fencebuster

Well, in 2013, there was a pretty robust discussion about a Wingsuit Instructor/Coach rating. It did not pass, and the vote was not recorded by name. With the popularity of Wingsuiting, I thought the discussion was a good one to have, regardless of how you feel about adding another instructional rating to the mix. And, I think it would have benefitted the USPA membership to know which BOD members voted each way. I do agree that there are a number of issues that relate to individuals that come up before the BOD. Again, whether the issues pass or fail, it would be good for the membership to see who supports the differing views to be able to evaluate the individual BOD members performance when vote time comes around. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

I am not responding directly to billvon's post, but it was the one that most fit what I have to say. I believe that the first thing that could be done by the BOD is to change the governance manual to require BOD votes sitting as committees and as sitting as a committee of the whole BOD to be recorded by name. I personally do read the BOD meeting minutes and the minutes of the committees' meetings. It would be helpful to the membership to know who voted which way on issues considered by the BOD. It provides transparency and enables the membership to judge the judgment of the BOD on the body of work they do for the organization by the way they vote on issues of import to the membership. If I am elected this would be one of my first efforts on behalf of the USPA membership. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

I am running for a National Director position. I look to serve as I have for most of my life since I left home at 17 years of age to join the Navy and then enter the US Naval Academy and then serve for 26 years as a Marine Officer. I am a current DZO and S & TA and see crap "infrequently" at my DZ (because most of my peeps follow rules), perhaps luckily, but we as an org need to be cognizant of unsafe stuff and willing to do what is required to stop it. I am a instructor TI, IAD, AFF), skydiver and DZ follower and I want your vote because I am a supporter of SKYDIVERS and their wishes. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

Airport access should be a concern for USPA and our membership. Boomerdog provides a good example of the "next victim" out in California, calling it correctly by a military term "mission creep." I am running for the USPA Board as a national director candidate. I am a lawyer and a DZO. This issue is one of concern to me and one that the USPA Board should be on top of. If I am elected to the Board, it will be among the top of the items on my agenda. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

Crickets . . . Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

The emnployee/contractor distinction is important to this legal issue. If you were an employee, your employer should have paid social security taxes, medicare, unemployment insurance, etc. DZO might have opened a can of worms that he doesn't want slithering around, if you fight him, with all of the agencies that might be "interested," such as Social Security Administration, IRS, etc. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

Read their reviews on DZ.com. Check out reviews on their facebook site. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

www.skydivenewmarket.com Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

I like the way you think. I do believe that the Governance Manual could use an update and this is an area that could be made stronger on behalf of both membership and the organization as a whole. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

I am not sure it is possible for a Director to directly affect individual skydivers' experiences. However, I think BOD members should represent "skydivers" and be attuned to what our individual skydiver members want from their organization. For example, BOD votes on the record by name should be the norm, to assure our members of transparency by their elected BOD. As BOD member, I would ask myself the question, what does this policy do for individual skydivers? Will such a policy affect skydivers in a beneficial way? Up thread, I stated I would have voted "No" on the BSR change for container opening altitude to 2500 feet. Most responsible skydivers do not open at 2000 feet and I felt that "solution" was in search of a problem. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

I completely agree that all BOD votes should be on the record, by name. If I am elected, I will work to obtain consensus to make this a change to the Governance Manual. If the individual Board members are unwilling to let the membership know their position on issues of concern to the organization and its membership, they should resign, or not be re-elected by the membership. It is that simple. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

Just wow. All I can say . . . . Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

I believe an organization should be there for its members and that our first priority should be to promote programs and policies of benefit to actual skydivers. While Group Members are technically members of the organization, they are not living breathing skydivers. I agree that the Group members are over-represented, at least in the policies implemented. I would not have supported raising the BSR for container opening at 2500 because I believe so few actual skydivers were pulling at 2000 feet on current equipment and that the Board was legislating a solution in search of a problem. The issue of rule breakers is problematic because more frequently than not, there are no reports to the RD. I believe that the Governance Manual could use a re-write, although right now I have no warrant, and no leverage to undertake such an effort with any chance of success. And, the issue of ratings courses at non-Group members is of particular interest to me. I have been told that non-Group members cannot host ratings courses, although I can't seem to find the reference for that alleged rule. That is a policy that hurts skydivers, particularly at smaller DZs, and is of benefit only to Group Members, for reasons that I presently do not believe have any logical basis. So I would look int that issue and see what can be done to change it, if that is the case. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

Here, DSE and I totally agree. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

Mike Mullins told me this. I have a lengthy e-mail that I will forward to you if you PM me your e-mail address. Sorry I have been off site for a few days, I had a DZ to run over the weekend and had to travel first thing Monday. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

Good God, thank you for asking the question. I am running because for years I see a lack of intellectual honesty on the Board and no one speaking up for the little mom and pop DZs that are the frigging backbone of skydiving. Everything I see is focused on manufacturers and large turbine DZs. I started a DZ with my entire life savings. There are many other DZOs just like me, but they get short shrift from the Board because they are not on the USPA radar and they "don't matter." I'd like to change that; I'd like to provide a mouthpiece for the DZs that are the backbone of this sport, but are virtually ignored because the big DZs have the big footptrint and suck the air out of the room. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

I could not agree more. And I had/have all the facts. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

No disagreement. If you make the recommendation, nothing else happens at USPA to review your judgment. That was my point. But I also think that if you had a non-skydiving evaluation reason not to recommend someone, I expect you would tell them that before you took their money for the course, right? Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

I am not "blaming" anyone. I was doing something I believed in. The instructor in question never did anything to enagage in dangerous behavior with a student or while skydiving. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

I am certainly not suggesting that anyone be personally involved in evaluating a TI on behalf of USPA. The fact of the matter is that USPA does not do so either. If you have a medical, a recommendation from an IE and you completed the rating course you are approved by USPA. There is no "evaluation" at all by USPA. What I am saying is that if you want to say the FAA medical is required for medical fitness that is not what it is being used for now. It was very clearly explained to me that the purpose is to track DUIs for USPA, which I do not believe is a valid "medical" issue and should be the responsibility of the DZO who is employing the person. I employed the system to try to change the BSR and failed, just like happened to the Wingsuit Instructor issue that you supported before the board in the meeting in 2013. You know, it is a ground for termination of a USPA membership that a member is convicted of a felony. How often does that get enforced? I know numerous members, TIs and other instructors who have been convicted of felonies. Not a peep from USPA. I guess the bottom line is that I am against hypocrisy. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

Thanks for your comment. Since you don't know me, you are making pretty big assumptions about me. That is your choice, but see my above response to DSE. I am running because I see that I can make a contribution to the organization. I had planned to run before the BSR issue I raised and told many people exactly that. You may or may not agree with me, and you may not vote for me, but you have to accept that I presented my case to the Board and followed the procedures of the organization in doing so. I suspect if you actually knew me you might have a different view of my motivations. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

DSE: I suppose the answer is I am not small-minded enough to accept at face value a stereotype. I spent 24 years as a Marine officer evaluating character. I'd rather trust my judgment in evaluating a person's character than on a stereotype or a "one-size fits all" rule. I lost the BSR issue. I accept that. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

Thanks for your support, Jimjumper. I have never been one to mince words or not say what I am thinking, which sometimes gets me in trouble. But I am pretty sure nothing is going to change at this point in my life. Just to be clear . . . I lost the effort to change the BSR and I am over it. The experience convinced me that I have something to offer to the organization that would benefit the organization and that is why I am running, not because I lost the BSR issue. I never look back, it is a wasteful effort. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

DSE: USPA pays nothing. They disclaim all liability in writing and rely on their inclusion in every DZ waiver. Page 1 of the SIM, seriously. in all bold letters. They have not been sued in the Static Line death from last year (they issue ratings for SL-I's, right? They were not sued in the accident in VA where a TI hooked turned a student in in 2009; he held a USPA issued rating Not sued. In the Cape Cod accident not sued-- a USPA rated TI at a GM DZ. I am a lawyer, I understand causation, assumptions of risk and waivers of liability. There is a reason all GM DZs must explicitly include USPA as a released party in their waivers. That is really a pretty unavailing argument, given the facts of past litigation involving skydiving accidents/deaths as it relates to USPA. It is the DZO, instructor and maybe but not always, the manufacturers who get sued. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

OK, Catfish: I'l accept what you say is true. If that is the standard we are trying to emulate in USPA, a pilot taking a paying passenger in an airplane is required to hold a commercial pilot certificate and . . . hold on for it . . . a SECOND class FAA medical. It appears to be lost on most of the people talking about this issue, but that the FAA changed the rules on medicals in response to a couple of drunk airline pilots several years ago -- pilots who were going to operate a passenger aircraft while drunk. Most of the responsible DZOs I know would never let that happen with a TI. A DUI is not a medical condition; I know plenty of people who managed to get a DUI who did not have an alcohol problem -- they just happened to have a beer too many and were unlucky enough to run into John Q. Law. I acknowledge that the BOD feels differently than I do . . . on many issues. That is why I am running. Someone needs to be the voice of the rank and file skydivers, not just of the manufacturers or the huge turbine DZs. That is why I am running. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures