USHPA Member Handbook

To All New and Renewing Members:

On behalf of the entire USHPA and our office staff, thank you for your support of our national organization. The USHPA is made up solely of people like yourself who have created this organization, centralizing our efforts to promote the sports of hang gliding and paragliding. All of the programs of the USHPA are designed to increase our resource base or to directly help us realize our objectives.

Upon receipt of your approved Membership Application form, fully paid annual membership dues and original signed copy of the most recent USHPA Release, Waiver and Assumption of Risk Agreement, your membership with the USHPA will begin and your subscription to Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine will start with the next issue. All other membership benefits begin at the same time and conclude with the expiration date on your membership card.

Sincerely,
Rich Hass
USHPA President

Table of Contents

• History of USHPA
• Introduction
• USHPA Headquarters
• Membership/Subscription Fees
• Membership Benefits
• Change of Address
• Magazine Mailing
• Voluntary Contributions
• USHPA Chapters
• Regions
• Awards
• National and World Hang Gliding Records
• U.S. World Teams
• Pilot Proficiency Program
• Tandem Exemption #4721
• Towing Exemption #4144
• Portable and Vehicular Radio Authorizations

Association History

The United States Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association began as the 3-member Peninsula Hang Glider Club in December of 1971, under the leadership of Dick Eipper. It soon attracted members from neighboring areas and early in 1972 became the Southern California Hang Glider Association. A monthly publication, Ground Skimmer, was started in May of 1972 as a newsletter for its members. It soon grew to be a comprehensive magazine, recording the history of the hang gliding movement as it happened, plus news of man-powered aircraft. By the end of 1973, the organization had become truly national in scope, so the members voted to change the name to the United States Hang Gliding Association. It has since become a California corporation, and in November of 1976, the name of the magazine was changed to Hang Gliding, which is published monthly. More recently in 2002, Hang Gliding and Paragliding magazines were combined and the resulting magazine was named Hang Gliding & Paragliding Magazine.

In 1988, the Association recognized a need to relocate the Association's headquarters office. A nation-wide search for a new home explored 20 cities. The selection was narrowed down to beautiful Colorado Springs, Colorado, where the Headquarters moved to in the spring of 1989. The office has moved three times within Colorado Springs and now occupies a building, owned by the Association, on the west side of the Springs.

In 2006, the issue was raised concerning the incorporation of paragliding as part of the name of the association and, after much thoughtful debate from both pro and ante, the membership voted to change the name again, this time, to the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association and adopting the acronym, USHPA as its moniker.

Introduction

The United States Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association, Inc. (USHPA) is a national organization. The primary purposes of the Association are to engage in the development, study and use of hang gliders & paragliders and the sport of hang gliding & paragliding; to make available and disseminate knowledge about hang gliders & paragliders and hang gliding & paragliding; to promote the organization of meets and competition for the flying of hang gliders & paragliders; to select pilots for national and international competition; to promote the training and rating of students interested in learning the art of hang gliding & paragliding; and to promote safety and safe flying practices. The USHPA sanctions, supervises and documents official hang gliding/paragliding competitions and record attempts in the U.S. The USHPA is also the sole authority in the U.S. to administer the hang gliding section of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) Sporting Code under the general supervision of the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) and in accordance with the policies of the FAI.

The Association is governed by a Board of 20 Regional Directors, elected by the members, and five Directors-at-Large, elected by the Regional Directors, which meet at least once a year to act on items and represent members in the region in which the Director resides. USHPA members are welcome to attend Board of Director meetings. Notice of dates and locations are published in the Calendar of Events section the Hang Gliding & Paragliding Magazine. Any member wishing to submit ideas, suggestions or criticisms should do so through their Regional Director or the Chairman of the USHPA committee to which the material relates.

The promotion of safety is a major concern of the United States Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association, Inc. USHPA officials strongly recommend that all persons interested in learning to fly, train with a Certified Instructor. Numerous schools, dealers and clubs offer classes through certified instruction. (The USHPA monitors a program for recertifying instructors. The program ensures that instructors keep current with new rules and regulations concerning safety, equipment & flying sites.) There are publications and manuals that will introduce you to the technical aspects of flying that can be obtained through USHPA Headquarters.

The Association offers the Pilot Proficiency Program (Part 104) to help pilots develop flying skills along proven lines of progression, and covers all expected levels of flying. This comprehensive set of ratings will serve to measure qualifications for pilots to fly various sites and enter competitions. The Part 104 is available from the USHPA Headquarters, or see our website: www.ushpa.aero.

USHPA offers Safe Pilot Awards as flight achievements.

USHPA sanctions a number of large competitive meets each year, including the yearly U.S. National Championships. Dates and locations are published in the Calendar of Events section of Hang Gliding & Paragliding Magazine.

USHPA Headquarters

USHPA Headquarters are located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Headquarters' office is managed by the Executive Director, and employs a staff of full and contracted personnel. The departments servicing its members are: Membership Services Coordination (includes cards, ratings, chapter, insurance, and other processing of paperwork), Office Coordination (including bookkeeping, advertising, merchandise, shipping, and contracts), System Administration (includes server and phone management, website maintenance, and staff & board meeting IT support), Program Management (includes support of the major program components of USHPA: awards, chapters/sites, competition, elections, instructors), and Communications Management (including marketing, multimedia development, website updates, internal & external communications, policy publication management, and board meeting facilitation).

Hang Gliding & Paragliding Magazine is published monthly. The Colorado Springs office and the Editor are jointly responsible for advertising content, material publication and magazine content accuracy.

Membership Types and Benefits

As a Full or Family Member of USHPA, you have benefit privileges as described in the Association's bylaws. Some of those privileges are a built-in subscription to Hang Gliding & Paragliding Magazine, voting in annual Regional Director elections and referenda Association votes, access to insurance programs such as third-party pilot liability and property damage insurance coverage (insurance does not cover foreign members if residing outside the U.S.A. and Canada, or when flying in Mexico) and instructor professional liability, ratings, awards, national and world hang gliding/paragliding record claims. Additionally, you have access to special programs such as a USHPA VISA Platinum Card and membership in the NAA.

As a subscriber, your benefit privileges are a subscription to Hang Gliding & Paragliding Magazine and participation in the special programs that USHPA offers, i.e. the USHPA Visa Platinum card Affinity Credit Card, NAA membership, etc. Upon applying for a new or renewed subscription, your service will start with the next current issue unless otherwise requested. Subscribers to the magazine do not qualify for third-party liability insurance benefits. All associates of USHPA including Members & Subscribers may engage with our USHPA Partner Benefits: http://www.ushpa.aero/member_benefits.asp

The Safe Pilot Awards are awarded to recognize hang gliding and paragliding achievements. There are four levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Diamond.

As a member, you have the privilege of achieving and claiming national and world records. The categories and required procedures are listed in the FAI Sporting Code which can be obtained from the NAA Headquarters.

Change of Address/Personal Information

All USHPA members and Subscribers are encouraged to notify the USHPA as soon as possible of any change of address or errors in their present address. There are three ways you may accomplish this:

1. Log into the website by going to the Members Only area of the USHPA website and using your member number and assigned password to login. Once you have logged in, please select the "Update Your Info" link and you will be able to submit any changes to your record on this webpage.
   

2. Submit an email to the USHPA office with your correct address at info@ushpa.aero.
   

3. Contact the office directly by calling 800-616-6888 and speak to a member of the office staff or fax us your correct address at: (719) 632-6417. Please remember to include your USHPA member number in any faxes or emails to speed up processing your request.

If none of these options work for you please call our office at (800) 616-6888 for further assistance.

Magazine Mailing

Hang Gliding & Paragliding Magazine is mailed to Full members and Subscribers via second class publication permit throughout the U.S. and via surface mail to foreign countries. It is mailed in the last week of the month prior to the cover date. Allowing for "time in the mail," you should be receiving your monthly issue by approximately the 5th of the month of the cover date. If your issue of Hang Gliding & Paragliding does not reach you within a reasonable time, first check with your local post office and then with the USHPA. There is normally a likely reason for non-receipt, such as: non-renewal, non-notification of change of address, moved and left no forwarding address or failure to guarantee forwarding postage at the local post office.

USHPA offers alternatives to the above mailing procedure. With pre-paid postage, you can have your issue of Hang Gliding & Paragliding mailed in one of the following ways.

USHPA SAFE PILOT AWARD PROGRAM

The USHPA Safe Pilot Award Program is designed to recognize, promote, and reward safe flying. The levels of the USHPA Safe Pilot Award are as follows:

A safe flight is a flight which includes a launch (beginning from a full stop) and a landing (ending in a complete arrest of forward motion) which does not result in any injury to the pilot which requires (or would normally require or would clearly indicate the need for) treatment by a licensed medical professional. Only logged flights occurring on or after August 1, 1988, where the log entry contains the date, location, and duration of the flight, may be counted towards the award. Any flight involving injury as described above, whether or not it is logged, terminates a string of consecutive safe flights, and re-starts the count of consecutive safe flights at zero. Applications may be obtained from the USHPA office.

USHPA CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT BADGES

No Longer Available.

National and World Records

The USHPA is a fully autonomous division of the NAA, which is comprised of various divisions, like the USHPA, each of which has been given authority to administer the part of the FAI Sporting Code pertaining to its specialty interest. The NAA is the U.S. representative of the FAI, and as such, is responsible for certifying all national and world aircraft records claimed in the U.S.

The FAI is the international organization recognized as being in charge of aviation records, sporting aviation championships and achievement awards. Its membership consists of national aero clubs such as the NAA. A number of medals and diplomas are periodically awarded by the FAI to encourage aeronautical progress. See the FAI's website www.fai.org for current world records.

The CIVL (Commission Internationale de Vol Libre), the international hang gliding committee, has established records and qualifications which are published and available to all USHPA members. There are 32 possible records, the basic records being: distance, goal, out and return, and gain of height. Within these four basic record classifications are separate categories for two-person, feminine, flex wing and fixed wing record events. If you are going to make a national or world claim, documentation is as important as the flight. It is the description of your effort by which the NAA and FAI will determine eligibility for declaration. You must provide barograph tracings for all claimed flights, uncut film of the flights, and comply with the Observer and certification requirements necessary for records. The Record Attempt Kit and Hang Gliding Section 7 of the FAI Sporting Code spell these out.

The FAI Sporting License and NAA membership are all available through the National Aeronautic Association, call 1-800-644-9777.

U.S. National Teams

The FAI World Championships of Hang Gliding and Women's World Championships are scheduled every two years. Entry of the U.S. National Teams, selected by the National Team Selection System, is coordinated through the NAA and the aero club hosting the World Championships. The U.S. National Teams' participation is not financed by membership dues, but through donations from the Foundation. Much personal expense will be required on the part of Team members - we ask that you please consider supporting them.

Pilot Proficiency Program

The USHPA is an organization providing administrative supervision, support and guidance to foot-launched and foot-launchable, unpowered aircraft through the Pilot Proficiency Program. Pilot self-regulation started early in the sport, but became finalized with the introduction of the former Hang Rating System, whose name was later changed to better reflect the professional attitude of hang gliding & paragliding pilots. The program is built on the volunteer assistance of those wishing to maintain self-regulation. By completing a variety of requirements, pilots may be rated for their level of flying skill as well as for special skills.

USHPA Directors appoint Examiners who in turn appoint Observers to rate pilots for the Intermediate and Advanced ratings. Instructors are those pilots who have attended and passed a USHPA Instructors Program and are then qualified to instruct and issue Beginner through Advanced ratings. The USHPA Part 104 requirements are listed for ratings. Several tests and procedures are required for every level or rating, so careful study of the program is suggested.

FAA Exemption #4721

Click Here to read this Exemption Text

FAA Exemption #4144

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Portable and Vehicular Radio Authorizations

Pilot and Rogallo Members of the USHPA may be authorized to use or designate use of type accepted radio equipment on the frequencies of 151.625 MHz, 151.955 MHz, 151.505 MHz, 158.4 MHz or 151.925 MHz, (or call WPRY420) for the purpose of conducting USHPA business, cross-country meets, events and retrievals.

Authorization will be granted by an official USHPA Observer or Instructor after demonstration of adequate knowledge of the rules under which the license was granted and one-time payment of a $15.00 registration fee for a portable authorization (PA) and/or a $15.00 registration fee for a vehicular authorization (VA).

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