability held by the city, the cost of the commercial liability insurance policy that the concessionaire must pay for (well in excess of $10,000. per year), and the relationship between accidents and insurance premiums.

It's real easy to wish it were a Hang 3 site, but truthfully, the challenges and obstacles that would need to be overcome to allow hang 3's to safely fly there, are quite significant. Allowing Hang 3's to fly there without adequately addressing all of these challenges would be one of the quickest ways to permanently lose this valuable flying site.

So instead of naive and emotional demands to make Torrey a hang 3 site, how about a discussion on these obstacles and how they might be overcome. And, instead of making the concessionaire the enemy, how about thanking him for investing thousands of dollars of his time and money to keep this flying site open and accessible.

Thanks for listening,
Joe

Totally agree with you Joe.


Allen

Thank you Joe for that insightful correct post. $10.000 does not even cover the (down) payment! As for you Bob, It's sad how you take something somebody has done positive and turn it around like they did something wrong. Yes Bob, I did tandems for Dave for 10 years, but I didn't make that rule, I changed it! As for changing Torrey to a H3 site, see Joe's or Brad's original post on that subject. I can also correct you on the Dave Beardsly situation that you go on about if you like. Sorry, that's it for now, got to go flying. Robin