Tad Eareckson ||| Rated Hang Glider Pilot ||| United States Hang Gliding Rating System USHGRS

In response to a 2018/09/05 17:29:20 UTC PM from Joe...
My merit badge stuff:
---
Tad Eareckson - [ED: exterior org number]

1980/04/03 - Beginner - Jim Johns
1980/04/07 - Novice - Doug Rice
1982/07/25 - Intermediate - Mark E. Airey
1991/12/17 - Advanced - Santos H. Mendoza
1982/05/15 - Towing Launch - Mark E. Airey
1982/06/26 - Flat Slope Launch - Mark E. Airey
1982/06/26 - Cliff Launch - Mark E. Airey
1982/07/24 - 360 Turns - Mark E. Airey
1982/09/30 - Auxiliary Power - Mark E. Airey
1983/02/26 - Assisted Windy Cliff Launch - Juan Sonen, Jr.
1984/07/05 - Turbulence - John Harris
1985/03/09 - Restricted Landing Field - Jay Gianforte
1986/08/01 - Aero Tow - Jon Leak
1988/04/24 - High Altitude - John G. Woiwode
1988/04/24 - Cross Country - John G. Woiwode
1991/03/27 - Launch - Lester H. Billings:
- Foot
- Tow
1991/12/21 - Radio - William J. Kautter
- Portable
- Vehicular
1993/04/10 - US Amateur Radio Operator - Technician - N3PGE
Basic Instructor
- 1982/06/04 - Mike Robertson
- 1989/06/04 - Dennis Pagen
---
Major assholes:
- Mike Robertson
- Dennis Pagen
- Mark Airey
- Bill Kautter

Middling assholes:
- Santos Mendoza
- Juan Sonen

Good guys:
- Jim Johns
- Jon Leak

Santos Mendoza:
- killed my eight year mentoring project, Frank Sauber, on his shit-rigged scooter tow setup - 1996/04/28

Known dead:
- Jon Leak - heart attack while airborne on an ultralight
- Santos Mendoza - congestive heart failure - 2009/12/02
Majorly permanently physically demolished:
- John Woiwode - crabbing upwind to stay behind platform tow rig - 2005/07/07
---
P.S - 2018/09/05 18:50:00 UTC

And I was under thirty hours away from being a highly overqualified Five on 2008/10/12 (just shy of a decade ago) shortly before my career got ended for me by this totally shit-rigged asshole sport.

	H4 Hang Glider Pilot, USHGRS life rating Two different locations for his Kite Strings forum https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/kitestrings/general-f2/ http://www.kitestrings.org/ Archived documents Safety activist About Kite Strings AeroTow at Jack's ". I was developing superior aerotow equipment starting probably early 1992 " "And since I've been persona non grata at just about every AT operation in North America north of the Rio Grande since going into whistleblower mode in the spring of 2009, running Kite Strings is just about all I do, damn near every day, year round."
	"Our problem isn't weak link technology. Our problem is getting hang and para gliding culture to understand that the sole purpose of a weak link is to protect equipment from overload and everything else that's ever been written, said, taught, mandated about them is a load of crap."
	by Tad Eareckson » Wed Sep 05, 2018 10:33 am at KiteStrings In response to a 2018/09/05 17:29:20 UTC PM from Joe... My merit badge stuff: --- Tad Eareckson - [ED: exterior org number] 1980/04/03 - Beginner - Jim Johns 1980/04/07 - Novice - Doug Rice 1982/07/25 - Intermediate - Mark E. Airey 1991/12/17 - Advanced - Santos H. Mendoza 1982/05/15 - Towing Launch - Mark E. Airey 1982/06/26 - Flat Slope Launch - Mark E. Airey 1982/06/26 - Cliff Launch - Mark E. Airey 1982/07/24 - 360 Turns - Mark E. Airey 1982/09/30 - Auxiliary Power - Mark E. Airey 1983/02/26 - Assisted Windy Cliff Launch - Juan Sonen, Jr. 1984/07/05 - Turbulence - John Harris 1985/03/09 - Restricted Landing Field - Jay Gianforte 1986/08/01 - Aero Tow - Jon Leak 1988/04/24 - High Altitude - John G. Woiwode 1988/04/24 - Cross Country - John G. Woiwode 1991/03/27 - Launch - Lester H. Billings: - Foot - Tow 1991/12/21 - Radio - William J. Kautter - Portable - Vehicular 1993/04/10 - US Amateur Radio Operator - Technician - N3PGE Basic Instructor - 1982/06/04 - Mike Robertson - 1989/06/04 - Dennis Pagen --- Major assholes: - Mike Robertson - Dennis Pagen - Mark Airey - Bill Kautter Middling assholes: - Santos Mendoza - Juan Sonen Good guys: - Jim Johns - Jon Leak Santos Mendoza: - killed my eight year mentoring project, Frank Sauber, on his shit-rigged scooter tow setup - 1996/04/28 Known dead: - Jon Leak - heart attack while airborne on an ultralight - Santos Mendoza - congestive heart failure - 2009/12/02 Majorly permanently physically demolished: - John Woiwode - crabbing upwind to stay behind platform tow rig - 2005/07/07 --- P.S - 2018/09/05 18:50:00 UTC And I was under thirty hours away from being a highly overqualified Five on 2008/10/12 (just shy of a decade ago) shortly before my career got ended for me by this totally shit-rigged asshole sport.