Earthstar Forums

I just sent the following off to USUA. They can fold for all I care
at this point. I feel the Ultralight community has been betrayed.

Over the past few months (since John
Ballantyne left)I have become increasingly dissatisfied with the
direction USUA and ultralight flying magazine is taking. It appears
as if the current leaders are determined to convert over to a United
States Sport Pilot Association and are no longer concerned about
Ultralights and those of us whose ultralights might be a little on
the "Fat" side or current ultralight instructors who have no desire
to become Sport Pilot instructors (for many reasons). I feel this
organization no longer is willing to represent the ultralight
community. Your fix seems to be... convert over to Sport Pilot when
it becomes law.
I am a private pilot that started flying ultralights because the
flight characteristic is unlike any other. I am not interested in
registering my UL as an experimental nor am I interested in
registering it as a LSAC. I want to see an Ultralight organization
that has the fortitude not to cave in after all this time and settle
for something like sport pilot as the answer. Since this
organization (USUA)is not interested in addressing the needs and
desires of the Ultralight community I have decided to no longer
renew my membership with it. I am posting this letter on ultralight
forums and encouraging others to take this action as well.
signed,
Don Elliott ex member

Don, I believe you are being too critical of USUA, yes they have had and
are having some problems. USUA many moons ago started promoting the idea
with FAA to increase the weight of the ultralight vehicle, including the two
place instruction exemption, which is what we all wish would have happened.
EAA is the outfit you should be mad at, as they objected, since most of
their membership hold private tickets, they teamed with the GA
representatives , and maneuvered FAA in the direction of the sport license
concept, pretty much leaving USUA and ASC, the only true ultralight
organizations with little power to accomplish the original concept of
leaving the ultralight 103 pretty much like it was, with only weight
increases.
Now that the sport license is a matter of implementation, what else can USUA
do, other than try to work with in the
frame work of the new regulations. It's certainly not the goals USUA and
ASC worked 10 years to accomplish , but rather we like it or not its here,
and we will have to live with it. FAA Far- 103 has not changed, only the
ultralight instruction exemption will be omitted after I believe three
years..
I for one plan to continue to support USUA, if we ultralight people let our
only ultralight organizations fail, than we lose again to the GA groups, who
have blocked the ultralight concept from its beginning. USUA is not the
bad ass in what happened.

I do agree with you on your choice of aircraft, I enjoy my Thundergull JT2,
its a great little plane.
Larry