Dear Club,

If you’ve been here long enough, you probably know who Steve Rousseau is. Maybe you’ve seen him cleaning up and organizing the shade structure, vacuuming the carpets, folding someone’s wing, taking out the trash, working at a pond party, driving hang gliders to launch, or just generally helping out where and when he can. Sometimes he’s not doing anything at all, simply hanging out and chatting with pilots or visitors like the rest of us. Steve doesn’t have a house or apartment to go back to, he lives out of his trailer, and AJX has been his frequented location for many years.

Steve grew up around flying. His dad used to fly hang gliders at AJX when he was a child and he even got to meet Andy Jackson himself (our founder), before Andy passed away. Steve has been around AJX longer than most of us. He dreamed of becoming a solo pilot one day, but couldn’t afford it, so he would make little gliders that he’d fly at the LZ when the sky was clear of pilots coming in to land.

Knowing how badly he wanted it, Stephen decided to give him lessons. After lots of practice, Steve finally earned his P2. He had to rely on the generosity of other pilots to donate gear to him, so that he would be able to fly solo. He was living the dream until one day he suffered an accident and broke his back when he over controlled and spun his glider. He hasn’t flown since.

As some of you may know, Steve had his trailer parked on the adjacent property above the hang glider training hill for a few years before the current developer purchased it. Last year this created some tension between the developer and the club during negotiations and Steve was asked to move, which of course is a completely reasonable demand.

Although the club has no say or control over what AJX visitors or members do outside of the club, the CSS board did whatever they could to comply with the developer’s requests to keep things on friendly terms. Conversations about this were had with Steve. If the existence of the club depends on it, the club will have to do things it doesn’t necessarily want to have to do.

Steve finally moved off the developer’s land, temporarily parked his trailer on the adjacent property while trying to figure out where to go from there, and one of the board members helped him move to Soboba. After spending decades around Andy Jackson Airpark, he had to go somewhere where people didn’t know him, didn’t allow him to help at the site, and I imagine that must have been a very lonely experience. It took about a week or more before he decided he couldn’t stay there any longer and came back to AJX. The board must have seen this as a problem and (unbeknownst to most of us), decided to cast a vote to “trespass” him. As I understand it, someone then called the police to have him removed.

When I heard that he was back and being hassled for visiting the LZ, I decided to purchase a full membership for him in hopes that as a legitimate club member, he would be able to hang out at the LZ during the day like the rest of us. Stephen and I made it very clear to him that although he now has a full membership, he cannot stay on CSS property overnight and definitely can’t park his trailer on the ranch, or the developer’s property.

Where he parks his trailer overnight is none of our business, as long as it’s not on any of the properties mentioned. He understood and agreed to these terms. I then messaged three of the board members to let them know that I had purchased the membership for Steve, so that they would be aware and wouldn’t call the police when they saw him at the LZ the next day. As long as he wasn’t doing anything wrong, I couldn’t see a reason why anyone would ask him to leave.

One of the board members texted me back and said “I wish you had talked to me first about this. He’s going to be trespassed. The board decided on this. You don’t have all the details on what he has done recently.” I thought to myself “Uh oh!!! What could he have possibly done?? Can’t wait to find out.” I was expecting the worst! I have never seen Steve get physical or highly argumentative, so I assumed that maybe he had trespassed on the ranch or developer property again. After a brief text exchange, the board member decided to give me a call to discuss it over the phone.

We had a lenghty conversation about everything. I want to be clear that I respect this board member and everything he has done for the club in recent years. I am grateful that we have someone on the board who cares SO much about the club and donates SO much of his time to make sure the club and free flight at AJX continues on. We have a lack of volunteers, so it’s important that we value those who do take on this difficult, annoying, but very necessary task. That said, he and I don’t always agree on everything, and that’s OK.

I’ve been on the board with him during previous years, we’ve had to make some very difficult decisions together in the past, so I understand that sometimes as a non-board member I may not be privy to 80% of the drama that happens behind closed doors. I was ready to hear about Steve’s unforgivable offenses that warranted police involvement. Unfortunately, to be perfectly honest, I didn’t find the reasons given to me to be reasonable! If there was more to it, it wasn’t communicated to me during our near hour-long conversation.

I came away from it thinking that the CSS board IMO should not be in the business of trying to force its visitors or members to seek help from social services via law enforcement, though they are certainly free to share any helpful information with the relevant person. Whether or not that person chooses to accept such help is totally up to them. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think that calling the police, or throwing a homeless person in jail is “helping” them become a better, or a more capable, independent person. Also, if Steve had been arrested, what would happen to his pup, Elzie?? Would she get stuck in the trailer for a while without care? End up in a shelter??

I’ve known Steve for many years. My first time at AJX was in 2014 and I’ve been coming here on a regular basis since 2016. I have never seen Steve do anything terribly objectionable, though I know there are some members who would not call themselves big fans for reasons of their own. We have a few “respected” long-time pilot members who have displayed uncontrollable rage in and out of my presence, who to this day are welcomed among us despite this unacceptable behavior of the past. We’re talking repeated threats on people’s lives and literal physical violence.

Steve has never done anything remotely as objectionable. He spent his years around AJX trying to be helpful and friendly, because he knows that if he’s useful, pilots will show their appreciation and tolerate his presence.

When Stephen had accidentally left his expensive school gear behind at the LZ, Steve made him aware and made sure it was safe until he could come back and get it. When the pond sprung a leak on a North day and nobody was at the LZ to see the impending disaster, Steve was there to alert the XC ranch before things got a lot worse. When visiting or local pilots needed someone to take them up to launch, Steve was there to drive their car back down. When the club and ranch need a hand on the numerous LZ projects, Steve was there to take up a shovel, pick up rocks and do whatever needed doing. When some HG pilot forgot to lock the HG storage containers for the night, he was there to lock them. When the last pilot to leave left the shade structure lights on, he was there to turn them off. He’s mowed the grass, etc.

Is he perfect? Of course not. Who is?? I’ve seen far less perfection from some of our other members, yet they are tolerated. Steve’s crime was squatting on land that doesn’t belong to him and making some questionable life decisions. I may not agree with some of Steve’s opinions, I may not like some of Steve’s life decisions, but I know that he loves this flying community and tries to earn his keep to his best ability. He might occasionally make a mess in the kitchen area, but he also cleans up other peoples messes. Over the years he has contributed more physical labor to this club than most of the paying members, even though the club has always had to be maintained by volunteer pilots. Paying your dues is awesome, but not always enough.

I don’t know how my post will go over with everyone. My intention is not to bash the board members for their decisions, I know they’re trying to do their best for zero compensation and a lot of added unnecessary stress, I just ask that we give Steve more grace and understanding. He’s been part of this community for many years whether some like it, or don’t. He’s not a troublemaker. He has friends here. He’s an asset in ways I’ve already mentioned.

I don’t like the fact that the one-year club membership I bought for him could, or will be made null and void. Whether or not he has a club membership, or whether he is currently a pilot shouldn’t be an issue, because the LZ is open to the public during the day. Anyone can drop by and hang out at the shade structure regardless of their USHPA or CSS club status. As long as he’s not camping overnight, he should be allowed to be there, like the rest of us. How he lives outside of the club and where he stays overnight is none of anyone’s business, as long as he’s off the developer property and not habitually breaking any club rules. Personally I think this is the healthiest environment for him to be in, among familiar and mostly friendly faces.

Thanks for reading!