http://ozreport.com/toc.php?articles=12.223/0,12.222/0,12.222/1,12.221/0,12.221/1,12.219/0,12.217/0

Well, it gets worse. Also the Working Draft points to the wrong appendix, and the right appendix is empty, so this is somewhat unclear.

There is currently only a requirement that a meet organizer submit an application for the Nationals by the Fall BOD meeting (and even this has been waived at times). No other time stamp requirements for the other USHPA sanctioned competitions, but meet organizers try to get their applications in to the USHPA office (it is unclear where they should be by a certain time - the office or the Competition Committee Chairman's mail box) by the Fall BOD meeting, or the Spring BOD meeting for later competitions. But still competitions are approved when the applications are received at other times.

The Working Draft requires the sanction applications be submitted eight weeks prior to the start dates of local and regional events (Class A). By paying $50, you can shorten this time to four weeks, as long as the Executive Committee agrees.

For national, World, and National events (Class B and C) meet organizers are required to submit two weeks in advance of the Fall or Spring BOD meeting (Fall only for Nationals) and must be at least six months in advance of the event. (If these rules applied to 2009, Dustin would have to get on the ball re the Santa Cruz Flats Race.)

You can get a dispensation for a $500 fee, Executive Committee approval, and by submitting the application twelve weeks before the event. $500, you're killin' me.

So, once again ratcheting up the requirements and burdens on the meet organizers.

In addition, how about the requirement for wind indicators at goals, even goals that are 215 miles out like the goal we had at Big Spring. We use virtual goals, and don't have wind socks there.

The requirements refer to the Competition Rulebook, which it doesn't seem will exist if and when this document gets approved by the USHPA BOD.

We (and this is true in Australia also) have used protest committees comprised of three pilots (plus an alternate pilot) for years. Now the Workgroup wants us to use two meet officials, and one pilots. As protests are often against the meet director or organizer this sounds like a bad idea. If there is a pilot conflict, the alternate is used.

I see no reason to change a system that has worked without complaint for years. In fact the current Rulebook specifically says that members of the competition organization cannot by members of the protest committee. I wonder what problem the cheating paraglider pilots ran into.

The meet organizers are not allowed to run additional flying contests for the competitors. This is crazy. We have had a successful spot landing competition every year at Big Spring. I realize that this is in the current rules, but we have successfully ignored it.

There are currently no requirements in the USHPA Competition Rulebook for radios, but the Working Draft requires that the pilots and meet director have radios that transmit on USHPA frequencies unless alternate frequencies are agreed to unanimously by all participants and the meet director. This is nuts. It encourages illegal activity. I have not used the USHPA frequencies in a decade.

"...a secondary means of disconnecting the towline." Does a weaklink on the left shoulder, which most of us use, qualify?

Again, an organization like the USHPA BOD is, over time, going to add more and more burdens to the meet organizers and do less and less for them in providing assistance. It is just the structure of the organization and the community. It is cheap to add the burdens to someone else and very expensive to actually provide them support. (Follow the money, or the lack there of.)