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Intermediate Student
FAQ for flying@westernhanggliders.org  Subscribe


What is the purpose of this list?
...to create a supportive, respectful, and intelligent atmosphere where people can discuss their individual pursuit of flight.
Who will I be talking to?
The community around Western Hang Gliders includes people of all flying ranks. This is a place where intermediate students can ask questions of master pilots, and where beginners can ask questions of instructors. People will also be sharing technical information on hang gliding maintenance as well as thoughts that happened to come up during the day.
If I don't live in California, how will this list benefit me?
It always helps in the learning process when students have access to different points of view, no matter where they live. There is a synthesis that happens when you listen to how other people solved problems or dealt with certain situations. Although Western Hang Gliders is located in Marina, CA, people come from all over the world to hang glide with us. And our pilots have also flown in many different places. We wanted to create this place online, so we could share our knowledge of flying with students from around the world as well as those in our local area, and create virtual version of our beautiful beach.
If I am a member of the local hang gliding club, how will this list benefit me?
This list is also a place where pilots can make announcements about when trips are being organized to Tollhouse or when club meetings will be held.
If I am a serious student, can I use this list as a source of technical information?
Yes. For those students who do their homework, there is no end to the people who will be willing to help you. This is true in any technical profession, and it is also true for flying.
How do I know whether I am on-topic or not?
As moderator, I am not a stickler for "on-topic"ness. Conversation is an eclectic thing. The purpose is to share the experiences that go into one's pursuit of flight. However, there will be announcements of flying trips, club meetings, maintenance questions and answers, a beginner hang gliding question, or someone wanting to know how to overcome fear after they crashed. Perhaps someone found that yoga helped them center themselves and made them fly better. Then, sharing that, it helped someone else 5000 miles away. That is the beauty of mailing lists.
No one is going to be a third-grade teacher and stand over your head telling you you weren't on topic.
It is when people decide to share and discover new ways of looking at the world, which spills over into their flying experiences, that the flying perhaps becomes better--maybe only because people were inspired to practice more. Practice answers a lot of questions.
The emphasis is on treating eachother's feelings with respect. I am fascinated by the thoughtful interaction that takes place between people who meet by chance in an online environment. What wisdom will this specific combination of discussants define? Finding the answer could possibly make you a better pilot.
How much mail will I get?
This is a new list, so this answer is yet to be determined.
Will this list be archived?
No. Since a mailing list archive is a database available on the web that can be searched by author, date, and subject, it would be a bit too invasive for the part of humanity this community is trying to reach. This list is more private and will only be available to subscribers via email.
Advertising
As we are centered around a hang gliding school, one goal is to make a profit, so there will be advertising on the site and an online store at some point, and the site will be promoted.
Members of the mailing list receive certain benefits. They can put a link to their personal and business web sites in our homepage section, under community, for free. They can also contribute a picture to our gallery.
Copyright Law
In the spirit of preventing harm to the owners of words and other forms of intellectual property, we take the copyright laws seriously on this list. Email to a list is "publishing," and as such is covered under the Berne Convetion on Copyright. It is defined in terms of permanency and recoverability and is clearly the copyrighted property of the sender.
List Rule:
Please refrain from posting copyrighted material, whether it be in written, graphic, musical or any other format you can think of.
Exception 1:
An attributed quote of 2 or 3 sentences may be used as something on which to base an original piece to the list. This would fall under the definition of Fair Use.
Exception 2:
Reprint permission. If you have obtained reprint permission for copyrighted material you feel is pertinent subject matter, please state this prominently with a note from the author, and the phrase, "the following is reprinted here with permission from the author," before you post the piece.
Reprint Permission Request Procedure
If you would like to reprint something written on this list elsewhere, you may follow this permission-request procedure.
  • Collect the texts you would like to use with the authors' names and email addresses.
  • Write individual email letters of permission to each author. In these letters, describe the purpose of your project and where it will be displayed, and include the quotes you wish to use.
  • Have the authors include your permission email in their reply stating their decision. Then you will have a written record that you got permission to use the stated text for your stated purpose.
  • Then separate the "yes's" from the "no's", and GO! Total Score. :-)
Speech
(ie, out loud) can be reproduced by anyone, to the best of my understanding. But what you print is protected. And how private is a message anyway, when it is broadcast to a list? These are all questions members must factor into their decision over what they want to reveal about themselves when posting here.
The Privacy-Revelation Balance and "Informed Decision"
A person's personal revelation on a mailing list might have professional reprecussions.
The pursuit of flight is a deeply philosophical experience. Although many find it therapeutic to talk about their personal emotions and receive support from an online community, each member must make an "informed decision" about how much he/she is comfortable revealing.
A personal case history. I first started another online community 2 1/2 years ago. In the first few months, when I was getting my feet wet moderating, a woman talked about an EEOC suit she was bringing against her employer. A "lurker," someone who reads but who doesn't post, knew this employer and forwarded the woman's message without her knowledge. The woman got in serious trouble. And I came up with the concept of "informed decision."
Hang gliding politics are as intense as any other politics. Each member has to make a judgment about the rewards and the consequences of revelation, and go with that.
The Negative Stuff: What would get me kicked off this list?
This is a sad question for me.
I have no intention of kicking anyone off. I have no intention of creating an atmosphere where people are afraid that if they have an opinion on a topic, they could get kicked off, but there are realities I have to consider. I hope everyone would agree that they would not want to be subjected to these types of dysfunctional behavior:
  • Hate Speech, racist or otherwise
  • Flaming
    Flaming is when someone unleashes the full power of their anger in an email message directed at someone else in front of the whole list. This is not vehement, honest debate. This destroys communities.
  • Unsubscribing a member without his or her knowledge
  • Sending email under another person's name with a malevolent purpose
  • Email Harrassment
  • Spamming
An online community is a social structure that people put themselves into, and then they get something satisfying back out of it. The reason why people in true online communities don't engage in these dysfunctional behaviors is that the sale has been made: if I share and treat people with respect what I get out of it is a useful online experience that adds to the quality of my life.
What our hope is for the "flying" mailing list is that the experience could make you a better pilot, too.
If anyone has any further questions or comments, they are welcome to send me private mail at barbara@panix.com.
Hope we piqued your curiosity. If you decide to give us a try, welcome to flying@westernhanggliders.org  Subscribe