USUA announces the formation of a new committee, dedicated to the issues surrounding the ultralight and microlight competition environment in the U.S. While this type of group is not new to USUA, this new committee reflects a revitalization of the interest USUA is placing on competition in the coming years.
Topics ranging from the national and international sanctioning of meets and events, to day to day scoring and maintenance issues associated with the USUA Competition program will be discussed by this group. The committee will not set USUA policy - they will be advisors. Experts in their respective fields, they will discuss, design and present competition programs and suggested changes to the USUA Board Of Directors. The Board will then act on these recommendations.
The group is comprised of individuals who have been active in various aspects of US competition, and have proven themselves to be principal players in that world. The members are as follows:
Chairman:
Paul Wells: Paul is not only Regional Representative for Region 5 (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas), but also sits on the USUA Board Of Directors. He has been very active in local and national competitions, taking the Bronze Medal in the 7th US National Microlight Championships in 2002.
Members:
Dave Ahlberg: Dave is no stranger to competition, and currently organizes and produces the hugely popular Wig-Wag event. Dave is Regional Rep for Region 6 (Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio), long known as a hotbed of competition in the U.S., and took home the Bronze Medal from the 8th US National Microlight Championships in 2004.
Felice Apodaca: Felice and Jack Brian operate Brian Ranch, a full service ultralight training facility in southern California, which is host to The Worlds Smallest Airshow (a USUA Signature event) and the local club (The Antelope Valley A-V-Ators). This facility has also generated an enormous amount of interest in local competition. Felice has successfully been able to promote these activities, allowing Region 11 to be the most active in the National Championship Points Series.
Roy Beisswenger: Roy has successfully operated the World Powered Parachute Championships for many years, and is the current US representative to the World Microlight Commission. He has recently been asked by that commission to organize a Pan-American competition to be held in the U.S. His expertise in PPC training and events add greatly to the effectiveness of this committee.
Steve Bensinger: Steve placed second in the 8th US National Microlight Championships, and has consistently placed high in the National Championship Points Series. Steve lives and breathes competition, and is regional Representative from Region 4 (Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Virgin Islands).
Jeff Goin: Jeff is the premier PPG pilot/instructor/representative in the U.S. He was second place finisher in the 8th US National Microlight Championships- PPG division, and continues to represent the PPG contingency to several organizations. By providing input from the PPG perspective, the USUA Competition Committee will be able to represent a wider base of competitors, and add to the overall effectiveness of our organization.
John Grammer: John was the driving force behind the 8th US National Microlight Championships. Under his guidance, his local club (The Scottsburg Aeroclub), successfully introduced a new dimension to sponsorship when he persuaded the local municipality and business leaders to support the efforts behind the national event. It is just this type of aggressive commitment that a renewed competition environment requires.
Tom Gunnarson: Tom is a fierce competitor, and has served USUA in various capacities ranging from Chairman of the USUA Safety & Training Committee, CIMA (World Microlight Commission) representitive to USUA Executive Vice President. His wealth of knowledge of national and international competitions make him invaluable on this committee.
Bruce Hawk: Successful events require not only the participation of competitors, but also spectators- and vendors. While the competitive tasks are interesting enough to some, the availability of signature merchandise, supplies and even hotdogs and sodas is needed to complete a successful package. Bruce has owned and operated Windsok, a company that manufactures and distributes wind socks and related kite and flying items. The coordination of facilities that makes vendors feel welcome is a huge part of all that will become the future of ultralight and microlight competition in the U.S. We are happy to have Bruce and his expertise available to this committee.
Jack McCornack: Danger is his middle name. No, really. His middle name is Danger. Jack has been one of the most influential members of the ultralight community since there was really no ultralight community to speak of. He has been an inventor, designer, competitor, writer, philosopher... and the list goes on. He has participated in several world championships, and shows no sign of slowing down. USUA is fortunate to have Jack's expertise.
Sharon Westcott: Sharon has been a BFI/AFI with USUA for many years, and has been a staunch supporter of USUA, it's programs and microlight competition as well. She was Chief Steward and Jury president for the 8th US National Microlight Championships, and has helped in various capacities with the US world Team at past international competitions.
Special Advisors:
Bob Comperini: Bob is a USUA director and webmaster. His role is setting up online meetings, and advising on web related issues.
Art Greenfield: Art, another USUA Board member, is also the National Aeronautic Association's (NAA) representative to USUA. The international sanctioning of world-class competitions is obtained through USUA's relationship with NAA. Art is expert on matters concerning this sanctioning, as well as world records and related programs.
Dale Hooper: Dale is USUA EVP. His day to day interaction between USUA members, Board of Directors, aviation organizations, FAA, and other interest groups provides the background needed to guide the committee through it's process.