Deprecate the USPA

[jrodrod 3]

Firstly, apologies to the visitors of the US and other professionals who reluctantly put up with this wannabe mob for their vocation. They were around before most of u.s. started jumping and we were corralled into it. It seemed innocuous enough but incidents like this executive wannabe Ed Scott lying to the media to run this racket crosses the line of decency.

It has no official authority and we can make a difference at our DZ's, who need jumpers first and foremost. Drop group membership, drop individual membership, and let'em know you're no pushover.

One excuse I hear of feeding the racket is that deal sites like Groupon look for group membership. To that end, I've reached out to contacts at Groupon (and potential tandem tourists) to educate them about the charade of a faux-authority managed by non-current jumpers. It may or may not do any good but it's time to stop the charade of misinformation.

I certainly don't speak for all as there are plenty of brown noses out there, plenty of those who leech off of you, but we are what keeps the planes going and the doors open.

[grimmie 186]

First of all, show me where Ed Scott lied to the media after the Lodi incident. In direct quotes please.

Second of all. Your grasp of the USPA and it's interaction with the FAA and FAI seem limited. Show me a country that has a large skydiving community that doesn't have an organization governing the sport. And when you visit that country, you usually have to join their association to jump.

Every single week, across America, licensed skydivers and certain DZOs at group member and non group member drop zones step in great big piles of dog crap that the USPA has to collectively remove. EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK.

The USPA does a great job of getting us access to airports and keeping us jumping at established airports.

The USPA does a great job responding to incidents to keep the FAA at bay.

The USPA does a great job of being proactive in the aviation community.

Without the USPA third party insurance, there would be about 2 or 3 drop zones operating on publicly owned airports.

I, like MANY long time jumpers, have taken issue with things the BOD or others at USPA have done over the years. However, making sure everyone has a valid, current tandem rating isn't one of them.

[Deisel 38]

Do you have any facts or details to go along with all of this generality? Exactly what problem are you addressing? Exactly what solutions are you proposing? Have you ever dealt with another country's skydiving laws and requirements? I'm currently in Japan. Based on my experience, the USPA makes skydiving much easier than what I've dealt with in other countries.

The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

[accumack 14]

Maybe he is one of the ones that have go through another Tandem course.

[JohnMitchell 16]

grimmie

The USPA does a great job of getting us access to airports and keeping us jumping at established airports.

The USPA does a great job responding to incidents to keep the FAA at bay.

This is why I pay my damn dues every year.

[ufk22 33]

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than speak and remove all doubt.

This is the paradox of skydiving. We do something very dangerous, expose ourselves to a totally unnecesary risk, and then spend our time trying to make it safer.

[JohnMitchell 16]

accumack

Maybe he is one of the ones that have go through another Tandem course

[galispo 0]

Quote

Show me a country that has a large skydiving community that doesn't have an organization governing the sport. And when you visit that country, you usually have to join their association to jump.

Italy. There's not a national regulatory association. The sport is regulated by 'ENAC', the Italian civil aviation authority (the Italian FAA), under the directives of FAI.

If you want to jump regularly there, you will only have to pay membership to the club where you're going to jump. However, you must buy your independent third party insurance for skydiving, which already makes your annual costs higher than in the US, without the same benefits.

Not having an national association can make the sport weaker, and leaves its promotion to the individual clubs around the country. It has its advantages and disadvantages.

I'm not an USPA member, I am a BPA member because I jump in the UK now, but from what I've been reading lately, it seems to me you have a pretty good deal with USPA over there.

Rob Gallo
"To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield."

[peek 21]

jrodrod

One excuse I hear of feeding the racket is that deal sites like Groupon look for group membership. To that end, I've reached out to contacts at Groupon (and potential tandem tourists) to educate them about the charade of a faux-authority managed by non-current jumpers. It may or may not do any good but it's time to stop the charade of misinformation.

By all means, tell us more! I have never heard anything about that before. You would not think that companies like Groupon would be concerned about anything like that.

[jacketsdb23 49]

Who are you?

Put your name on it.

Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen
God is Good
Beer is Great
Swoopers are crazy.

[DanG 1]

Don't feed the troll.

- Dan G

[topdocker 0]

peek

***One excuse I hear of feeding the racket is that deal sites like Groupon look for group membership. To that end, I've reached out to contacts at Groupon (and potential tandem tourists) to educate them about the charade of a faux-authority managed by non-current jumpers. It may or may not do any good but it's time to stop the charade of misinformation.

By all means, tell us more! I have never heard anything about that before. You would not think that companies like Groupon would be concerned about anything like that.

Hey Gary!

Has USPA they checked to see if this guy may have authorized other things in that same time span? A licenses, B license canopy classes, etc, not just tandem grads. Most likely he was signing other stuff too.

My answer: no one at HQ thought about it because they were too busy panicking over the tandem issue.

top

Jump more, post less!

[peek 21]

topdocker

Has USPA they checked to see if this guy may have authorized other things in that same time span? A licenses, B license canopy classes, etc, not just tandem grads. Most likely he was signing other stuff too.

I don't know, but an Instructor can sign off most things except instructional ratings, D licenses, and Pro ratings, (unless I'm forgetting something).

[topdocker 0]

peek

***Has USPA they checked to see if this guy may have authorized other things in that same time span? A licenses, B license canopy classes, etc, not just tandem grads. Most likely he was signing other stuff too.

I don't know, but an Instructor can sign off most things except instructional ratings, D licenses, and Pro ratings, (unless I'm forgetting something).

My understanding was ALL his ratings were suspended, not just his Tandem IE.

top

Jump more, post less!

[jrodrod 3]

grimmie

First of all, show me where Ed Scott lied to the media after the Lodi incident. In direct quotes please.

I see the brown noser roll call has started. It's in the news and on video. I've gotten multiple PM's about why you bend over for them but I'll let you share yourself.

[jrodrod 3]

ufk22

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than speak and remove all doubt.

I agree that's what the USPA needs to do.

[jrodrod 3]

peek

By all means, tell us more! I have never heard anything about that before. You would not think that companies like Groupon would be concerned about anything like that.

Told to me by a DZO. You can survey your DZO for more info, I'm not an O myself.

[jrodrod 3]

Deisel

I'm currently in Japan. Based on my experience, the USPA makes skydiving much easier than what I've dealt with in other countries.

I have not jumped in Japan. But you can always find a worse example of anything, dunno what the point would be.

[jlmiracle 7]

"If you don't find a location listed on our site, you don't know what you're getting, you don't know what the standards are," Scott said.

May not be an outright lie, but not gives the false impression to the unknowing that all the DZ's they find on their website are safe.

Judy

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[Nigel 0]

accumack

Maybe he is one of the ones that have go through another Tandem course.

+1

[DanG 1]

Could be. He doesn't have enough jumps to be a TI, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a BS rating.

- Dan G

[gowlerk 2,192]

jlmiracle

"If you don't find a location listed on our site, you don't know what you're getting, you don't know what the standards are," Scott said.

May not be an outright lie, but not gives the false impression to the unknowing that all the DZ's they find on their website are safe.

Judy

It's never a good idea to call down another business in the name of promoting your own organization. It was a mistake for Mr. Scott to phrase it this way. What he should have said is simply that USPA member DZ pledge themselves to a certain standard. Then let the reporter and the public read between the lines. There was no reason to say what he was quoted as saying.

Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

[grantunderland 0]

jrodrod

... to educate them about the charade of a faux-authority managed by non-current jumpers...

National/Regional Directors:

Jay Stokes, President
In 2014, made 292 jumps in 12.5 hours. Weather prevented him from breaking his old record of 640 jumps in 1 day. He has almost as many night jumps in one night as you have in your career. His Record Attempts

Albert Berchtold, Treasurer
Just competed at the World Canopy Piloting Championships

Sherry Butcher
I jumped with her after 2014 USPA National Skydiving Championships. She had a lot of fun doing a regular fun jump with regular jumpers.

Luke Aikins
His last publicized jump wasn't a parachute operation according to the FAA ;)

Tom Noonan
Ever hear of Skydive Everest?

Kirk Verner
Very active at Paraclete

Chuck Akers
Organizer at Spaceland correct? His kid is a pretty current and competent jumper too...

Mike McGowan
He continually posts more kick ass photos than I can ever hope to take

Josh Hall
Just finished competing at the Mondial with Airspeed. Took 2nd place in the world with almost zero practice.

Michael Wadkins
I see many posts about the courses he runs and appears to be highly sought after and respected


That's 10 of 22 people listed at http://www.uspa.org/About-USPA/Board-of-Directors. And that's just the ones that some thousand-jump-nobody from FL knows about first-hand.

Could the USPA be better? Of course it could! Does being a bull in a china shop change anything? Nope, just pushes away the people that would otherwise support you. Good luck on your new body that the FAI will recognize so people will be able to do records, compete internationally, and jump all around the world on your new licenses. If you want change, running for office or opening your own DZ will be the best route.

[tkhayes 348]

^^^ what he said

[grimmie 186]

jrodrod

***First of all, show me where Ed Scott lied to the media after the Lodi incident. In direct quotes please.

I see the brown noser roll call has started. It's in the news and on video. I've gotten multiple PM's about why you bend over for them but I'll let you share yourself.

So you can't show me where Ed Scott lied?