Flyfunston

We are currently negotiating with the GGNRA on some big site improvement projects to make Fort Funston safer and better for hang gliding. They did a site inspection the other day and this is the negative feedback that I received;

"On another note, Fellow Feathers' assigned area was looking a little shabby when we were there - the cones and ropes were toppled and there were big piles of wood chips in several locations, one of which was spilling into the trail.
Please be sure your members keep things well maintained at all times, per the conditions in the permit.
A couple of NPS folks were very disappointed to see it looking like that, especially when we're considering investing in a project to help protect and support the club."

Notice to all pilots: Please keep the cones and rope in place, and help spread chips whenever you can. Any help keeping the site looking good is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!!

I have a question about another area.... not really "our" area but its been bugging me that behind the clubhouse there has been a pile of palm tree stalks sitting there for close to 9 months, now the dog walkers are throwing their poop (with or without bags) all over and it smells like a poorly made palmtree cocktail with a sprtiz of dog shit... groose.... Jeff dunning said awhile back that he would have someone clean it up but its still there....

Can someone? call and leave a message with the parks dept and see what can be done........

Drinks on the house

Rob

Thanks for the heads up. The wood chip piles were getting out of control for a while there, but I think we've caught up.

Is there an electronic copy of the club's special use permit?

Why does the park service have any interest in keeping us around? Is it because of the clubhouse rent? Or do they get allocated government funds based on estimated visitors? It can't be just cuz a few of them think hang gliding is cool.

Diver Dave

I spent a couple of hours sweeping and straightening up the clubhouse the other day when I went by to re-boot the routers and get the web site up again. I also hate seeing that trash, plus it acts like a magnet and others dump on top of it and since I was in the mode I reported the trash dumping to Rob (GGNRA maintenance) and asked if we could use his truck to move it to the dumpster. Rob called park police and made a report, then we worked together to carry away the bags of trash. After that I stacked up all the palm fronds in a neat pile so Rob can take them away little by little. I also weeded the back side of the clubhouse to make it less desirable for dogs. Bottom line is if we want anything done the best thing is to do it ourselves while putting as little burden on the GGNRA resources as possible. Just about everyone is happy to help us help ourselves!

sporty155 wrote:I have a question about another area.... not really "our" area but its been bugging me that behind the clubhouse there has been a pile of palm tree stalks sitting there for close to 9 months, now the dog walkers are throwing their poop (with or without bags) all over and it smells like a poorly made palmtree cocktail with a sprtiz of dog shit... groose.... Jeff dunning said awhile back that he would have someone clean it up but its still there....

Can someone? call and leave a message with the parks dept and see what can be done........

Drinks on the house

Rob

I have a hard copy of our Special Use Permit. Let's talk off-line, I can probably answer any questions you have about it.

The GGNRA is part of the NPS and does not get extra funding because of us being there. Like most government agencies these days, they actually have a very tight budget, ergo the District Service Fees for the Clubhouse, which are really just a drop in their bucket.

We are at Fort Funston because of our long history with the GGNRA and because we continue to be good "Park Partners". When it comes down to brass tacks, any Park Partner can be evicted if they become too much of burden on the system; financial, legal, or otherwise.

fakeDecoy wrote:Thanks for the heads up. The wood chip piles were getting out of control for a while there, but I think we've caught up.

Is there an electronic copy of the club's special use permit?

Why does the park service have any interest in keeping us around? Is it because of the clubhouse rent? Or do they get allocated government funds based on estimated visitors? It can't be just cuz a few of them think hang gliding is cool.

Diver Dave

There seems to be some confusion as to our relationship with the GGNRA. The GGNRA is our landlord. If we lose its goodwill, we are out and there is nothing we can do about it. Recently there have been too many incidents. We have not been the best of tenants. If a pilot has a problem with a spectator or a Park employee, it should not lead to a confrontation. No matter who is at fault, any confrontation is harmful to hang gliding jeopardizing flying at Funston.

Perhaps we should add language to the sticker application similar to the following:
“Hang gliding at Fort Funston is authorized by a permit granted to Fellow Feathers by the landlord, the Golden Gate Recreational Area (GGNRA). The permit may be revoked at any time if its terms and conditions are violated. Accordingly I pledge that I will avoid all conflicts with GGNRA employees and spectators. I understand that if I am in a conflict, my privilege to fly at Fort Funston may be terminated.”

We hang glide at Funston due to the support our sport has received from the GGNRA particularly the late Supt. Brian O’Neil and the supervising rangers at Funston. At one time our relationship was so good that we gave a going away gift to a supervising ranger when he left to take another post. In the past I wrote letters to public officials praising Supt. O’Neil and the supervising rangers.

Funston is one of the few hang gliding only sites left in the country and this is due entirely to the GGNRA. USHPA has been hostile to Funston and at one time a USHPA Director threatened to revoke our site insurance unless we allowed paragliding. The GGNRA, however, refused to allow paragliding supporting our position that it is unsafe to mix the sports in the confined airspace.

For over 30 years the GGNRA gave us the Clubhouse rent free. I don’t know of any landlord that has been as generous. The rent it now charges is small compared to the benefit of having a storage facility on site. The Clubhouse must be kept clean and orderly. At one time the rangers complimented us on how well it was maintained. We paid people to clean it. One of Tim’s sons did an excellent job. Perhaps Duane or someone else could be hired. It is unfair and unrealistic to rely upon volunteers like Steve and a few others.

The GGNRA is not only our landlord, it is our advocate and supporter. Any pilot who jeopardizes this relationship should consider flying at another site before all of us have to fly at another site.