Thursday, February 13, 2003

New Oahu PG Association: Charter Meeting

Saturday, March 1, 2003, 6:00 pm
Kokokahi YWCA, Makai Room
45-035 Kaneohe Bay Drive, Kaneohe

We would like to announce that the Oahu paraglider pilots are making plans to form a new association, under our own name and leadership.

The paraglider and hang glider members of the outgoing board of the Hawaiian Hang Gliding Association (HHA) have unanimously approved the formation of this new club in a spirit of good will and cooperation. Many of us have discussed this step over the years, but recently we have reached a broad consensus that we''re ready to leave the HHA nest and make our own way in the world.

Our numbers have increased to the point where we''re a little unwieldy to be incubated much longer by the hang glider pilots. And we''ve just completed a successful year of managing our first paragliding permit at Kahana. And we are committed to preserving our friendly arrangements to share the airspace and landing zones at Makapuu and Sandys with our rigid-framed brothers.

We are fortunate to have had the chance to get to know and work with the hang glider pilots, and we value the efforts of the individuals on both sides who worked hard to get us started with their group. We look forward to an ongoing good relationship with the HHA and its members.

So let''s get together and make this happen. This will be your new association and you need to participate to make it work for you. The agenda for this first meeting will be:

(1) Collect annual membership dues ($20)
(2) Decide on a name for the association
(3) Propose and ratify bylaws
(4) Elect a board of directors

Before the meeting we will be working on proposals for bylaws and articles of incorporation. Also we have a short list of possible names, but if you think of any others please let us know so we can add them to the list for consideration by the group. Also please start thinking about how you want the new club to work, and what efforts you can make to help, now that it''s completely in our hands and we have a chance to start fresh. How about regular meetings? Lower dues? Campaigns to secure more permits? Clinics, competitions, fly-ins? Let''s hear your ideas.

Here is the short list of likely sounding names we have come up with so far:

Oahu Paragliding Association
Oahu Paragliders Association
Associated Paraglider Pilots of Oahu
Oahu Paragliders
Hawaii Paragliding Association

This notice is being e-mailed to those of you whose addresses we have and it will also be posted on the Wind Lines web site at www.windlines.net. Please check the notice on the site for updates as the meeting date approaches.

Please let us know if you have any questions or comments about any of this. Feel free to call any of us to discuss your concerns. We look forward to seeing all of you at the meeting, if not in the air or on launch before then.

Your outgoing HHA PG board members,

June "Sandy" Akers
590-2118 (h)
255-3365 (c)

Alex Colby
293-1016 (h)
221-7470 (c)

Dave Taratko
382-0568 (c)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Fellow pilots. A few (likely NOT all) of these guys have displayed exceptionally rude, anger control and profanity control challenges when approaching visitors to the site. Some have describe themselves as "owning" the site and all that goes on there. I'd NOT expect a friendly welcoming as a visitor, tourist or pilot and expect you could find better associations and Paragliding flying colleagues elsewhere on Oahu.

It is shameful how one or two can spoil things and associations for a larger pilot group and our sport. I'd suggest fellow pilots in the area council colleagues on the benefits of a kinder gentler approach to visiting pilots, tourist and strangers. Rogue pilots like the one I encountered today, if not self policed could some day complicate or jeopardize the sites landing permit.