I'd like to share an open letter by Frank Colver that he's emailed to his flying friends and posted on the U.S. Hawks web site at:
http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2851
Here's Frank's letter:
Please help pass this on to other pilots and other forums. Thanks.Frank Colver wrote: Hi hang glider folks, from Frank Colver.
I’ve finally put together an e-list of hang glider people, mostly vintage HG oriented, to make a couple of announcements. This first one is about our new ability to fly at Dockweiler Beach without any insurance or private club memberships required.
Through the considerable efforts of Bob Kuczewski with some additional help from Joe Faust and myself, recreational hang gliding is now allowed at the Dockweiler site without needing to belong to USHPA or any other org. The agreement with the LA County Dept., of Beaches and Harbors allows us to fly there (no PG’s) without any liability insurance requirement, on the days when the concessionaire, Windsports Flight School, is closed. At the present time, those days are Monday and Tuesday. The only requirement to fly is a liability waiver signed by the pilot and approved by the LA Dept., of Beaches and Harbors.
I have put the county’s waiver form into my dropbox and you should be able to download it from there. I suggest that any of you who think there is even the slightest possibility that you would someday fly at Dockweiler, under these conditions, download the form to your computer, print it, sign all the places required, and mail it to the LA County Dept., of Beaches and Harbors to the attention of Amir (his name is shown on the form). Here is my Dropbox link:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yultargugyoh ... sW5ja?dl=0
For those of you who are not hang gliding anymore this is an excellent way to enjoy some minimal flying again in perhaps the safest location possible. I got back in 3 years ago and I am now flying there as much as I can at age 82 (close to 83). Joe Faust, Bob K, Ed Vasquez and myself are often there on a Monday or Tuesday and we do let others fly our gliders (with an additional liability release to us, for loan of our equipment). If you plan to come out there, contact one of us to find out if we will be there, especially if you need a glider to fly. I have a Condor 330 and a Condor 225 and I usually bring one or the other depending on the wind forecast. Joe Faust will soon be the new owner of my excellent WW Alpha 210 also.
This is an example of how more flying sites should be opened without an expensive need to join an organization which you may not be able, or want, to join for their insurance. The liability laws of many states now allow land owners to be free of liability for recreational use of their land, if they don’t charge for the use. This is especially true for government agencies which have even greater protections. With this as a start, the hang gliding community needs to work toward opening more sites to truly free recreational hang gliding (like it was in the beginning). This should be a top priority for USHPA!
Please pass this on to anyone you think I should have included, in this mailing.
I hope to see you all at Dockweiler Beach one of these days.
Frank