I tracked down the pilot of the firefighting aircraft in Jason’s video and I am waiting for him to return my call so we can discuss HG/PG compliance with FAR 103.13 including making ourselves more visible in addition to being aware of our surrounding and avoiding powered aircraft. This hazard occurs this same time every year since high altitudes tend to coincide with fires and firefighting operations.
Please check https://skyvector.com/ for a rapid assessment of fire situations and TFRs before flying each day. It’s quick and easy.
AFAIK – firefighting aircraft may not appear on the flight track websites. I located the helicopter that flew across my path crossing Devil Canyon the same day on the ONT flight animation history site but not the BAe 146 that came up behind Jason and passed him.

Jason’s jet in action:

My chopper on the tarmac:

Shaggy, Mickey sold that glider to Ed W. I don’t know whether Ed still needs the keel. JD

Welcome Back!

You weren’t kidding, weere you?!

Mark,

I will take an educated guess at addressing your questions.

“I asked the question of who is responsible if a HG or PG pilot landing their aircraft fly’s into a person or pilot in the LZ….I thought ALL members signed a release????”

Either one or both party may be considered responsible for an LZ collision. Depending on who did what, it’s possible the one party may trigger the liability coverage exclusion and could be held personally liable for any personal injury to the other party. Our liability policy is filled with exclusions that may render it void. Pilots need to understand that they are in fact personally liable for any consequence of any dumb shit that they do and then maybe if they’re lucky the RRRG won’t hang them out to dry and leave them holding their schmucks or other organ grabbed by the POTUS.

“Q: Are there new guide lines now with the RRG that void members waivers????”

AFAIK member waivers may be voided by a civil court or by prior suspension/expulsion from USHPA or failure to renew since there is no grace period with retroactive benefits like I get with my auto insurance.

“Q: why would the RRG become involved since all members should have signed the waivers?”

Waivers may be ignored or voided by the courts and so RRRG must step in  to see that the courts honor both the waivers and the Doctrine of Assumption of Risk. Otherwise it becomes open season for Personal Injury Attorneys and whining pilots or aggrieved individuals to raid our insurance piggybank.

In case pilots have forgotten, we have an even more serious situation on launch where certain pilots, regardless of what type of vehicle they are flying consider the space in front of  and top of both ramps on both Marshall and Crestline to be very own their personal playpen and well, “Fuck everybody else!” These pilots need to stop this shit yesterday or be dealt with harshly for being the next cause of loss of our liability insurance and therefore many flying sites and maybe the loss of your use of your limbs. Don’t be nice with these infantile assholes. None of the habitual offenders deserves to be treated as anything less than a threat to our flying sites and our personal safety. Keep a camera mounted above your keel to record activity above and below your glider for documentation. Smart road cyclists and bikers do this every time they ride along with smart motorists who use dashcams. I was done using cameras until this past Sunday when I got the “Fuck you!” treatment by at least two different offenders on Crestline.

My 2p Worth,

JD

Why not carry a whistle when you fly? They’re mandatory at Torrey and they are at least somewhat effective.
I rarely hear anyone hollering when the LZ is blocked. Sometimes a good shout will get the attention of people in the way.
It’s not just PGs kiting. I have had stray kids and others enter my landing path  and create an obstruction.
What about RLF skills? If half the LZ is covered by 8 PGs that’s a good indication that there’s plenty of wind and this means that much less room is required to land an HG.
I invested thousands of dollars of my own funds in re-developing and existing drogue chute design into modern materials and construction. It’s very reliable and stable yet few pilots bought one when they were available and even fewer pilots who own one use it. A friend of mine now has permanent brain damage in large part because he was discouraged from using his other perfectly good drogue and crashed face-first. In fact a similar thing happened to the former USHPA HG safely analyst.
Honestly, the PGs need a spotter on the ground  to alert them of incoming traffic but we know this will never happen.
And here’s another thing that points to the whining hypocrisy of HG pilots. I have lost count of the fly-ins where more than half the LZ was covered by assembled HGs and nobody took responsibility for getting pilots to break their gear down yet there were still a dozen people in the air who needed to land on far less than half the LZ. This double-standard is typical and ridiculous.
Anyhow, take responsibility for your own landing safely and the safety of others. This is not the Wild West. Get out there and politely ask the kiters to  provide a spotter. Learn to yell real loud. Carry a whistle. Use a drogue chute. Get your RLF sign-off. And above all–don’t whine. 

Side Note: USHPA is failing to take responsibility for its role in any number of serious and fatal accidents. It’s fortunate that we even have an organization and liability pool still in existence.

The truth is that we are in the Wild West whether we like it or not. That means we all need to get along with our neighbors in the air and on the ground regardless of personal differences. Communicate, communicate, communicate!
Capice?