I've been a little quiet about this topic, and now I'd like to fill everyone in ...
Dennis Duvall is one of those rare people who does a good job keeping in touch with his friends (a skill that I too often lack). Dennis is also one of those rare people who is a man of action.
Dennis contacted me back in February, and told me that he'd been talking to former USHPA Director Dan DeWeese about finding a way for me to fly my local sites again (Crestline, Sylmar, Torrey, and Dockweiler - on days that the business is open). Dennis told me that Dan would be willing to sell me a "30 Day USHPA Membership" to do so.
So I called Dan, and sure enough, he said he didn't see any reason why I shouldn't be able to fly. I reminded him of my expulsion because it was never my intent to be deceptive. I also made it clear that USHPA might retaliate against him. Dan replied that he'd never been told that he couldn't sell me a temporary membership and he was fine with it.
So I planned a trip to fly at Dockweiler with Joe Faust (one of the best people I've ever met in hang gliding or paragliding), and Joe and I met with Dan up in the Los Angeles area to purchase the membership. I didn't want Dan to get into anything he wasn't intending, so I again reminded him that USHPA would probably not like it. That's when Dan said that he just wanted me to use it to fly and not to cause trouble. I told him that I would just present it at sites and be low key. I also let Dan know that if I went to Torrey to fly, that
they would probably create quite a bit of "drama" not of my making. Dan said that was fine as long as it was
them creating the "drama" and not me. We both agreed, and Dan sold me the membership.
When I bought the membership at the end of February, I was hoping to use it at sites like Crestline, Sylmar, Dockweiler, and possibly Torrey. I was hesitant about Torrey because I knew they would create the "drama" that Dan didn't want to see. Dan had certainly stuck his neck out, and I didn't want to "reward" him by stepping on it. So while I drove to work throughout February and March within walking distance of Torrey, I never ended up asserting my right to fly there. The subsequent deaths at Torrey, my presentations to the City Council, demands at work, the coldness of mountain flying at that time, and my promise to not create "drama" all contributed to me not making more use of the membership.
As it turns out, the only place I actually used the membership was to fly at Dockweiler during the days when the business was open. Andy Beem was surprised, but he was fine with it. That explains my earlier thanks to Dennis, Dan, Andy, and Joe. They each played a role.
Dan had seemed agreeable to selling me additional memberships, but I figured USHPA would put a stop to it before too long. Since the first one would run out near the end of March, I figured I'd wait just long enough for the second one to overlap with our planned Otto Meet on May 19th and 20th. That would let me fly both Sunday and Monday. So I began trying to contact Dan a few days ago (just within 30 days of the Otto Meet). Earlier today (April 27th, 2019) I got a text back from Dan:
Dan wrote:i was instructed by hq not to issue bobk any more temps..
It wasn't unexpected. USHPA's expulsion was 100% vindictive. It was clear retaliation for my testimony in the Shannon Hamby case, and it had nothing to do with whether I was a skilled and safe pilot or not. It was just a way to broadcast the message:
TESTIFY IN COURT = LOSE YOUR ABILITY TO FLYIt's the closest I've ever been to an organized crime racket. USHPA's entire house of cards depends on their ability to frighten everyone in the sport from testifying in court. They can't allow even the tiniest crack in that house of cards or it will all come tumbling down.
So that's the story behind this somewhat mysterious topic. Dennis Duvall is a hero (and a darned good friend) for making this happen. Dan DeWeese is a hero for sticking his neck out. I honored Dan's kindness by not taking actions (like flying at Torrey) that might have caused him any undue trouble. Andy Beem did right by honoring the card at face value. And Joe Faust will always be my hero for helping me every step of the way.
Thanks to you all.
Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2019 2:14 am
