skypilotA1

To yoink: The Museum trustee roll is comprised of several highly successful owners of multi-million dollar businesses. I believe the Museum trustees, Board of Counselors, and President have the needed knowledge and expertise required for this project. Check them out. Skydivingmuseum.org. Feel free to contact them if you wish. Paul Gholson

To sfzombie13: you are correct, the USPA Board operates under Parliamentary Procedures, following Roberts Rules of Order. In fact, there are at least 3 Parliamentarians on the Board to keep everyone straight. If one wants a topic addressed, write a motion and have it put on the agenda before the meeting. Your Regional Director can assist you. The motion is initially assigned to a Committee, in this case, probably the Budget & Finance Committee. You may attend the meeting and make your case, or supply information explaining & supporting your case. The issue is discussed, and voted on. If it passes Committee, then on the last day it is presented and voted on by the Full Board. There is an opportunity to support your case during discussion there, too. If it passes, it is enacted. That simple. All the Committees and members are listed on USPA.org under “Board”. That is my view and understanding of the procedures. For a more detailed look, check out the USPA Governance Manual (available on USPA.org), or call USPA Headquarters. Paul Gholson. USPA Southern Regional Director

Ok Baronn, I am happy to respond to your request, although you have already spoken of it all. The Museum representative, Jim McCormick, was given no more than 10 minutes to speak to the Board. His video presentation was for the Board, the staff, everyone present in the gallery including members. It was not closed session. He said they were on schedule with their timeline and the money, and were currently looking at about 5 locations in the Orlando area. He showed a map with the specific areas pinpointed. He also showed everyone a street level artists picture of the design of the project. Simply, the Museum is center, and a wind tunnel on each side. My opinion was the Museum building was the "center stage" and the tunnels flanked it. He said the plan is to have not one, but two wind tunnels. A more conventional vertical tunnel, and a wing suit or "horizontal" tunnel is the general plan. The interior designs of the museum, elevator built as a jump ship, sound effects, visual effects, computer effects, virtual reality and all the other features have already been shown to everyone and were not delved into again. In my opinion, this concept is more exciting than the original concept with IFLY as a partner. There is currently only one wing suit or horizontal tunnel in the world, and its in Europe. The horizontal tunnel offers possibilities for other sports, also. Wind tunnel testing for ski jumping comes to mind. This was the presentation the Board, staff and members saw. It is no secret, it was open for everyone. And you know I personally invited you to attend, and hoped you might. Will there be changes, sure. The wind tunnel partners and the Museum will exist together, but operate separately. In any partnership there will be compromises, I'm sure. Will it succeed long term, I believe it will. I am sure the Museum organization can supply much more detail if you request. USPA doesn't own or run the Museum. We are only contributing money toward a future goal, much like one might contribute to a church building project or charity drive. We believe in the project, and we are willing to support it. So I will end with this. The USPA Board promised to supply some funding for this effort, along with many many other individuals and organizations. It is that simple, we are going to do it. We will keep our promise. Paul Gholson USPA Southern Regional Director

Baronn, what you are saying is simply not true. There are no “secret meetings” or voting unannounced. Every topic the Board discusses is on the agenda, and it is published weeks before the meeting. This gives any member the opportunity to voice an opinion about an issue. The Museum made a presentation, and the Board agreed to contribute. I was not on the Board then, but it is in the minutes. If you or anyone else want to push for a project, or an issue, or want some money, get it on the agenda and the Board will consider it. It happens all the time, every meeting. I can give you numerous examples of exactly this occurring. I believe Billvon had the correct response...call us, email us, text us. We want to know what you want. Baronn and I view this approach very differently. In my opinion, he thinks he is most effective pushing his agenda here on DZ.com, Facebook groups, and other public forums. I took a different approach to affect the changes I wanted in USPA. I saved some money, filed for a Regional Director slot, ran a campaign, traveled and talked to jumpers, and got elected. That is the way I feel I can be most effective pushing my agenda. History, and the membership, will decide who was most effective. Baronn tells his story, I tell mine. As always, I am happy to answer any questions I can concerning skydiving, USPA, Safety &Training...but I encourage you to just call USPA Headquarters. They deal with all these questions everyday, and there are some really sharp, heads-up people there. And everyone, please forgive Baronn today, he is just giddy because all the money he has contributed toward the “Skydiving Museum” has been returned to him. He no longer has that financial burden weighing him down. Paul Gholson, USPA Southern Regional Director

To answer Baronn’s questions: My personal conversation with Museum rep was just reinforcement of the Museum’s previous statements and plans, no super secret plan “Yes, we said we would do this, we are going to do it” No questions were asked because the Board only gave him 10 minutes to speak, he hung around for 2 days after to answer questions. Yes, 5 (I think) locations in the Orlando area. Yes, there was a building plan shown. Yes, I believed him. Yes, they have a plan. They have expressed this in pretty detailed terms several times. You are correct, their words will need to be transformed into actions. Time will tell. The USPA does support competition teams through a special trust funded by donations. The USPA does support local clubs with airport issues, through a special fund and a dedicated employee for government relations. In my personal opinion, this staff member is one of the most valuable assets USPA has. Yes, I was voted in to represent members interest, not my own. I gain nothing financially being on the Board. As I have mentioned, being on the Board actually COSTS me money. And I am happy to do it. And I believe I am no different from any other Board member. To answer sfzombie13: Funds are spent based on member input and issues as they present themselves. It is an open process. Every topic to be discussed is posted on the USPA website weeks before the meeting, the meetings are open, and the detailed minutes of every Board meeting are available for download on the USPA website. If you want an issue presented, put it on the agenda, we do it every meeting. The USPA Board operates like a republic. The membership votes us in, and we vote on the issues at hand. If the members don’t like the way we vote, then you can vote us out next election. A member has direct representation through his Regional Director. Personally, I usually get several texts, emails and calls every week with different members issues or problems. A member also can contact USPA directly, just call them during business hours. Your call will be answered by a human, not an automated menu. And yes, Baronn has been refunded his $5.83 so he no longer has the burden of supporting the International Skydiving Museum and Hall of Fame. Paul Gholson, USPA Southern Regional Director

To be clear, the Museum trustees have a definite timeline to break ground by March, 2021. This was announced July, 2019, on their website. Yes, it has been a long time coming. The reason is, not enough money raised. Now, there is about $5.5 million raised. As I write, the Museum officials are looking at about 5 building sites in the Orlando area. This, along with other plans, was presented to the USPA Board last weekend. The USPA does not own or control the operation or plans for the Museum. The Board voted to contribute money toward this project, about $25,000 a year for about 5 years. Many other organizations and individuals have contributed much much more. These are the facts, not opinion, not conjecture. Baronn and myself view this differently, and are in opposite corners on this issue. He does not like or agree with the USPA Board decision. I stand with the USPA Board, and the Board stands together. Personally, I believe this is a potentially magnificent project, with far reaching advantages...if it succeeds. He thinks it is a money pit, a boondoggle, and a waste of money. In a few years, one of us will be right, one will be wrong. Time will tell. Again, to be clear, the Museum officials were only given 10 minutes to make their presentation with no questions during the Board meeting, because of our very full schedule. However, their representative stayed all that afternoon, that night, and the next day to answer any and all questions. I talked to him myself for 1/2 hour during breakfast the next morning. They have always been completely transparent and forthcoming in their answers. Nobody is hiding anything. They have answered every question. I have contributed personally to the Museum. I will continue to support it. The USPA Board has made a promise and commitment, and we will honor that promise.. I keep my word, the USPA will keep its word. If you don’t want to support this effort, then don’t. If you are so offended that you don’t want a couple of dollars per year of your membership money going to the Museum, send me an email and I will personally refund your portion of your membership dues that has gone toward the Museum. I made a promise to support USPA, I serve on the Board. USPA has made a promise to support the Museum. The USPA Board will keep its promise. If the membership of the USPA Southern disagrees with me, they are free to vote me off the USPA Board in the next election. “You” and I may not agree on this, but this is how I stand. If anyone wishes to express their view on this forum, feel free. If anyone wishes to contact me personally, my personal email and cell number is in the front of every Parachutist magazine. I answer my email, I answer my cell, I answer text. Ask Baronn, he has called me, texted me, and emailed me several times. I just wanted to be upfront and forthcoming with everyone, whether they agree or disagree with me. This is my stance on the International Skydiving Museum and Hall of Fame. Paul Gholson, USPA Board of Directors, Southern Regional Director .

I submit several license and rating applications a month for people in my region. I am finding new licenses are issued within a week to 10 days from arrival at USPA. That is with normal submissions. If you want and pay for expedited service, usually within 24 hours, that service is available. I am sure it varies a little based on the seasons, but I have never had a license submission take more than 10 days even during their busiest time. With the new on-line license and rating program, that time lag should decrease. Paul Gholson USPA Southern Regional Director

Correct, same canopy, with the new extreme line set

I have a Zulu 132 and a Zulu 152. I recently had the linesets replaced on both with the new Zulu Extreme linsets. I would have to call it a Zulu "moderately more interesting" than Extreme. Opening improved significantly, front riser pressure slightly less, not much more difference I can detect. Maybe the smaller canopies have a greater difference. It's better, but not a significant difference. Your opinions may vary.

6 Members to Run for USPA Central Regional Director in Special Election Skydiving News | Thursday, October 3, 2019 As of October 3, 2019, six USPA members will appear on the ballot in the upcoming special election to fill the remainder of the Central Regional Director’s term on the USPA Board of Directors. The election begins November 1, when Central region members with valid email addresses on file with USPA will receive an email to access the electronic ballot. The ballot will also be accessible by logging in to a USPA membership account at uspa.org and going to uspa.org/Election to vote. A paper ballot will also be mailed to all Central region members. The election concludes at 5 p.m. EST on December 2. Candidates (listed in alphabetical order): Lutz Andersohn Charles Crinklaw Bill Drake Jeremy Dubansky Wes McCauley David Munoz

There is an in-depth description and explanation in Parachutist magazine. This was done, in part, to insure conformity to FAI rules. It is in Parachutist, it is on Facebook, it was discussed at length during the USPA Board meeting. S/L and IAD jumps count as freefall jumps toward a USPA license.

Some people seem to making a big thing of this. It is NOT a new rule, it is simply explaining and defining the existing rule. A S/L or IAD has a freefall component, even if only a very short one. To take the example to an extreme, if the S/L jump used a mile long static line, there could be one minute of freefall. In another version, an instructor deployment at the bottom end of an AFF Cat A is simply an IAD jump. It isn’t a new rule, just defining the old rule specifically. One can read all about it in Parachutist. Paul Gholson S/L-I, IAD-I, AFF-I

Generally it is the S&TA or DZO that will file an incident report involving serious injury or death. Under the new rule concerning AAD fires, the involved instructor or video person is required to submit the report.

Your statement is incorrect. When USPA receives an incident report, the Director of Safety & Training strips the report of any identifying info (name, DZ, locale) and THEN the report is published. The original report is destroyed/shredded. That is how it is kept "Confidential". The USPA Board and Director of Safety & Training all agreed the BSR is required, incidents are not being reported. By your own previous statements, there are on average 675 AAD cutter heads supplied by CYPRES every year, and that does not count VIGIL or other AADs. Even accounting for military use and repairs (corroded/loose wires/etc), that is a HUGE number of AAD fires per year. We all just want to know the data, it may save lives. That is your answer. Paul Gholson, USPA Southern Regional Director

I have owned Pilots of various sizes for the last 7 years, never a hard opening. We also have several Pilots in our student rigs, we live them, never an issue.

"The question no one seems to want to answer - Why is collecting this data so important that it requires a BSR to get it? Aren't BSR's supposed to be about basic safety issues - things that can/have hurt or kill skydivers?" The answer is important because USPA doesn't know the extent of the problem. According to one source, CYPRES supplies on average 670 replacement cutters a year to the US, combined military & civilian. Even if the civilian percentage is a faction of that number, that is a HUGE number of AAD fires per year...and that is just CYPRES. And that number doesn't even include VIGIL fires. The AAD fires are simply not being reported. If the collected data indicates a pattern (like TIs with hand cams, AFF single instructor release jumps, or solo student practicing backflips), then some retraining may be in order. The extent of the problem simply isn't known, and this BSR may help save lives. So simply...the BSR is simply to collect data that may save lives, and there is no downside to reporting. Paul Gholson

In reply to mxk, I was told "almost" all US-based Vigils are repaired and serviced in Florida. Very few were sent over to Belgium.

I have been in contact with VIGIL. Apparently, this is their busiest time. They are aware of delays in unit turnaround. They are estimating 3-4 weeks turnaround times. One should get an email as soon as the unit is received. If no initial email is received, or no contact is made in 3-4 weeks, they suggest contacting them directly, during business hours. They promised to personally contact the owner if a problem developed. They responded to me personally within 24 hours. They seemed genuinely willing to help. Their contact info is: Vigil America Deland FL www.Vigil.aero 386-736-8464 Paul Gholson

You will have no trouble. I have made recurrency jumps with people out of the sport 40 years, and no issues. Just get a complete briefing from an S&TA or head instructor, and perform EPs several times. Follow the BSRs, don't do anything out of your comfort zone, remember to breath, it all comes back to you. Good luck!

To reply to (MakeItHappen) Jan's concerns, in order: 1. The initial motion from S&T Committee was not acceptable to the Full Board, the motion was rewritten, discussed, debated, voted on and passed. It was all in public, in full session. You and I, along with 20 other Board members were there. The version of the BSR passed was the version the Full USPA Board wanted, it included ANY AAD fire on a student jump. 2. Any BSR violation is subject to disciplinary action. Yes, if an AAD fire is not reported according to the BSR, there is possibility of disciplinary action, as with any BSR violation. It has been that way for decades. This is no different. Nothing has changed. 3. The incident report (if one cares to look under USPA.org/downloads) can indeed remain anonymous. The section at the end, where the person submitting the report, is to write their name, even says "optional for non-fatal reports". The language of the BSR also strictly states "no disciplinary action" if the report is submitted within 48 hours. No means no. 4. Your statement is not correct. There is always a possibility of an instructor being required some additional re-training, even if no incident. That is not in any way a disciplinary action. Many times I have required a Coach or Instructor to retrain if there was an issue. I have even required it of myself when I thought there may be a potential issue. The retraining might be as simply as "get some advice from 'Instructor A' on how they handled that particular issue, they have encountered it before". You could also call it learning. There was never a report submitted, and certainly no 1-6 action taken. 99% of all issues are handled at the local DZ level by the local S&TA/head instructor/DZO, and handled well. That is the way they should be handled. 5. Every Coach or Instructor takes a chance on being sued by any student at any time. That is the chance we take living in a free litigious society. This BSR makes no change, and has no bearing on the ability of someone to sue, or not to sue. My personal advice, if a Coach or Instructor wants to completely remove themselves from the possibility of a lawsuit, they probably shouldn't be a Coach or Instructor. The USPA Instructor Rating Manual covers this area very well, it is required material in any Coach or Instructor Course. Please remember everyone, USPA simply needs the data. The data might help us determine dangerous trends, develop new practices, and save lives. Paul Gholson AFF-I, USPA Regional Director

The reason for the creation and passing of this BSR is simply to collect data from the field. Safety and training committee believes there may be lots of AAD fires occurring in the field unreported, or there may be few. The data collected is only used to measure trends or patterns, and ultimately make the sport safer. The collected data from a self-report may not be used for disciplinary action. One of the primary goals of USPA is to promote safety of the membership. The hope is this data may save lives, thus the creation of this self-report. Paul Gholson

The BSR means exactly what it says. ANY AAD fire on a student jump requires a report. If a student, TI, AFFI or even a videographer filming a tandem has an AAD fire, the incident MUST be reported within 48 hours. Any means any. Also, if the incident is self-reported within 48 hours, there can be no disciplinary action because of the report. The BSR was written in plain language that does not require interpretation. Paul Gholson USPA Regional Director Safety & Training Committee Advisor

Again, yes. If the student is a USPA member. Any USPA Instructor is able to "sign off" or verify any/all items of a USPA student "A" Proficiency card at any foreign DZ, non USPA DZ, or Farmer John's field. The instructor is verifying the student performance, the airspace or location doesn't matter. Hope that helps.

The answer to your question is YES. A S/L or IAD instructor is able to "sign off" or authorize a student "A" license. Any instructor may sign a students "A" proficiency card. Paul Gholson S&TA, Coach Examiner

Sorry you had a bad experience. I would never dream of not being responsive to a member - whether in my region or not. If you can't get the help you need, I suggest contacting the president of the board or the executive director. Often a call from one of them kickstarts action. You can also call me. I handle the gulf region but I'm happy to assist any member in any way at any time, 24/7. It's what I signed up for so it's what I am prepared to do. I encourage anyone who holds a seat on the board to do the same. My number is 832-630-1213. Add me to your contacts. This is the proper response from a USPA Board member