Greetings fellow free flyers.

I wish to inform ALL USHGA members about a very divisive vote going to the
BOD at the March meeting in Colorado Springs, and later to the members at a
special membership meeting. This is the vote on whether or not to include
Power Harnesses in USHGA. There has been a "Powered Harness Task Force"
(PHTF) appointed by USHGA President Lisa Tate and their mandate is to supply
the BOD with FACTS to help the BOD in their decision. I have been following
the dialogue of the PHTF on the Oz Report at
http://www.davisstraub.com/OZ/forum/viewforum.php?f=13

I have been rather dismayed at the constant opinionated rhetoric from some
members of the PHTF and feel that it will be hard for the BOD to gain solid
true facts from them.

I am writing to my fellow USHGA members to implore you to take an interest
in this upcoming vote and to PLEASE contact your Regional Director to inform
him/her of your views BEFORE the March BOD meeting and then VOTE if and when
there is a membership vote.

I believe this vote is so important that the very existence of USHGA as we
have known it is at stake. I implore you to VOTE whatever side you are on,
and I hope that it is a very decisive victory for one side or the other so
we can put this issue to rest for a long while.

I would like to now say that I am against powered harnesses in USHGA, NOT
against people flying PHG's and PPG's but against them becoming part of our
organization and insurance policy. There are many other organizations
already existing that cater to powered ultralights where they are welcome. I
do not wish to bore you with all of my reasons because the "other side" has
a lot of their own reasons and arguments, and anything I say, of course, can
be countered by the other camp. One constant argument I hear from them is
"The public does not know the difference between HG/PG and PHG/PPG and that
"they are us". I feel that the difference is obvious unless the public is
deaf, and they are most certainly NOT US!!! I request that you do your own
research on the subject if you do not already have a firm opinion.

I invite all of the members who are AGAINST the inclusion of PHG/PPG into
USHGA to join a newly formed club: the FLFLG {Fuel-Less Foot-Launched
Gliders}. This club is at present residing on a Yahoo Group at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/flflg/ and although I can not speak for the
whole group I can say that I do not want to replace USHGA with a new
organization... I want to save it because in Region 2, my region, is a large
population of USHGA members and I am hearing a lot of pilots so disenchanted
with the direction USHGA is taking that I have heard them saying they will
leave a USHGA that includes motors. The FLFLG will be able to keep all of
its members informed of the happenings of any upcoming votes/actions that
may slip under the radar and be approved before it is widely known.

If PHG's and PPG's are pushed onto the membership without {In our opinion}
the correct legalities, notification or sleight of hand, then we will
already be a like-minded group of "glider" pilots ready to seek our own
insurance and rating system.

may you all soar quietly,
Roger Jackson USHGA 43812

PS: Please inform USHGA members that do use the internet about this vote.