Kite Strings

Bob is scum - always has been, always will be. He's just a superficially quite different flavor of scum within the sport's totally scummy control structure.

A REAL person doesn't write shit like:

http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=818
Peter (Link Knife) Birren

Bob Kuczewski - 2011/11/18 23:11:35 UTC

TadEareckson wrote:Blah blah blah blah blah

Sorry, I'm not wasting my time to respond.

And, even if he did in the course of some drunken stupor, he wouldn't expect to ever again have any civilized relationship with his target without first showering him with apologies.

But even a scumbag will appear frequently enough on the right side of an issue. A serial killer will insist on and should have a fair trial with evidence introduced or excluded in accordance with constitutional protections.

Bob's on the right side of this Torrey issue, I'm pretty sure, because and only because that's where HE lives and flies and wants to fly. Tirelessly campaigning for adherence to established rules, open meetings, recording and publishing of voting records while running his alternate national "association" as a total dictatorship.

http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1638
Basement Bob

Bob Kuczewski - 2014/11/19 19:22:40 UTC

So while my offer to reinstate "Nobody" based on a telephone discussion stands, I have to say that it will be a long conversation (maybe many conversations) and may not conclude with a restoration of posting rights.

Notice there's not the slightest pretense of even consulting one other "member" - even Bill Cummings, the target of Steve's attack - to see if he wants a fellow member to be subjected to this degrading special treatment. And, by the way Bill, the fact that you didn't stand up for the rights of someone to call you a pigfucker without being singled out for special treatment by your totally corrupt friendly neighborhood dictator... And so exactly what was it you were supposed to be fighting for in Vietnam?

When Bob's on the right side of a conflict because it's in his self interest...

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=15953
Bob Kuczewski banned from the Oz Report Forum

...you're gonna see him quoting the opposition in context, responding to statements, challenges, accusations, attacks with logic and presentation of solid very persuasive evidence. But when he's in his much more familiar and natural mode all you're gonna get is vague crap like:

http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1629
Jailed for taking pictures at Torrey

Bob Kuczewski - 2014/11/19 17:56:05 UTC

Tad and I disagree on many things. In fact, Tad has a topic titled "The Bob Show" where he takes every cheap shot he can at me. If you read that topic (currently containing nearly 330 of mostly Tad's posts), you'll find Tad using an unending stream of foul language directed at me and other US Hawks members.

and infuriating rot like:

Bob Kuczewski - 2011/11/18 23:11:35 UTC

TadEareckson wrote:Blah blah blah blah blah

Sorry, I'm not wasting my time to respond.

This is gonna hold true for any and all of the assholes in this sport - it's just that Bob's such a wonderful textbook example.

And note that you will NEVER find Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney quoting the opposition in context, responding to statements, challenges, accusations, attacks with logic and presentation of solid very persuasive evidence 'cause he never once in his entire rotten existence been on a legitimate side of anything.

Tad Eareckson - 2014/11/14 23:37:16 UTC

That was a gutsy move and the right thing to do...

On reconsideration and after recently having watched more of Bob In Action...

Nah, not so much, not really. That was really your only/best option. Leave quietly and they're gonna enforce a one year ban on you and nobody's gonna give a rat's ass. Get arrested and you're gonna be a hero to a lot of people, have your best shot at recovering your rights and doing something about the corruption, and force even people like me to align with you.

I'm still aligned with you on this but no more than and for the same reasons I would be with the serial killer.

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=15953
Bob Kuczewski banned from the Oz Report Forum

Helen McKerral - 2010/02/27 03:34:10 UTC
South Australia

The Odd Retort is, I believe, a useful complement to HG.org.

Fer sure. Like Lyme disease is a useful complement to malaria.

The former has an emphasis on competition, the latter on recreational flying.

And both are run by total fucking assholes for the benefit of total morons.

I read both but, because I'm primarily a recreational pilot, HG.org is my preferred place for posting.

Political threads on both fora are appropriate but SG & Davis have the right to moderate however they wish.

And they also have the right to establish forum rules and principles like:

Be civil or you will be banned from all of the Oz Report forum.

The Oz Report forum is not a campfire. It is not a place to hang out with your bud and have a beer while slurring your words. It is a serious forum for pilots who wish to write cogently and engage the intellect of others. It is not for everyone, and not everyone has something useful to contribute.

KEEP IT CIVIL. Attacking other members, or covert implied attacks are NOT allowed. No harassing or stalking other members. Inflammatory posts are not allowed. This includes "photoshopping" member pictures in a negative way. You will get a warning if you break this rule. If you persist to do this, you will be banned.

Please treat the admin as a regular user. As long as you follow the rules, there is NO CHANCE you will banned because you disagree with the admin. The admin would like to be part of this community too without having to walk on egg shells because people think his word holds more weight for whatever reason. It does not.

And then:
- ignore them:
-- themselves
-- altogether
- enforce them very selectively
- on their whims:
-- edit, sabotage, lock down, delete posts and topics
-- restrict and ban participants

But having the right and being right are two very different things.

Prolific and verbose posters who revisit and rehash the same material are often banned - Tad, Rickmas and - yes, now you too, Bob! - come to mind.

1. How 'bout?:

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30971
Zach Marzec

Deltaman - 2013/02/16 22:41:36 UTC

How is that possible to write so much ..and say NOTHING !?

One of the question asked several times was what he thinks Greenspot 'works' to do, but...

Jim Rooney - 2011/08/31 09:25:57 UTC

I'll answer actual questions if you're keen to actually hear the answers...

...he only answers "actual questions"

As far as I can see, his position can be boiled down to 'we use this because this is what we use.' And somehow asserting this constitutes 'refuting' something...

Jim Rooney - 2013/02/16 23:18:54 UTC

Naw... You want me to make bold black and white statements so that you can have a go.
Unfortunately that's not what you're getting.
Some people listen with the intent of understanding.

Others do so with the intent of responding.

You can spam The Davis Show with as much totally fucking moronic rot as you want as long as you're on Davis's team and sucking his dick? And this after?:

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10
Welcome to, and policies of, the Oz Report discussion group

Davis Straub - 2003/03/04 02:07:45 UTC

It is a serious forum for pilots who wish to write cogently and engage the intellect of others. It is not for everyone, and not everyone has something useful to contribute.

2. Why are you writing explaining to us what liars and hypocrites are entitled to do? We all already know they can and will do whatever the fuck they feel like for any reason they feel like having or presenting as justification.

3. Can you cite any rules from those two against prolific and verbose posting and revisiting and rehashing the same material? And don't they both have ignore buttons available for the assholes incapable of figuring out ways to not read stuff in which they have no interest?

Until people can figure out the difference between a hang check and a hook-in check and a release and a weak link there WILL BE prolific and verbose posting and revisiting and rehashing the same material. And when you ELIMINATE the people who know what the fuck they're talking about I one hundred percent guarantee you there will be MORE prolific and verbose posting and revisiting and rehashing the same material.

The INSTANT these motherfuckers suddenly decided they were happier with 200 pound weak links which NEVER break than they were with the 130 crap that would break six times in a row in light morning conditions was the same instant that Davis Show weak link discussions dropped from 174 posts to under twenty. And I ALSO one hundred percent guarantee you we will never again be privileged with the participation of either Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney or Ryan Instant-Hands-Free-Release Voight in any of them.

4. Bullshit, Helen. Those assholes didn't come anywhere close to justifying the bannings because the targets were prolific and verbose posters who revisited and rehashed the same material. And you have no fuckin' business supporting any justifications for those bans. And I'll tell ya right now...

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=18876
Hang glider Crash

Helen McKerral - 2010/09/07 00:16:04 UTC
South Australia

There have been numerous threads in the past about unhooked launches and ways to prevent them. One constant poster, Tad, had an unfortunate brow-beating style that flooded threads and got him banned, but IMO his point was nonetheless valid; people simply got so annoyed by his style, they stopped listening and his message was lost.

...that I resent those totally false and insulting representations. And furthermore... That message, which wasn't really mine anyway...

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=31781
Another hang check lesson

Alan Deikman - 2014/09/23 19:47:06 UTC

For my part I will just refer you to the classic Tad Eareckson essay which I call "the gun is always loaded" which is a bit overworked but probably all you will ever need to read regarding FTHI. A lot of people will find it gores their particular sacred Ox, but I have never seen anyone point out a flaw in his logic.

...was not "lost" - or even successfully buried. What HAS been successfully buried subsequent to my bannings is one would-be pilot...




...and the victim...

http://static.squarespace.com/static/5212d050e4b01103f368699c/5212d050e4b01103f36869a2/522f6aeae4b0f3d0e83277fe/1378839290694/LenaOaxaca1cr_opt.jpg?format=1500w



...of a tandem thrill ride driver who chose to ignore the message. And maybe if you'd been more of a constant poster with an unfortunate browbeating style that flooded threads...

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=15239
Lift and Tug - identified my absent leg loop - thank you!

Norm Boessler - 2010/01/11 13:24:30 UTC
Armidale, New South Wales

I went for a fly at Mount Borah last Saturday and it turned out to be a PG comp weekend. No probs, I decided to help out with sniffing for thermals in front of the ridge for the pilots as the first thermal was proving hard to hook. Quite a few were bombing out. I decided to switch harnesses to the powered one so I could sit it out in front of the hill till thermals reappeared. Turned out to be a good move as I would have definitely have bombed out myself.

Anyway, I got in the harness and was sure that I had both legs in the loops but the Mosquito A10 is a front entry and is difficult to sight what is being stepped into but I was sure that I had them both in. I did my hang check which confirmed (among other things) that the hang loop was the right length for that harness but did not give me any leg loop confirmation. It is very difficult to visually check but I REMEMBERED stepping into both loops so why should there be a problem??

So I started the motor and did final power checks - all normal and ready. This particular takeoff is a little tricky as it combines a powered launch with a sloped hill launch. Not really a good situation as it mixes two paradigms of launch. One which is committed from the first step and one which must have abort planning. I opted to use the entire run space by starting right at the back of the launch area so I could have some abort possibility if needed. The wind was light so I was not expecting an abrupt updraft at the ridge. It was also going to be a gradual power up and not a full power launch - just enough to get good airspeed and clean separation from the hill.

Wings balanced and level, all clear, lift the glider and a quick squat and BAM - only one leg loop pulls on my tackle. This asymmetric nad squishing was IMMEDIATELY detected followed by a mental switch which condemned the launch as I spat the throttle out and put down the A-Frame with the greatest of shock and relief simultaneously!!!

Thank you ORG for giving me the 'lift and tug' final check immediately before launch.

Cheers, Norm.

...you could've made a difference. Probably not, but those two individuals definitely wouldn't have ended up any deader for your efforts towards reaching the kind of critical mass we got for Happiness Links upon the Davis Link induced death of a prominent pro toad. My conscience is totally clear on all those.

It is not your subject matter or opinion, which may be valid, but the repetition cluttering the threads that I see the moderators as trying to manage.

Bullshit. The "moderators" aren't trying to "manage" shit. They're both assholes trying to make sure they don't get exposed as the assholes they are.

Cross posting between threads would, I imagine, be annoying for moderators.

See any rules against cross posting between threads? Cross posting between threads is inevitable because issues WILL overlap.

Davis sees himself as a journalist...

No he doesn't. He presents himself as one but he knows what he is and so does anybody else with half a brain or better. And anybody else who sees him as a journalist is ten miles south of clueless.

...but frankly, it is his forum and he has every right to manage it however he chooses, unpalatable though it may be to some.

Fuck that. "SOME" of us...

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14931
Tad's release (even more)

Freedomspyder - 2009/02/14 17:43:30 UTC

I've found your posts on both hook-in checks and releases very interesting and well thought out.
Best of luck dealing with the Oz Report forum cult and its leader.

...have written the only stuff worth reading on that shit heap. That's OUR work and material - not his.

Many years ago I had an exchange with him regarding donations & advertising, but again, it's his forum, not mine.

This is essentially MY forum but I don't regard or treat it that way. In my world the contributors own their contributions.

Anybody who isn't a spammer, liar, or saboteur can come here and discuss relevant issues all he wants. Anyone who is either is prebanned or will be upon discovery.

So while I don't always agree with Davis' & SG's decisions, I also realise it's a thankless...

Jack and Davis don't deserve any thanks from anybody for anything - from anything in any aspects of their rotten existences.

...time-consuming task and that you are guaranteed to annoy someone regardless of which way you jump.

Then maybe one should try to minimize the jumping. Maybe one should say something like:

Please treat the admin as a regular user. As long as you follow the rules, there is NO CHANCE you will banned because you disagree with the admin. The admin would like to be part of this community too without having to walk on egg shells because people think his word holds more weight for whatever reason. It does not.

and actually mean it.

I figure that unless I'm prepared to step up and do the job myself, I'm not going to throw stones from the sidelines.

Why not? Here's what Bob says you should do when you participate on HIS show:

http://www.ushawks.org/forum/faq.php
Frequently Asked Questions

What will keep the US Hawks from becoming another USHPA or HGFA?

You will ... hopefully. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. Everyone has to do their part once in a while. If you see something that's not being done correctly, then it's your duty to speak out. One big difference between the US Hawks and other organizations is that the US Hawks really does honor the free speech of its members.

He, of course, doesn't mean it either but isn't that the way things SHOULD run?

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=39919
Bob Kuczewski's video log

NMERider - 2014/11/29 16:55:02 UTC

Now Scott, Don't be too hard on my buddy Robin. I like the guy and have never had an issue with anyone who works there.
If the playing fields needs to be leveled then that's a matter for the appropriate powers to adjudicate assuming there is jurisdiction.
The vast majority of pilots I know also don't have any issue either. Although I'm lucky to fly Torrey once each year I don't wish to lose that privilege.
In short: Please Don't FVCK It Up For The Rest of Us!

Now Scott, Don't be too hard on my buddy Robin.

1. Your BUDDY Robin? How great an idea is it to categorize that total piece of shit as your BUDDY when his conduct - very clearly documented on video - was so outrageous that even Davis is coming down on Bob's side? (I'd count myself as well but then I'd hafta mention my name in the same sentence with Davis's.)

2. Too HARD on him? He's a thug who seriously needs to be in jail, have his ratings and certifications suspended or revoked, and be permanently removed from any position of authority at that and every other flying site over which the public has any influence.

I like the guy and have never had an issue with anyone who works there.

1. Davis...

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24534
It's a wrap

Davis Straub - 2011/07/30 19:51:54 UTC

I'm very happy with the way Quest Air (Bobby Bailey designed) does it now.

...is very happy with the way Quest Air (Bobby Bailey designed) does it now...

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=31052
Poll on weaklinks

Davis Straub - 2013/03/06 18:29:05 UTC

You know, after all this discussion I'm now convinced that it is a very good idea to treat the weaklink as a release, that that is exactly what we do when we have a weaklink on one side of a pro tow bridle. That that is exactly what has happened to me in a number of situations and that the whole business about a weaklink only for the glider not breaking isn't really the case nor a good idea for hang gliding.

I'm happy to have a relatively weak weaklink, and have never had a serious problem with the Greenspot 130, just an inconvenience now and then.

I'm thinking about doing a bit more testing as there seemed to be some disagreement around here about what the average breaking strength of a loop of Greenspot (or orange) weaklink was.

...is now convinced that it is a very good idea to treat the Quest Link as a release, is happy to have a relatively weak weak link, and has never had a serious problem with the Greenspot 130, just an inconvenience now and then.

And he's also happy - but not VERY happy - with...

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=31747
Lockout

Davis Straub - 2014/09/01 15:22:41 UTC

I can tell you that I fly with a 200lb weaklink on one side of my 750lb pro tow bridle. I am happy with it.

...a relatively heavy weak link on one side of his 750 pound pro toad bridle that's impossible to use as a release without getting 250 feet of Spectra towline draped over his basetube, courtesy of the Dragonfly's tow mast breakaway protector, and causes a lot more serious problems and no inconveniences whatsoever.

What a happy person Davis is! We should all try to be much more like Davis!

2. For many thousands of flights Jon...



...Orders never had an issue with skipping hook-in checks. Now his professional and recreational flying careers are over, he's got a negligent homicide conviction, and he'll always be the guy who dropped Lenami a thousand feet and swallowed the video card.

If the playing fields needs to be leveled then that's a matter for the appropriate powers to adjudicate assuming there is jurisdiction.

1. *IF* the playing field needs to be leveled? How 'bout the playing field in North Korea? How fucking obvious does it hafta be that the "appropriate powers" - the city of San Diego and the national hang and para gliding organization - are so totally corrupt that Gabe Jebb would need to start spraying crowds with an assault rifle before anybody would think of lifting a finger to do anything about it?

2. ASSUMING there is jurisdiction? It's a FUCKING PUBLIC CITY PARK. Ya think it might be safe to make that assumption?

3. The playing field DOES need to be bulldozed flat, the appropriate powers obviously AREN'T doing shit to adjudicate anything, so you're just gonna sit there with your thumb up your ass and wait for things to be put right - as they inevitably will be?

The vast majority of pilots I know also don't have any issue either.

1. How 'bout the vast majority of HANG GLIDER pilots? The vast majority of Torrey pilots fly solo paragliders so they probably DON'T have a lot of issues.

2. So ALL of THE pilots you know have all stated their positions on the Torrey situations and THE VAST MAJORITY of them don't have ANY issues about it? Yeah, right.

3. The vast majority of "pilots" I know are hook-in check skipping, pin bending, Rooney Linking, spot landing total dickheads. What they do and don't have issues with should have ZERO influences on the positions of people with measurable amounts of brains and decency.

Although I'm lucky to fly Torrey once each year I don't wish to lose that privilege.

1. The way things are now EVERYBODY is LUCKY to be able to fly Torrey once each year.

2. What? Flying Torrey is a "PRIVILEGE"? It's not a RIGHT for any qualified RC, paraglider, hang glider, sailplane pilot to fly in the air from the ground of a city owned public park? How 'bout taking pictures with an iPhone? Is that also a PRIVILEGE subject to the whims of any pigfucker employed by a grotesquely corrupt concessionaire?

In short: Please Don't FVCK It Up For The Rest of Us!

1. It's ALREADY fucked up for "THE REST OF US". If those douchebags can do what they did to Bob and get away with it they can do it to ANYBODY and get away with it. Any further fucking up of that situation could only be an improvement.

2. Who's "THE REST OF *US*", Jonathan? The people who aren't Bob and others the Jebb Gang hasn't fucked over yet? "First they came for the trade unionists..." Bob's an off the scale sleazy motherfucker and the more I interact with him the more I hate his off the scale sleazy guts. But those are the individuals we most need to back if we expect to have our own rights and freedoms protected. We don't deserve them otherwise.

3. On whose behalf are you speaking and where's your documentation of their authorization? From what I'm gathering from the web traffic "THE REST OF *US*" constitute a very distinct and, even for hang gliding, dishonorable minority.

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=39919
Bob Kuczewski's video log

Scott C. Wise - 2014/11/29 22:03:27 UTC

NME,

I live on the east coast (in central NYS). I'm hardly in a position to "F" anything up for anyone on the other side of the country in San Diego, CA.

I'm not too far inland from the Western Shore of the Chesapeake and have been effectively removed from physical participation in hang gliding. And I've been and am in a real good position to fuck things up for a lot of really deserving assholes on at least three continents.

I can't say the same about Maid Marien, et al. We have solid evidence (partially documented in this very thread) that employees (?) of Air California Adventure, Inc. committed assault and battery against Bob K. They (perhaps specifically Robin Marien) then called the police and filed a false report in connection with the situation. To top things off, the same(?) individuals (agents of Air California Adventure, Inc.) have since made false statements on other legal document(s) - the results being very negative for Bob K.

Records show that other past (non) "incidents" have also been reported by personnel of Air California Adventure, Inc. against Bob K. In every other case, (different, better informed?) police officers arrived and then left after recognizing that Bob K. was in violation of NOT ONE SINGLE LAW - while being peacefully present at a very PUBLIC San Diego City Park. (These incidents are in and of themselves historical examples of False Reporting.)

The reality here is that Bob K. does not like the bias demonstrated against participants of the sport of hang gliding, which has long been demonstrated by personnel of Air California Adventure, Inc. The concessionaire's PGing related (for HIGH profit) business dominates the site. They have acted repeatedly to minimize (eventually eliminate?) the presence of hang gliding related activity. Considering the sport you enjoy, NME, Bob K. is standing on the high moral ground - for HG pilots just like you.

Primarily, probably exclusively, 'cause it's HIS ox being gored.

On the other hand, when agents of Air California Adventure, Inc. commit very real crimes against peaceful visitors to a public park in San Diego, I sure hope you aren't taking a stand on their side.

He pretty obviously IS.

Implying that some (oddly imaginable?) action I may take in NYS might somehow harm "The Rest of Us" . . . [particularly considering your definition of Robin as your "buddy"]

Well, that comes off as if you are making threats on behalf of a group of provable criminals. I don't think you want to do that. In fact, I'm sure you didn't even desire for your comments to come off as having that meaning or intent. But still, . . .

What I think you really intend to relay is that personnel of Air California Adventure, Inc., who (by way of clear evidence) violate CA laws against peaceful visitors to a public park - should STOP doing so. Otherwise, their improper (and illegal) actions are likely to (quoting you) "FVCK It Up For The Rest of Us!". "Us" being the HG pilots who truly enjoy our ability to participate in soaring flight at a beautiful, historic, and even nationally recognized flying site.

Does my last comment seem to be more along the lines of what you intended, NME? Just wonderin'.

Scott C. Wise - 2014/11/30 20:41:40 UTC

Don't be too hard on my buddy Robin.

- Do you mean your buddy - as in, great friend? Or buddy as in, I've met him a couple times and he seemed nice enough?

How 'bout buddy as in:

Please Don't FVCK It Up For The Rest of Us!

- And by "Don't be hard on [him]" do you mean, don't be overly harsh regarding his commission of multiple crimes against a fellow hang glider pilot?

Fellow pilot? Bit of a stretch on both counts.

- Question, does this Robin fellow fly, ... anything? PG or HG? Perhaps he's closest to simply being a Tourist Snack Bar manager?

Tug driver?

I ask because he may deserve credit as the (PG/HG) pilot who commits crimes against fellow pilots.

I like the guy...

- Since you refer to him as "my buddy" I would have guessed that much.

- Do you like him as much knowing, now, that he has made unjustified and knowingly false complaints to the local police, against a peaceful visitor to a public park?

- Perhaps you like him more because of the crimes he has committed?

...and have never had an issue with anyone who works there.

- From your own comments it is clear that you rarely fly there. Along those lines, there's an old phrase: "Familiarity breeds contempt". Could it be that if you flew there frequently you might then recognize one or more justifiable reasons for having issues of your own with one or more people who work there? Example: If you wanted to fly a tandem flight there, with a friend or paying student (and were qualified) would you have an issue with being charged much more than the City lease allows?

- Oh, and since other people who work there are also involved in filing false reports and making provably false statements to officials (which amount to criminal acts within the State of California) might you now have an issue with those specific other people who work there?

If the playing fields needs to be leveled...

- Thugs threaten a peaceful citizen in a public park and you wonder "If" the field needs to be leveled? Seriously?

...then that's a matter for the appropriate powers to adjudicate...

- The local police have the power, the local Sheriff's Department has the power, the local State Police have the power, the local City Attorney has the power, the local District Attorney has the power, and even a citizen with a valid (and clearly supported) complaint has the power - to trigger adjudication.

...assuming there is jurisdiction.

- These acts took place within the State of California, correct? So, let's just subtract that "assuming" bit. There's plenty of jurisdiction to go around.

The vast majority of pilots I know also don't have any issue either.

- Perhaps, instead of speaking FOR this "vast majority" you might give them some respect as individuals and allow them to speak for themselves.

Hey Scott... When your buddy Bob says:

http://www.ushawks.org/forum/faq.php
Frequently Asked Questions

One big difference between the US Hawks and other organizations is that the US Hawks really does honor the free speech of its members.

There's nothing wrong with the strong central control exhibited by other organizations, but the US Hawks will appeal to pilots who want more local control and greater personal participation in decision making. We believe that good decisions sometimes require a significant effort to dig into the facts. Sometimes arguments are heated, and that's not something to be feared or rejected. That's the process - painful or not - that leads to better decisions.

- who is it authorizing Bob to speak on his behalf?
- is there the slightest legitimacy to what he's saying?

And who are the people frequently asking all these questions? Isn't the title itself an obvious bullshit lie?

Although I'm lucky to fly Torrey once each year I don't wish to lose that privilege.

- What do you know that makes you think you will/may lose flying privileges at this historical soaring site?

It's along THESE lines:

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30971
Zach Marzec

NMERider - 2013/02/19 22:56:19 UTC

I will appreciate that it is the tug pilot's call as to the maximum breaking strength of any so-called weak link system and not mine.

Screw the hang glider pilot, USHGA SOPs, FAA aerotowing regulations. Don't fuck with the people who've snatched control of the sport from us and maybe they'll tolerate our presences at public and private flying sites.

Wait! Perhaps we shouldn't put the cart in front of the horse.

In short: Please Don't FVCK It Up For The Rest of Us!

- First, you are assuming that something I could do will do damage to "The Rest of Us".

- Clearly, you are identifying me as an implied threat to some group, i.e., "Us".

- Would this group be the "vast majority of pilots" you mention above?

- If so, and you are their recognized spokesman, I would ask for you to make public the names of all those who have authorized you to (politely?) address me in an intimidating manner.

- If you have NO authority to speak for anyone other than yourself please admit so.

- Finally, as I wondered in my last post, perhaps "The Rest of Us" means you, your buddy Robin Marien, as well as his fellow accomplices in violating multiple CA laws against an innocent citizen in a San Diego Public Park. Hmmmm, ... Not a good crowd with which to be associated.

Time to put things in proper perspective.

Funny how silent it's gotten on this Davis Show thread. Don't seem to be hearing much from the vast majority of pilots Jonathan knows who also don't have any issues with Air California Adventure and/or The Rest of Us worried about Scott fucking things up for them.

Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney appears as logged on as I post this. Really a shame that people have been so mean to him that he's apparently no longer interested in giving us the benefit of his keen intellect.

http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1629
Jailed for taking pictures at Torrey

Scott C. Wise - 2014/12/01 20:54:50 UTC

In documenting Air California Adventure Inc.'s "no helmet" teaching methods, Bob K bumped into the tip of a very BIG iceberg (so to speak).

Warren Narron - 2014/12/01 22:12:44 UTC

Yeah, nice stunt, Bob.
I wasn't a bit surprised at Rich Hass' response, though. Ignorance and arrogance usually seem to go together.
It would be interesting to have heard the conversation between Hass and the U$hpa lawyer after Rich's initial corporate response.

The ability of U$hpa officers to shoot their mouth off before consulting said lawyer and maybe the borg 'fixer' probably changed as well as the helmet rule.

Are you satisfied with that?

Bob Kuczewski - 2014/12/01 22:20:57 UTC

Hello FREE !!!

Please pardon me for not addressing the many many great comments on this topic, but I wanted to jump right to this one because Free has been away from the US Hawks for a long long time, and it's great to know he's still alive!!!!!

Free, I hope all is well with you, and I hope you're back to stay for a while. I've had at least one of your local pilots interested in the "Mo Hawks", and I was hoping you could start to grow that chapter with some fresh new faces. Please let me know and I can put you in touch.

Thanks for posting again ... and welcome back!!

Regarding your question about whether I'm satisfied with USHPA's response ... I am not. This has been one of dozens of cases where USHPA should recognize that the Torrey Hawks are really working to make Torrey a better safer place for all pilots. They should be opening their eyes to the fact that we have been the watchdogs on an out-of-control concessionaire. But as Wingspan mentioned, this is more likely them just covering their _$$.

Either way, it's really great to know you're still alive and kicking!!!!!

Seventeen of them, Bob. What? He didn't rate twenty-one? Saving that for Steve Exceptionally-Knowledgeable Wendt?

Yeah Warren, I thought you were dead or sumpin' too. Last active here 2013/12/17 00:25:22 UTC. Happy to see otherwise.

Housekeeping note...

2013/03/03 15:43:40 UTC you registered as "freeushga" on top of "Warnarr". I cleared that move 'cause at the time I was up to my neck in the Zack Marzec fatality and didn't wanna take time to properly handle it but immediately regretted my action.

You're not hiding your actual identity under either user name so my best guesses were that you were having trouble logging in under the original or just preferred "freeushga".

My preference here is that people use their real full names as their user names. Failing that that they publicly identify themselves with their real full names. Failing that that at least *I* know full identities. (I've been able to figure out virtually everyone from user names and/or registration email addresses.) Failing that that an individual is at least a legitimate person with at least some degree of legitimate interest in the material with which we deal. People with obscure screen names and bizarre email addresses who don't bother to write me two or three sentences to convince me they're real and not spammers don't get in.

Multiple user names I'd rather not allow unless I hear a real good reason - and I can't think of any real good reasons for participants or registered members here.

So anyway, Warren... I took the liberty of attributing your last four posts, all of which were submitted under the "freeushga" user name, to Warnarr, thus consolidating all of your contributions, and changed "freeushga" to "Warnarr/freeushga" so's folk could make the connection. Lemme know if you've got any issues with that and be advised that I can change user names at any time you want to anything you want. (Like "Warnarr" could become "freeushga".)

http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=1424
Flying possibilities

Robin Hastings - 2014/12/02 22:25 UTC

Thanks, Bob. I sure appreciate all you've done for the RGSA, and for hang gliding as a sport. Someone has to stand for safety and proper protocol, and that's you, I think. When we were mentoring that new pilot a year ago, out at our training site, I sure enjoyed having you there with your good advice. Stay in touch, and keep flying safely out there in San Diego.

Yeah, that's Bob alright. Mister Safety.

- Saved everybody from Tad's push to comply with USHGA's regulation requiring hook-in checks just prior to launch and the scores of side effect horrors that would've entailed.

- Declared Sam Kellner to be quite a genius for his concept of installing mirrors on gliders to allow pilots to safely verify hook-in status without the danger of lifting their wings into the turbulent jet streams six inches above.

- Helped keep long track record bent pin releases in circulation because he felt that the BIG DEAL Tad makes about the differences is somewhat overblown.

- Attended Terry Mason's funeral with Sam No-You-Don't-Get-An-Accident-Report Kellner to affirm the deep sadness he feels when the best safety systems possible in the hands of the most qualified people possible simply aren't enough.

- Forever freed us from the fear of Rooney Link pops and ensuing stalls by declaring stalls nothing to be afraid off.

- Triggered the enactment of a USHPA regulation mandating that pilots wear helmets whenever hooked into gliders - a landmark accomplishment which will finally put an end to all these horrible head injuries we're seeing from being hooked into their gliders without their helmets.

http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=463
Davis Straub's "Oz Report" Conflict of Interest

Bob Kuczewski - 2011/03/09 02:33:49 UTC

This is going to sound cold, but I believe people have a right to make their own choices. I don't want a "nanny state" where anyone is telling me what I can and can't do ... for my own good. The sport of hang gliding would surely not exist if that thinking were carried to its logical extreme. There's something bred into all living things that urges them toward taking some degree of risk in their lives. Those who want to forbid that risk are essentially snuffing out the human spirit itself. I can't support that. I do support information. I support good information. I support exposing bad information. But I don't support dictating what anyone can or can't do. The fundamental principle of economics (and evolution) is two words: "people choose".

What a load o' crap.

You assholes keep deifying Saint Rosa Kuczewski while he keeps portraying himself as anything anybody wants to see at any given moment. Eventually and inevitably there are gonna be some major clashes and you're gonna be finding out what you should've realized a long time ago - that the only person who has any actual control of anything on The Bob Show is Bob.

Bob Kuczewski - 2014/12/03 00:44 UTC

That's what the US Hawks is all about - pilots helping pilots!!

Pilots acceptable to Bob helping pilots!!

That's exactly the feeling I got from you and your club when I was out there. You guys give your time for the love of the sport, and you deserve a national association that honors that tradition in return.

And a big marble statue in the town square.

The US Hawks is about bringing us all together as peers...

Lotsa little powerless peers and one big peer who controls everything the way he feels like with no accountability to anyone.

...to help preserve and protect our great sport.

PRESERVE and protect "our" great sport? A few days ago it was OK for pilots to be hooked into their gliders without helmets. Pick one, Bob. Are you trying to preserve it or fix it?

Thanks so very very much for joining us!!

Define "us". Fuck you, Bob.

I'll second that one. Fuck you, Bob.

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=39919
Bob Kuczewski's video log

Steve Davy - 2014/12/04 04:29:21 UTC

No reply from NMERider to S C Wise. I find that very telling.

Yep. Always listen closest to the stuff people AREN'T saying.

Bille Floyd - 2014/12/04 05:54:14 UTC

Lots of Angry people here !!

Not all of them are THERE, Bille.

Last time i flew Torry ; had a Great time of it, (even flew Bob Kuczewski's borrowed HG).
Had a sun-setter on a borrowed PG, got fed copious amounts of food from a girl PG pilot,
and got kinda drunk from a bunch of others , that appeared to Like my stories !!!

The time before that ; went even BETTER !!
Got a tandem on a PG, with a Cool Dude named (Ki) ; got a flight on a borrowed Falcon and again, got copious amounts of food & alcohol !!!

Can't see where all the animosity is coming from ?

Maybe , just MAYBE ; some people can't get along with others ??

Correct, Bille. That's why we have rules and laws. And when corruption takes over and they're totally trampled things WILL get ugly.

Scott C. Wise - 2014/12/04 06:57:55 UTC

"Getting along with others" is something we are all supposed to learn as children.

When a long time pilot documents a PG instructor demonstrating unsafe flying practices to his students - and then is assaulted by that instructor for doing so - well that's not just "not getting along with others". What that is, is criminal behavior pure and simple - by the PG instructor.

Trivializing criminal behavior by characterizing it as "some people [not being able to] get along with others" is as close to condoning it as you can get. In our legal system criminals are punished, not admonished with a few otherwise gentle catch phrase words.

Yes, in this case, people have not "gotten along". But rather than being some nebulous and confusing conflict, this is an example of someone doing something positive (Bob K - with intent to encourage safer teaching techniques)...

Yeah, right. Gabe Jebb kiting a paraglider without a helmet - federal case. Sam Kellner dumping Terry Mason into a fatal stall - no problem. Fuck Bob K.

...and Gabe Jebb OVERREACTING in a VERY negative manner (and committing Assault and Battery against Bob K).

He didn't overreact. He reacted to the exact degree he chose to. And so far anyway, he's totally gotten away with it.

If Gabe Jebb had learned his childhood lessons better, he may have seen Bob documenting his PG instructing, sans helmet, and REALIZED!!! "Dang! I forgot to put my helmet on while hooked in and teaching students!" "Hey Bob, thanks for reminding me!" And all would have been GOOD.

Everyone would have gotten along with each other.

Bullshit.

Now, who is it that deviated from that "get along" course of action? It couldn't have been Bob since the USHPA has effectively admonished Gabe Jedd for failing to wear his helmet (after hearing about Gabe Jebb's incident with Bob K). And the USHPA Executive Committee is, in fact, currently altering the USHPA's SOPs to reflect that ALL USHPA pilots should be wearing a helmet when they are hooked into their HG or PG.

Oh great! So now when I'm roasting in line at Ridgely waiting for all the Rooney Linkers to get all their free relights I can't take my helmet off unless I disconnect from my glider. Same deal moving from the setup area to one of the ramps at McConnellsburg. Great jobs, Bob and USHGA! Fuck you too on this one, Scott.

So, if wearing a helmet while hooked in (and obviously while also teaching students) is such an accepted policy, why then did Gabe Jebb go berserk committing Assault and Battery against Bob K?

I'll let people reading this judge for themselves.

Great! I'm so glad some people still get to judge something for themselves!

As for me, I once had a NY State Peace Officer as a neighbor. His two young sons were very confident that they could get away with ANYTHING. Project that out 20 years and, . . .

PS - I think that Torrey Pines, as a place to fly (BOTH HG and PGs), can be great. There is NO denying that! What I see as the thorn in this creature's foot, is an out of control concessionaire. A concessionaire who's management and staff think they are all powerful Gods - with no one to answer to!

As has been said many times before: Absolute power, . . . Corrupts absolutely.

Steve Forslund - 2014/12/04 16:47:10 UTC

The only legitimate complaint is outside tandem fees.

Yeah dickhead. That's the ONLY legitimate complaint because Thou hast proclaimed it to be so.

Bob was doing nothing about safety and just butting in on an instructor, pushing buttons. There is lots and lots of background that no one should ever go wading in. It is an easy place to go fly solo if that is your agenda or to go charging windmills.

Total fucking dickhead. Proud to have had you on my enemies list from WAY back.

So it looks like thanks to Bob we have new rules coming from our national org regarding helmets.

Thanks to the assholes at USHGA. But Bob WAS the trigger and I'll happily staple this one to his forehead.

Did we need this, no.

Of course we needed it. I predict that over the course of the next few months scores of people with smashed up helmets will be lining up to praise Bob and USHGA for saving them fates worse than death.

Bille Floyd - 2014/12/04 18:23:07 UTC

Scott

Dude --- i Hate to tell Ya this , (But)
there is a Reason that Bob Kuczewski is NOT posting his own comments on this forum.

There is a Reason that Bob Kuczewski is NOT posting his own comments on that other HG forum ; what's it called , (.org) something ?

There's a reason Scott...

http://www.hanggliding.org/wiki/HG_ORG_Mission_Statement
HG ORG Mission Statement - Hang Gliding Wiki

HangGliding.Org Rules and Policies

No posts or links about Bob K, Scott C Wise, Tad Eareckson and related people, or their material. ALL SUCH POSTS WILL BE IMMEDIATELY DELETED. These people are poison to this sport and are permanently banned from this site in every possible way imaginable.

...and T** at K*** S****** aren't posting on Jack's shit heap either, Bille. The reason you can post anywhere you want is 'cause you never do anything of any actual substance.

There is a Reason that Bob Kuczewski got booted out from his position at the USHPA .

Like i said : " some people just Can NOT get along with Others" !!

Yeah, I totally agree, Bille. Only people who can get along with others - as determined by pieces of shit like Jack and Davis - should be allowed to present their positions and be heard.

Sorry Bob ; i'll fly your glider, but i won't join your club because your Momma taught you how to play on the play-ground, but Ya simply Didn't listen !!!

I got a 6-pk of Bud-Light, that says i could go make a video of the same instructor, and he'd share a beer with me after !!

I never had the slightest doubt. Me, I'd never have ANYTHING to do with the kind of two bit thug who would attack ANYONE - including Bob - for taking pictures at a public park for any reason. If I were on nice legally safe stand-your-ground footing I'd blow the motherfucker's brains out the back of his head before I'd allow him to lay a finger on me and got to sleep just fine that night.

Steve

Personally , ( i LIKE to use my helmet) ; it saved me a Bunch of times. Then again ; there are people who would fly a PG with a 5-year old, and i don't exactly agree with that either !!

How 'bout...

7-14522


...a hang glider with crappy illegal towing equipment?

In the 2500 or so tandems i did on a HG ; only (1) girl was below the age of 18.

So what's your cutoff age for risking mangling or killing people on hang gliders?

The most damage i ever did to a passenger was skin a knee or two ; most tandem pilots , (with those numbers) can NOT say the same ? I've screwed myself up a few times flying solo, but Never a passenger on a tandem.

Oh. So you're incapable of doing stuff to ensure that you land with the same number of legs you started out with solo but tandem you're perfectly OK. Reminds me a lot of the Double Rooney Link - certain instant death to Dragonfly Drivers if it's on a solo glider but totally harmless as long as there are two people of any masses hanging under the glider.

Your suppose to have strict rules in place to help improve your odds for survival on the out-come . Rules like fastening your seat-belt in a car ;

Or:

With each flight, demonstrates a method of establishing that the pilot is hooked in just prior to launch.

http://ozreport.com/forum/files/copy_2_of_imgp1239_197.jpg
http://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7220/13949046702_ccfa0fafab_o.png

http://www.thekiteboarder.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/opener-532x800.jpg

...but there are at LEAST three people every year , that i gotta tell : " put on the belt, or my car doesn't move ".
Had one girl tell me the seat-belt is too restricting and that She won't use it ; that date didn't go too well, when i told her to get OUT of my van.

Other strict rules i have about flying
I NEVER just , (( let )) a PG, Stay directly above me in a thermal ; I'll either increase the diameter of my 360, or Decrease it, ( don't matter if I'm flying a PG or a HG).
WHY
Because i'm quite good on a PG ; i Know they like to fold up at the most inopportune times, mostly when Ya don't Want them to. I don't wanna be that guy below me, if 3/4's of my wing goes away ; i don't wanna be below the guy above me, when His PG starts to plummet , because his wing ain't as rigid as it was a moment ago !!

Anything Else there --Steve ? (LOL)

Yeah Bille...

http://ozreport.com/forum/files/having_a_bad_day_178.jpg


Keep up the great work.

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=39919
Bob Kuczewski's video log

Scott C. Wise - 2014/12/05 05:05:57 UTC

Mr. Forslund,

I've brought this up elsewhere. There is no (sarcastic?) "thanks to Bob" involved in this situation. Perhaps you heard a couple years back about the USHPA requiring Chapters to look into Liability Mitigation at their flying sites? Why do you think the USHPA initiated THAT "rule" - or perhaps better called "requirement"?

Just to make life more miserable and dangerous for the people out flying stuff while presenting a facade of making things safer.

Since you are either ignorant of the USHPA's motives for doing so...

See above.

...or you're not very good at connecting the dots between cause and effect, I'll let you (and however many others) in on the gist of things.

The USHPA has been confronted with issues which have led its insurer to threaten to (then actually?) jack up its rates. I was told around five years ago the USHPA was charged in the order of $160,000 a year for its combined insurance coverage. Less than a year ago I was told that the insurer (Lloyd's of London) was again contemplating raising the USHPA's insurance because of a couple lawsuits filed against the USHPA. My source told me that the rates may be doubled for the 3rd, 4th or ?th time as a result of those lawsuits (i.e., liability issues).

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25321
Stop the Stupids at the USHPA BOD meeting

Mark G. Forbes - 2011/09/29 02:26:23 UTC

We can establish rules which we think will improve pilot safety, but our attorney is right. USHPA is not in the business of keeping pilots "safe" and it can't be. Stepping into that morass is a recipe for extinction of our association.

Since only back in 2012 (as best I recall) the USHPA initiated its Chapter Liability Mitigation Plan, I suspect (not having all the particulars) that the insurer had already increased its rates significantly beyond that old $160,000 a year figure.

Since my reliable source referred to MULTIPLE doubling of the USHPA's rates, I would not be surprised if the USHPA is facing insurance rates near or beyond $500,000 a year.

NOW, suppose that one of the MOST Prominent, MOST Prolific, and MOST Visible USHPA Certified PG training facilities in the country was found to be demoing/teaching PG flight techniques while not wearing protective head gear (i.e., their hemet[s]). Hmmmmm, . . .

Yeah, let's suppose that.

- Now let's find an actual incident in which anybody in the entire history of paragliding has ever gotten so much as a painfully banged head as a consequence of kiting his bag without a helmet - or a statement from a kiter along the lines of, "Damn it was a good thing I had that thing on! Gonna need a new Charly Insider before I can clip in again. That one's toast!"

- And now let's compare/contrast with the hang gliding carnage we've been seeing for decades resulting from skipped hook-in checks, spot landings, releases within easy reach, pro toad bridles, standard aerotow weak links, tow drivers making good decisions in the interest of gliders' safety.

Being a USHPA Certified School, with USHPA Certified Instructors, who all also happen to be USHPA members, I wonder what happens when somebody gets hurt or killed (cause they weren't wearing a helmet) and it is found out by some lawyer that such practices were long running and very common among employees of Air California Adventure Inc. ?

You're probably gonna hafta wait one fucking helluva long time 'cause after several decades of doing what we're doing we're not finding a lot of new ways to do incidents. If something's gonna happen it's already happened scores of times.

Also, Bob didn't document a student flying or kiting without a helmet. He documented an instructor with a zillion hours of paragliding experience who's a helluva lot more likely to be injured tripping over a helmet in a setup or practice area than by his kiting or flying without one.

That lawyer will sue not only Air California Adventure Inc. but the USHPA as well (for their neglect in having reg.s that require the use of helmets)! Could such a final straw lead the insurer to actually terminating the policy?

The policy has NOTHING to do with covering people clipped into gliders. It's ONLY to cover stuff and people we crash into.

Are you beginning to see the BIGGER picture Mr Forslund? If not, . . .

The USHPA has added new (spelled out) helmet requirements NOT because of what Bob did - BUT BECAUSE Air California Adventure Inc.'s personnel were teaching/demonstrating flying skills in an unsafe and sloppy manner.

They weren't violating any laws or USHGA SOPs and you don't have one scrap of evidence to justify that statement.

This creates a liability issue for the USHPA and every single member of the USHPA! "How's that?" you may ask, still in a (possible) state of confusion. Well, since every member of the USHPA puts up yearly dues toward paying the yearly insurance costs, that means that every member PAYS for the unsafe (perhaps even negligent) actions of any other member (or USHPA certified flight school).

Funny, I didn't hear that USHGA or anybody else had to fork out a penny in the wake of the 2005/09/03 Hang Glide Chicago tandem double fatal in which damn near every AT regulation and SOP that was ever written had had the crap violated out of it.

Bob's act of documenting Air California Adventure Inc.'s unsafe teaching practices has led to the elimination of one OBVIOUS threat to the ability of the USHPA to maintain its overall insurance coverage of the sports it oversees.

IF there were the least amount of truth to that then that would be a GOOD thing?

Bob K was no more than the messenger - who you enjoy taking shots at.

Thank you SO much, Bob. What a pity it was that you didn't ever have a camera pointed at your buddy Sam's...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8143/7462005802_bbc0ac66ac_o.jpg


http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28211
Platform towing fatality in Leakey, Texas

Gregg Ludwig - 2012/06/23 20:15:21 UTC

What is that saying?..."He does the same thing over and over but expects different results."

http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1081
Platform towing /risk mitigation / accident

Sam Kellner - 2012/07/03 02:25:58 UTC

No, you don't get an accident report.

...shoddy totally incompetent operation. But hell, you got Gabe Jebb kiting a paraglider in benign conditions without a helmet!

How do you, Mr. Forslund, point ONE SINGE accusatory finger at Bob K?

I use the middle one with the rest of them tucked, knuckles outboard towards Bob, and pointing a lot more up than at.

Time to revise those two last two sentences to read:

"So it looks like thanks to Gabe Jebb we have new rules coming from our national org regarding helmets. Did we need this? Well, with bad instructors running around loose, it now seems clear that we did."

PS - Look at the pictures at the beginning of this thread. Bob K was somewhere around, or beyond, ten yards from Gabe Jebb. Gabe Jebb, on his own, stopped the lesson and began to approach Bob. Jebb did so in a belligerent manner using threatening language. He then made forcible physical contact with Bob. That is the definition of Assault and Battery.

What Bob did? He noticed Jebb's lack of helmet while hooked in to a PG while teaching (exactly as being a safety issue) and simply and peacefully recorded what he saw. He never butted in on ANY instructor. And if buttons got pushed they were self pushed by Gabe Jebb, particularly considering his long term negative view of Bob K (who likes the idea of fair access of HG pilots to Torrey Pines).

Hang glider "pilots" meeting his personal approval anyway.

Sam Kellner - 2014/12/05 12:36:44 UTC

I hope... they... don't fu** it up for all the rest of us.

Where do you get the unmitigated GALL to DARE talk about ANYBODY else fucking up ANYTHING for ANYBODY?