Hi Bille.
From PGT > Dealing with Turbulence…

Wing pressurisation myth. Pressure inside the wing is only dependent on airspeed, so braking and slowing down the wing, will decrease the wing’s internal pressure.

Braking has other effects and benefits, but people often oversimplify and incorrectly assume it is from increased internal pressure. The myth lives on.

Thank you Jeff, those details have gone a long way to getting me onboard.

I fully trust the board for making urgent porta potty decisions on its own. But for insurance matters, best to get membership input. Yes, it is more effort to move forward when more people are involved, but it builds confidence.

Thanks to Jamie for sharing some details of what the board selected for insurance…

First, the Ranch does NOT have RRRG insurance. When the CSS initially switched from RRRG coverage to a company called Next, they assured the Ranch that it was still covered under the new policy. However, after three months of requests and a great deal of insisting (mostly on my part because I have an extreme distrust of insurance companies), the CSS finally produced a copy of the certificate of additional insurance showing that the Ranch was in fact listed as an additional insured on the policy. But, for the owners of the Ranch, this didn’t provide much assurance that they were protected. So, they insisted on seeing the underlying policy. That was refused for another three months, but eventually the CSS president gave in and provided Owen with a copy of the policy.
Simply put, the policy is garbage. Under “Schedule of Project or Operation” which is where the scope of activities covered is laid out, the policy lists “adult education”. As if this weren’t bad enough, this “adult education” includes “teaching, educating, coaching, or otherwise transferring of knowledge to a client for the purposes of educating that: DO NOT include the practice, instruction, participation, or demonstration of any athletic activity, physical activity, or sport, including but not limited to activity in preparation for or following such activity or sport.”
Under “Exclusions“, section G heading is “Aircraft, Auto or Watercraft” and it excludes “bodily injury or property damage arising out of the ownership, maintenance, use, etc….of any aircraft.”
While I agree with the club leadership that the club doesn’t need insurance and we shouldn’t have to have it, the Water District (landowner) requires it. Even if the CSS is protected by this $238/year policy, there is absolutely no question the Ranch is not and that was confirmed directly by Next.
It was after this discovery and after an unfortunately incident that could very easily have given rise to a claim (but thankfully did not) that the Ranch owners realized they were hugely exposed and were forced to close access to the pond and the 350 launch on the Ranch property until they could secure some kind of protection. They are working on that now.

So, help me understand… How is the DWR (for the LZ) and Forest Service (for launches) satisfied with the policy, if flying is not covered?