Ideally, I'd like to see them supporting BASE--specifically with lobbying efforts to legalize sites in U.S. National Parks. Things the USPA could do would include: 1) Helping lobby efforts to legalize sites in U.S. National Parks. 2) Allowing BASE related letters, articles and advertisements to be printed in Parachutist (censorship is currently absolute). 3) Including an index of BASE training schools with their DZ index. This would point skydivers who are prospective BASE jumpers toward quality, safe instruction. One of our biggest problems is skydivers with no experience and no training (who probably don't know where to get either) getting hurt. Currently, many skydivers are unaware that training programs exist, and hence learn to jump from their buddies. Imagine thinking it was ok for your friend with 25 jumps to take you skydiving. That happens in BASE all the time. 4) Referring BASE related questions to someone with the expertise to answer them. If someone calls USPA headquarters with a question about hang gliding, I bet they get referred to USHGA. Know what happened when I wanted to get into BASE and called them with that question? Even though some of these things would take very little effort or expense (allowing BASE ads might actually help Parachutist's bottom line), I doubt the USPA will ever support BASE. We have been around that block many, many times. The least I'd like to see is an open declaration that they don't do that, don't know about it, and don't claim to govern it. It looks really bad for us when an organization claiming to oversee sport parachuting labels us as an unapproved activity. It'd be a bit like if AOPA claimed responsibility for all civilian air traffic of any kind, then labelling parachuting as an unapproved activity ( "Nope, we don't do that--that's crazy. Sure, go ahead and ban it, we're the experts on it, and we're telling you it's crazy" ) . Sorry for sounding so angry. I'm just a bit tired of the USPA--and I'm still paying them dues. --Tom Aiello
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