US Hawks Hang Gliding Association

Is there any detailed information or a documentary as to why USHGA moved to Colorado?


It says here:
http://www.ushpa.aero/aboutus.asp

The USHPA is private, voluntary membership, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, incorporated as a California corporation but doing business in Colorado.

The USHPA began as the Southern California Hang Gliding Association in 1971 and shortly afterwards, on December 18, 1973, became the United States Hang Gliding Association (USHGA), headquarted in southern California. It was incorporated in March of 1974. In 1989, the Association was moved from Southern California to its present home in Colorado Springs, CO and in 2006, became the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (USHPA).

Doug

The answer can be found in the issues of Hang Gliding Magazine in the year of the move 1989, January and May editions.

The short answer is the organization needed to cut costs and save money.

Here a few excerpts from the President of the USHGA Russ Locke's articles:

Hang Gliding January 1989
Two years prior Board of Dictectors approved our Executive Director’s request to relocate the office from Los Angeles to Antelope Valley area for short-term savings.
“committee made up of Joe Greblo, Dan Johnson, Gregg Lawless, Russ Locke, Mike Meier, and Jim Zeiset evaluated information about the move to several cities.”

Hang Gliding May 1989
“large metropolitan areas are relatively expensive to operate in . . . . .”
“We need to locate our headquarters in a place where we can operate as inexpensively as possible, . . .”

I hope this helps answer your question.

Michael Grisham

Hi Mike,
I think it was Katherine Aherns who came up to Independence representing the USHGA when I offered them the XCPA headquarters in 1987.



I was paying $50 per month. That may have been too steep. I never heard back. Just ended up letting it go. That's Jim Zeiset's van.



Here you are helping me put up the map wall.

RickMasters wrote: That may have been too steep.

Too Funny, I remember the wall and painting the trim.

I remember the wall and painting the trim.

Yeah. I was like Tom Sawyer painting the fence. Got the townspeople and the visiting hang glider pilots to paint the whole thing. It looked great! Do you remember all the international flags flying from the roof? Wish I had a photo of that.