The Bob Show

[bobk]

Bob, on the other hand was impeached as a witness.

Jonathan, I'll ask you again: On what basis and on what evidence do you make that claim?

Publish the entire USHPA package Bob.
:
I'll be more than happy to highlight the evidence that leads me to conclude that your credibility as a witness was impeached and that you were a liability to her case.

If you've already been lead "to conclude that [my] credibility as a witness was impeached" (your statement, not mine), then you should already have all the evidence you need. Right? You did draw your conclusion from evidence, didn't you? Can't you just cite it?

As far as me presenting the evidence, I personally don't have a lot of it. Expert witnesses are not principles in the case. I was not privy to a lot of the information that was available or discussed. In fact, I don't even have - and have never even seen - the video of my own testimony. USHPA has that. When they published that video for my "trial" I went to their web site repeatedly and I still wasn't able to view it. I tried multiple times - in some cases for hours - and here's all I ever saw:



The same is true for many of the other legal documents USHPA used. I simply don't have them.

Now, personally, I don't think your offer to objectively look into this information is sincere. I think you've got an agenda, and you're going to work hard to draw the conclusion that you want. But I'm willing to be proven wrong and take the gamble that you're likewise willing to be proven wrong. We can let the peanut gallery (observers) draw their own conclusions as to who's being honest.

If I find that I was mistaken about the record and the meaning of the evidence I'll be more than happy to proffer my apology along with a retraction of my conclusions.
It doesn't get any better than that now does it?

Here's where we have our first real problem. It does get better than that. It gets a lot better than that. While your apology and retraction would be nice, that and $3.50 will buy me a gallon of gas. How about if you put up something more appropriate to the topic? How about if you're convinced that my testimony was not "impeached", then you'll put your name to this statement:

USHPA Directors, USHPA Members, and Anyone to whom this may concern,

I have thoroughly investigated the matter of Mr. Kuczewski's expulsion. I have reviewed all of the evidence that USHPA has made available and that Mr. Kuczewski has made available. After examining the evidence, I conclude that USHPA should not have expelled Mr. Kuczewski, and I hereby officially and publicly request that his expulsion be reversed.

Sincerely,
YourNameGoesHere, USHPA #YourNumberGoesHere

Is that too much to ask? It's probably what you should do anyway (as a human being and fellow pilot) if you become convinced that my testimony was solid. I don't think such a letter is going to reverse the injustice of my expulsion, but it's a small start.

OK, so that was our first problem. I've already mentioned our second problem which is getting the evidence. If you're sincere about this, then you should have no problem writing a letter like this to your Regional Directors and the USHPA Board to help us get past the second problem:

USHPA Directors,

I am investigating the matter of Mr. Kuczewski's expulsion, and I'd like a copy of the evidence that was used in the case. I understand that you may feel uncomfortable releasing that information to me without Mr. Kuczewski's approval, so if you can't release it to me, could you please release it to Mr. Kuczewski who has agreed to share it with me.

Thanks,
YourNameGoesHere, USHPA #YourNumberGoesHere

I don't know the ethics of the situation, but I suspect they shouldn't be giving out that kind of stuff to just anyone who asks. But if they won't even give it to me at your request, then you can bet that they've got something to hide. For all I know, they were broadcasting a doctored version back in 2015 to match the false charges in their expulsion letter. Nothing surprises me anymore from that crowd.

And the last thing that I'd like to do is keep a record of both of our posts on US Hawks. I like to "hope" that KiteStrings is somewhat "neutral" ground (even though I've been banned for daring to use your last name), but "hope" and $3.50 will buy me that same gallon of gas. So I'd like to duplicate both of our posts in a special topic on the US Hawks, and I'd like to post them under our registered US Hawks names ("Bob Kuczewski" for me, and "NMERider" for you) as if we'd posted them there rather than here. I will copy each of your posts verbatim (starting with your challenge above) under that user name. You won't have to do anything other than give me your permission to do so.

What say you Jonathan? Are you open to the possibility that you could be proven wrong?

Now, with all that said, let me offer you a good faith gift appropriate for this topic. You wrote:

please publish your expert witness contract along with copies of all invoices and payments received by you with respect to this matter

I'll give you that one for free.

I knew in advance that if I took so much as a penny for my efforts, USHPA's operatives would use it to smear me. So I was very clear to Shannon's lawyers that I could not and would not accept any money. They still sent me at least one check and I wrote back that I wouldn't be cashing it ... and I never did. There was no contract and I never took a penny for my testimony. If that surprises you or conflicts with what you've heard or thought, then that creaking sound is your mind opening to the truth of what really happened. Get used to it.

[Tad Eareckson]

NMERider - 2017/10/04 22:10:28 UTC

Publish the entire USHPA package Bob. Put it up on a Google Drive folder where any interested party can see it.

Hell, put it up here. Kite Strings has always been fully accessible - with no restricted areas or Basements - to anyone interested. And always will be as long as I've got anything to say about it.

Bob Kuczewski - 2017/10/05 05:58:22 UTC

I think you've got an agenda...

Good. Fuck anybody in this sport who doesn't. Also fuck the vast majority of the ones who do.

I don't know the ethics of the situation...

When was the last time u$hPa had the tiniest concern about anything having to do with ethics?

And the last thing that I'd like to do is keep a record of both of our posts...

That's the first thing I'd like to do. And you deleted one of yours:

http://www.kitestrings.org/post10526.html#p10526
The Bob Show
bobk - 2017/10/04 18:44:12 UTC

at 2017/10/04 18:52:56 UTC without my having seen and archived it in the eight and three quarter minute window. And that's a bit of destruction of history that bothers me and is something of a pain with respect to my archiving and record keeping.

Members and GUESTS have the power to delete and edit their posts as they please BUT I:
- prefer that posts:
-- NOT be deleted / the history of the forum not be damaged
-- only be edited to:
--- correct typos, grammatical errors, honest mistakes
--- address broken links
--- clarify meaning, expand, better illustrate
- would greatly appreciate notification via PM of edits in order that I be able to properly manage the archive

Edits which alter originally intended meaning and deletions which vandalize topics are dishonest and destructive and will be grounds for banning. Fortunately, so far, we haven't had significant problems in these areas.

Also note that I will move posts into other existing or purpose-created topics as I see necessary/desirable. My purpose will be towards better, more easily readable forum organization and never towards obfuscation. And I document the alterations as best as possible. And if you want examples of such alterations being done for the purpose of sabotage, both the Jack and Davis Shows are totally oozing with them.

I like to "hope" that KiteStrings is somewhat "neutral" ground...

Abandon your hope. Kite Strings strives to be FAIR ground. And most of that fairness is based upon fundamental aeronautical principles, engineering, math/science in general, the historical record. Most of the rest is based upon fairness of process.

And I think that's why both you and Jonathan are here now.

...(even though I've been banned for daring to use your last name)...

Rubbish.

- You were banned 2012/05/07 12:38:07 UTC and you can read some relevant comments from Kite Strings' founder from the better part of five months prior at:

http://www.kitestrings.org/post1019.html#p1019

Your wire here has - once again - been reconnected as a COURTESY and you are here - once again - as a GUEST.

- Your plug was pulled last time for bogging down the discussion with nonstop disruption.

- I will once again make the point that Jonathan is no way in hell concealing his actual identity from anyone in hang gliding. Everybody of any relevance knows exactly who he is and how and where to find him. He asked that his correctly spelled last name not be used due to some issue outside of the sport and I don't give a flying fuck what it is. I found it totally reasonable and am extending him - and enforcing - that COURTESY.

- Note that although Jonathan is here as a MEMBER, this discussion is taking place here because I took issue with what he was saying on the Grebloville forum regarding your expulsion. (And I hope the three of us - plus anybody else who may be interested - can come to a reasonable consensus on the issue.)

Jonathan...

Expert witness stuff. Bob held u$hPa Advanced ratings in both hang and para gliding. That's as high as you can go save for Master - which is just honorary - and political - bullshit which doesn't qualify anyone for flying anything over Four level anyway.

Anybody wonder why they didn't bring in their official top opinion guy - Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney - to cut Bob to ribbons in court? The way he cut all the guys from Tad's Hole In The Ground to ribbons on The Davis Show? Maybe it wouldn't have worked so well without the Most Honorable Justice Davis Straub presiding.

In discrediting Bob as an expert witness they're simultaneously discrediting their entire bullshit Pilot Proficiency System. And thus they're also discrediting the qualifications of the unidentified ACA instructor assholes who radio controlled that little Para One baby into Hang Four launch and landing zone traffic and half killed her. Talk about your Ponzi scheme collapse. How could any halfway intelligent third grader randomly picked out of a classroom not be an expert witness?

Now that I think about it...

226-322502
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8807/16585224023_a9089ccd2d_o.png


He's had 27:10 minutes of u$hPa certified PG tandem instruction time with a highly experienced and skilled instructor. That's a bit over three times what I had when I scored my HG two and was invited by John Harris to come back to Kitty Hawk as an instructor. And all my time was just crappy solo stuff.

And he's got a good attitude, is comfortable through lotsa hot maneuvers and relative work, asks good questions, witnessed the crash and aftermath...

So what would be out of his grasp in the expert witness department?

And I also really liked...

002-005121
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8734/17218252775_bdbb5a0785_o.png


...Mom.

Witnessed the midair crash, INSTANTLY assessed the situation as not being a threat to either of her two kids, asked Zack if he felt OK continuing, watched the "antics" from a front row seat (a few yards from what was left of Shannon while it was being stabilized and evacuated), everybody had a blast.

How 'bout her? Or the combined expertise of Mom, Zack, Alec?

Do any of us watching the video see anything in it out of our depths? Can we even imagine some relevant issue that would disqualify us? I personally feel totally good to go on both the Challenger and Columbia - rocket science isn't all rocket science.

More thoughts...

u$hPa's attacking Bob on the grounds that he lacked the stellar level of expertise necessary to properly assess this incident.

- As obviously Shannon's u$hPa certified radio control instructor did.

- Now where have we heard something like THAT...

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

Jim Rooney - 2013/03/05 19:42:58 UTC

My god my head hurts.

Wow...
So you know what happened then?
OMG... thank you for your expert accident analysis. You better fly down to FL and let them know. I'm sure they'll be very thankful to have such a crack expert mind on the case analyzing an accident that you know nothing about. Far better data than the people that were actually there. In short... get fucked.

...before?

- So where's the u$hPa 35 page advisory that went out with expert detailed analysis of what REALLY happened that nobody in the Industry ever understood before detailing the steps and retraining necessary to prevent a rerun? (See any relevant changes in the SOPs?)

Oh right...

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. I wish it were not so, but it is. We don't sell equipment, we don't offer instruction, and we don't assure pilots that they'll be safe. Even so, we get sued periodically by people who say we "shoulda, coulda, woulda" done something that would have averted their accident.

It's not just concern for meet directors and policy makers...it's about our continued existence as an association. It's about minimizing the chance of our getting sued out of existence. We're one lawsuit away from that, all the time, and we think hard about it. I would LOVE to not have to think that way, but every time a legal threat arises, it reminds me that we have a very dysfunctional legal system in this country (note: not a "justice" system...there's little justice involved) and we have to recognize that reality and deal with it.

u$hPa's not in the safety business so obviously there's no such thing as an expert witness. So obviously Bob should've been charged with perjury.

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=27736
Increase in our USHpA dues

Mark G. Forbes - 2012/12/20 06:21:33 UTC

We're re-working the accident reporting system, but again it's a matter of getting the reports submitted and having a volunteer willing to do the detail work necessary to get them posted. There are also numerous legal issues associated with accident reports, which we're still wrestling with. It's a trade-off between informing our members so they can avoid those kinds of accidents in the future, and exposing ourselves to even more lawsuits by giving plaintiff's attorneys more ammunition to shoot at us.

Imagine a report that concludes, "If we'd had a procedure "x" in place, then it would have probably prevented this accident. And we're going to put that procedure in place at the next BOD meeting." Good info, and what we want to be able to convey. But what comes out at trial is, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, my client suffered injury because USHPA knew or should have known that a safety procedure was not in place, and was therefore negligent and at fault." We're constantly walking this line between full disclosure and handing out nooses at the hangmen's convention.

u$hPa was actually aware of the issue that got Shannon slammed in but sat on the remedial procedure because they were constantly walking this line between full disclosure and handing out nooses at the hangmen's convention. And still are. So much easier to expel Bob for his fraudulent expert witness testimony against a school that was doing everything right.

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=32681
Tandem crash in LV (speculation thread)

Mark G. Forbes - 2015/04/01 03:46:29 UTC

Among ourselves, we agree (via the waiver) that we understand we're engaged in a risky sport that can cause serious injury or death. We each agree that we are personally and individually responsible for our own safety. If we have an accident and get hurt, we agree in advance that it is solely our own fault, no matter what the circumstances might be. We sign at the bottom saying that we fully understand these things, that we accept them, and that we know we are giving up the right to sue anybody if an accident happens.

Those are fundamental tenets of our sport. We are all individually responsible for ourselves and our safety. We need to see and avoid all other pilots, avoid crashing into people or property and use good judgment when flying. If someone doesn't agree with those principles, then they don't need to be involved in our sport.

It was all Shannon's fault.

(I so do love it when these assholes open their mouths and say stuff.)

P.S. Hey Bob, ever consider that you and Brad have something in common? u$hPa knifed both of you in no small part to distract attention away from the parties responsible for getting Shannon slammed in.

[Tad Eareckson]

That video shows not only the incident itself but a subsequent flight by two Torrey Pines Tandem instructors (Brad Geary and Max Marien) each with a child passenger engaging in stunts that clearly threaten USHPA's FAA tandem exemption and possibly the FAA's view of our ability to be "self-regulated" sports under USHPA's domination.

1. I'm seeing two separate flights - each piloted by a Torrey Pines Tandem instructor.

2. Who says they're engaging in stunts that clearly threaten USHPA's FAA tandem exemption - or anything else - besides you and Mark G. Forbes?

- To this day is there anything in the u$hPa SOPs or FAA regulations that prohibit or even advise against anything seen in the video?

- Doesn't it bother you a bit to be in alignment with Mark G. Forbes on an issue in which a pilot was punished with a permanent loss of ratings for doing something totally legal and obviously enjoyed by both pilots, the kids, and their mom?

- What did you see in the way of tandem instruction going on? Did Zack or Alec ever get anywhere near a control line?

- I DESPISE the tandem exemption. It's done as much to destroy recreational hang gliding as anything I can think of and I've heard similar sentiments expressed by Bob Show insiders. If I thought that anything I saw in the video had a dust particle's worth of legitimacy as far as reason for revocation I'd have jumped all over it at the first opportunity. It doesn't. And there is ZERO evidence from the sport of paragliding - tandem or solo - that anything we see IS the slightest bit problematic. And there's about a hundred paragliders for every hang glider flying.

- Wanna see sumpin' that IS the slightest bit problematic for paragliders?

03-003016
http://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5470/13901487910_c622a06164_o.png

09-013010
http://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2921/13901489028_de29fb1aa0_o.png

13-030317
http://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2908/13901478890_2b8def7730_o.png

15-040623
http://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7406/14088542654_601dbaf539_o.png


Funny we don't hear any concerns about flying people of varying ages around the ranges of "eagles".

3. Tandem shit that's CLEARLY dangerous, illegal, in violation of FAA regs and u$hPa SOPs, has a record of several double fatals... How 'bout that tandem AT hop you took with Malcolm with its cheap junk releases, weak links that break before you can get into too much trouble, Dragonfly tow mast breakaway protector?

Malcolm LIES right on his website. Has since the beginning of time. Brad lies to Zack (and John) too, but not about the nuts and bolts of paraglider flying. Malcolm’s lies are shit that keep the sport in the dark ages and get people killed - most recently in his neck of the woods at Dunnellon on 2016/02/02 and Quest on 2016/05/21.

This is particularly troubling given the recent events at Jean Lake.

Bull fucking shit. There is ZERO relevance between Brad/Zack/Max/Alec and Kelly/Arys.

- The Torrey stuff was foot launched ridge with totally certified equipment which was fine for the glass smooth air of the site and highly experienced, skilled, competent pilots.

- The Jean Lake disaster was towed with damn near every relevant piece of equipment fucked up as much as humanly possible and an unidentified driver he'd met in the parking lot a half hour prior who had no clue as to what was supposed to be going on. All summed up by u$hPa as "typical".

- Got that?

-- Torrey:

--- Radio controlled P1 midaired in landing pattern traffic. Instructor fine.

--- Two happy kids set back down smelling like roses, Permanent rating revocation.

-- Jean Lake:

--- Tandem Instructor and eleven year old kid student splattered in front of latter's family. Typical. (A bit of work needed in the Risk Mitigation department.)

--- It was an instructional flight, right? Ever wonder what Kelly told Arys the parachute was supposed to be used for just before they hooked in and went up?

Notice the way in tandem instructional flights - hang or para - the primary objective is to keep the "student" from touching anything that can be used to control the glider? And in solo hang gliding instruction the primary objective is to keep the student from touching the control bar? How 'bout getting a bit bent outta shape about that? Or would that invite retaliation at Dockweiler/Greblo Beach?

[bobk]

Good points:

Expert witness stuff. Bob held u$hPa Advanced ratings in both hang and para gliding. That's as high as you can go save for Master - which is just honorary - and political...

...they're also discrediting the qualifications of the unidentified ACA instructor ...

Jeremy Bishop

... who radio controlled that little Para One baby into Hang Four launch and landing zone traffic and half killed her. Talk about your Ponzi scheme collapse.

Nice pun on "collapse".

u$hPa was actually aware of the issue that got Shannon slammed in ...

Yes. As a USHPA Region 3 Director I personally informed USHPA of a similar incident a year earlier where a PG student on radio crashed into parked hang gliders at Torrey. USHPA instructor Brad Geary told the student to not divulge who was on the radio instructing him at the time. There was at least one witness who reported this on hanggliding.org.

... but sat on the remedial procedure because they were constantly walking this line between full disclosure and handing out nooses at the hangmen's convention. And still are. [sarcasm]So much easier to expel Bob for his fraudulent expert witness testimony against a school that was doing everything right.[/sarcasm]

For the record, I added the "sarcasm" tags myself.

P.S. Hey Bob, ever consider that you and Brad have something in common? u$hPa knifed both of you in no small part to distract attention away from the parties responsible for getting Shannon slammed in.

Yes, that's a bit of irony. But I got my "wire reconnected" to address the specifics of Jonathan's claim that my testimony as an expert witness had been somehow impeached. I'd like to stay focussed on that, and I've offered some suggestions as to how we might proceed. So far Jonathan has been silent on my proposal. Do you think he's running it past Tim Herr?

Jonathan?

[Tad Eareckson]

Good points:

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=32059
Torrey Incident, should USHPA get involved?

Davis Straub - 2014/11/12 16:06:00 UTC

The video speaks for itself. Sometimes even assholes have a point.

Brian Scharp - 2014/11/12 16:47:20 UTC

Good point.

Nice pun on "collapse".

Wasn't intended to be. Collapse wasn't really the issue. Maybe it should've been though, 'cause minus that incident Shannon could've gone on and scored her Four and experienced an impact like that or worse doing nothing wrong at any time she was below a couple hundred feet or so in thermal conditions. Who knows, maybe that midair saved her life.

There was at least one witness who reported this on hanggliding.org.

Citations are always nice.

For the record, I added the "sarcasm" tags myself.

I think the readers here are pretty good at recognizing sarcasm - seeing as how it constitutes about 85 percent of the content.

Do you think he's running it past Tim Herr?

He'd certainly be the one by which to run things. Only individual who gets to see crash reports before he shreds them. A bit odd that u$hPa didn't call him as an expert witness to refute your expert witness testimony.

Regarding your 2017/10/06 07:00:29 UTC PM to me - which I'll address here because it wasn't very P and concerned the public policy issue I brought up three posts back at 2017/10/05 18:58:59 UTC...

Just as a regular member of any forum I like the ability to edit my posts at any point I feel like for legitimate reasons such as I described above. And I want all the members here to have the relevant capabilities I do.

All the members here have had that capability since Kite Strings was first lit up at 2010/11/23 01:36:19 UTC.

Furthermore, virtually all members here have had Moderator privileges since 2017/05/11 17:33:44 UTC or before and can edit anyone's posts, including mine, seamlessly (save for the log entries in the ACP).

About the first week in July, in response to the then recent Jack Show reformat, I had to check every single one of the near 10220 posts on then on Kite Strings for broken links. And I made TONS of edits for better and more standardized formatting, more/better illustrations, better clarity, error fixes... As I recall I found ZERO instances of edits, alterations, deletions that didn't match what I had in the archive.

So, so far, this is a total nonissue.

I'm satisfied that I've got just about all of the best English capable hang glider people in the world over here and the douchebags - with a rather negligible exception level - aren't interested in participating and don't bother registering. And if I can't trust the members here to about the same level I trust myself I'm totally wasting my time and effort. And I've learned to be mildly content with just mostly wasting my time and effort.

Back to the "expert witness" issue...

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22660
What can be learned from this "scooter" towing accident?

Mitch Shipley - 2011/01/31 15:22:59 UTC

Enjoy your posts, as always, and find your comments solid, based on hundreds of hours / tows of experience and backed up by a keen intellect/knowledge of the issues when it comes to most things in general and hang gliding AT/Towing in particular. Wanted to go on record in case anyone reading wanted to know one persons comments they should give weight to.

08-19
http://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5277/30076449505_1f6ed2f804_o.png


Where to fuckin' BEGIN?

- I JUST realized - after the better part of seven years - that in this semiliterate post of an outstanding US Naval Academy graduate and u$hPa's top fatal glider crash information suppressor a week shy of six months prior to the Shannon midair, Mitch doesn't say "...THE one PERSONS comments THEY should give weight to." It's just "ONE PERSONS". Even though the motherfucker can't write with fourth grade level competency he DOES know how to cover his ass - u$hPa style - by saying NOTHING while seeming to say SOMETHING.

-- So who's another person to whose comments we should GIVE WEIGHT?

-- And how much WEIGHT should we be giving them while risking our lives because of all the inferior comments to which we were subjected when we were receiving u$hPa instructions for our Ratings and Special Skills?

-- If we find another person who makes a comment to which we've given equal weight but which flatly contradicts the one of Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney's what should we do? Flip a coin?

- Obviously you're superior to the guy you're endorsing - 'cause otherwise:
-- you wouldn't be able to evaluate and verify the validity of Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney's comments
-- we muppets would have no reason to give weight to your endorsement
So I guess it's been too much trouble to weigh in on the discussions in which your little pet is getting his ass ripped to shreds.

- When the Challenger and Columbia disasters were investigated were the project leaders astronauts with hundreds of hours of orbit time? Can anybody cite anything in this game that requires airtime to perfectly understand?

- Knowledge of the issues when it comes to most things in general. Look out, Watson. Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney is coming onto Jeopardy to kick your ass back into the Stone Age.

- Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney seems to have totally vanished from all spheres of avaition and avaition discussions. How come:
-- you've left us without a replacement person to whose comments we should give weight?
-- Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney thought so little of his value to the sports that he didn't bother to mentor anyone to fill his shoes?

So there it is, Bob, Jonathan...

- There's no such as an expert witness 'cause in both hang and para gliding everything is just a matter of opinion. And who's to say whose opinion is superior to anyone else's? That would also be just a matter of opinion.

- And by the same token - obviously - there's no such thing as a totally incompetent witness. Ryan doesn't need to show us a video of him, or anyone else, rolling a glider to the left, hands free, by running to the left. He just needs to state that as his opinion. And his opinion needs to be given weight 'cause he's got lotsa ratings, tons of airtime, is great at aerobatics, produces lotsa really cool videos.

And the model u$hPa has chosen for the foundation of its Ponzi scheme is totally dependent upon EVERYTHING...

Dr. Trisa Tilletti - 2012/06

Dr. Trisa Tilletti 2: Finally, everyone should know that thorough aerotow training and currency results in a more proficient aerotow pilot who can tow more smoothly and can stay more precisely in the center of the cone of safety [ref 18]. When hang glider pilots can fly their gliders on tow as smoothly as a sailplane flies on tow, it is less likely that they will experience an inadvertent weak link break. Is that it for this article?

Dr. Trisa Tilletti 1: We could get into details of lab testing weak links and bridles, but this article is already getting long. That would be a good topic for an article in the future. Besides, with our backgrounds in formal research, you and I both know that lab tests may produce results with good internal validity, but are often weak in regard to external validity--meaning lab conditions cannot completely include all the factors and variability that exists in the big, real world.

What we have covered in this article is practical information and knowledge gleaned from the real world of aerotowing, developed over decades and hundreds of thousands of tows by experts in the field. This information has practical external validity. Hopefully, someone will develop methods and technology that work better than what we are using as standard practice today. Like the methods and technology used today, it is unlikely that the new technology will be dictated onto us as a de jure standard. Rather, to become a de facto standard, that new technology will need to be made available in the marketplace, proven in the real world, and then embraced by our sport.
...
This article was peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the USHPA Towing Committee.

...being matters of opinion.

[Tad Eareckson]

Expert witness, further thoughts...

If you're running a legitimate aviation organization and a witness is spewing incompetent and/or bogus testimony it's a total fuckin' no brainer to discredit him and cut him to shreds. Possibly not in front of a biased judge and/or idiot jury pool but DEFINITELY back in your organization and hopefully on appeal within the justice system.

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

I would LOVE to not have to think that way, but every time a legal threat arises, it reminds me that we have a very dysfunctional legal system in this country (note: not a "justice" system...there's little justice involved) and we have to recognize that reality and deal with it.

Yeah Mark, the US justice system totally sucks and it always totally sucks in favor of the half killed student and NEVER in favor of u$hPa. Go figure. (Notice Mark has never made that claim. If it's just randomly dysfunctional the unjust decisions will balance out and you'll break even in the long run.)

You'll notice that when I tried to get something done about the AT cesspool - which was blatantly illegally endangering MY life every single time I ever went up this total shit organization went into total cockroach mode and attempted to smear me out of existence using every tool imaginable.

http://www.kitestrings.org/post29.html#p29

And you'll also notice that nobody ever actually quoted a single punctuation mark of anything I ever actually SAID. That's, of course, 'cause it was all totally bulletproof and the bulk of it was just quotes from their own SOPs, advisories, fatality reports. So they just characterized me as an incompetent douchebag and invented the stuff I was saying. "THE SKY IS FALLING!!!" That one just never gets old.

And you'll also notice the identical pattern in u$hPa's attacks on Bob, particularly on the "expert witness" issue. They just piss all over him without ever actually quoting anything he's ever said or written as evidence that he wasn't competent enough to assess and give testimony on this total no brainer incident.

Now here's the problem with opinion based aviation (or, as Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney insists on spelling it, "avaition"). You pull up some insane quote from Bob, like the stuff he used to sabotage my efforts to get u$hPa's hook-in check regulation implemented and enforced. HALF or more of the u$hPa member and leader ship will be quotable for saying the exact same thing and it will be nicely archived in magazine articles, Pagen books, official training manuals.

And if Bob's found to be incompetent based upon anything tangible, specific... How 'bout...

Robert Kuczewski - 81898
- H4 - 2005/09/13 - Steve Stackable - 2012/09/30 - FL AWCL CL FSL RLF TUR
- P4 - 2006/04/11 - Ken Baier - FL CL FSL HA RLF RS TUR

...all the guys who ever signed him off on anything relevant? And how 'bout their other products? And how 'bout the products of their other products who went on to become ratings officials?

See how much sense everything makes when you start plotting the consequences of future chess moves?

See how Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney got so caught up in his own scam, mouthy, arrogant, toxic that he crashed and burned like nobody we've ever seen before and nobody we'll ever see again?

[bobk]

You'll notice that when I tried to get something done about the AT cesspool - which was blatantly illegally endangering MY life every single time I ever went up this total shit organization went into total cockroach mode and attempted to smear me out of existence using every tool imaginable.

http://www.kitestrings.org/post29.html#p29

And you'll also notice that nobody ever actually quoted a single punctuation mark of anything I ever actually SAID. That's, of course, 'cause it was all totally bulletproof and the bulk of it was just quotes from their own SOPs, advisories, fatality reports. So they just characterized me as an incompetent douchebag and invented the stuff I was saying. "THE SKY IS FALLING!!!" That one just never gets old.

And you'll also notice the identical pattern in u$hPa's attacks on Bob, particularly on the "expert witness" issue. They just piss all over him without ever actually quoting anything he's ever said or written as evidence that he wasn't competent enough to assess and give testimony on this total no brainer incident.

Yup. I've noticed. That's the pattern. No facts ... all smear and distraction. Then they heap awards on their "boots-on-the-ground" minions like NMERider who make the false statements that the USHPA insiders are too smart to make themselves.

And that brings us back to the purpose of my reinstatement on this forum:

Jonathan, what is the basis for your libelous statement that my testimony was impeached?

[Tad Eareckson]

I would prefer that terms like "libelous" and "slanderous" not be thrown around in these discussions. They imply a threat of legal action and dollars tend to rule in that game. We've got a US President right now who should undoubtedly be in prison for serial sexual assault 'cept he was able to silence all the accusers by threatening them with libel suits and they were gonna get annihilated in court. And none of his supporters gave the least degree of flying fuck.

And remember THIS:

Bob Kuczewski - 2017/08/06 04:36:50 UTC

We need to consider getting an injunction against this guy communicating with the FAA on this subject.

I forwarded the letter to Tim Herr yesterday asking about this.

Perhaps a strongly worded letter from Tim will do the trick. We can't force Tad to work within the USHPA framework but we can make it unpleasant and expensive for him if he chooses to makes derogatory and false statements about USHPA to the FAA he can't back up.

people of varying ages? They DID make things very unpleasant and expensive for me by prohibiting me from working within their rotten u$hPa framework and for choosing to make derogatory and false statements about u$hPa to the FAA that I could back up. The derogatory and false statements about u$hPa to the FAA that I could back up, by the way with the legitimacy of the qualifications they'd awarded me over the decades on my laminated u$hPa card.

Many thousands of dollars worth of glider and radio equipment, over a quarter century's worth of ratings and qualifications became INSTANT USELESS JUNK. And none of my decades worth of good friends in the hang gliding community ever heard of me before. So I just channeled my hatred into publishing all the shit they didn't want anybody to see and I'd like to think that I had a significant hand in setting the motherfuckers back a thousand times what they cost me (although it's really impossible to put a dollar figure on what it cost me). And I can't tell you how happy I was to watch Highland Aerosports collapse and the Capitol/Maryland crowd to irretrievably lose about seventy percent of their recreational flying resources.

I'm confident that we can get things properly sorted out with a discussion including the relevant parties and all the documentation available - and, more importantly, all the documentation that, very conspicuously, ISN'T available. And I hope that will be enough to satisfy everybody and get on to better, more productive tracks.

[bobk]

I would prefer that terms like "libelous" and "slanderous" not be thrown around in these discussions. They imply a threat of legal action and dollars tend to rule in that game.

There's certainly some truth there. But it's also true that the only justice I've found has been in Judge Ipema's courtroom or before the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

This is Jonathan's statement:

Bob, on the other hand was impeached as a witness.

That kind of statement - if not corrected - can cause real damages to me both personally and professionally.

As I've written earlier, I suspect Jonathan is just repeating what he's heard. If that's the case, then it should be easy for him to say so, and issue a retraction. I see that as the easiest way to solve the immediate issue.

Now the larger issue of the sport being a cesspool of misinformation (as in this current example) ... will take a bit more work.

Jonathan?

[Tad Eareckson]

But it's also true that the only justice I've found has been in Judge Ipema's courtroom or before the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

I'd like to think you've gotten and are getting some here too - for whatever that's worth.

That kind of statement - if not corrected - can cause real damages to me both personally and professionally.

- Compare/Contrast to/with all the crap posted about you on The Jack Show - where everybody can see it - and on The Davis Show - where everybody used to be able to see it.

- Gawd. If unsupported vague rubbish on glider forums is that much of a threat to you then you've got some extremely fragile personal and professional relationships.

- Name some socially engaged individuals who DON'T have tons of unsupported vague rubbish about them splattered all over the place.

- Now that I think about it... Would anybody with half a brain or better trust as far as he could throw him anybody who didn't have tons of unsupported vague rubbish about him splattered all over the place? This here:

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24846
Is this a joke ?

Jim Rooney - 2011/08/25 06:29:21 UTC

I'm happy to know that I am in fact speaking with Steve, not Tad.
Tad makes my skin crawl.

One of my most highly treasured points of recognition from u$hPa.

Pretty good with this one:

http://www.hanggliding.org/wiki/HG_ORG_Mission_Statement
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.

too.

Last things I'd EVER want would be for that shit taken down, improved relations with those serial killing motherfuckers - and any of their pet cocksuckers.

Now the larger issue of the sport being a cesspool of misinformation (as in this current example) ... will take a bit more work.

I think Kite Strings had that pretty well covered years ago.