Covid-19 and Free Flying (and Kiting...)

[James604]

Covid-19 and Recreational Aviation

The WCSC is encouraging pilots to heed advice from HPAC, our national association during these challenging times. As pilots, we're all familiar with balancing risk and reward. If you choose to fly during the Covid-19 outbreak, please be aware that healthcare, emergency response, and nearly all essential services will be extremely limited and potentially unavailable in the event of an emergency.

Additionally, many of our permits for use of municipal parks (Diefenbaker Park in Delta, Burnaby Mountain etc..) are temporally suspended in light of the virus. We request that no pilots use these area for kiting or ground-handling until advised otherwise, and certainly not before April 30th, 2020.

Here are some resources shared by WCSC members to aid in informed decision making:

https://www.squamishchief.com/…/covid-1 ... groups-ask…

https://xcmag.com/…/paragliding-and-han ... -hit-by-co…/

https://xcmag.com/ma…/how-to-survive-th ... us-layoff/

Be safe, fly safe,

James Elliott
President
WCSC

________________________________________________________

Message from The Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada:

March 19, 2020

Fellow Pilots:

We find ourselves in a dynamic situation that is evolving daily. While the pandemic is not expected to have a significant direct impact on association operations, it will undoubtedly affect individual members, instructors, schools and tandem operations in many ways.

Aside from the obvious recommendation to follow local guidelines about travel and avoiding groups of people, I feel it is important to ensure members consider some less obvious effects of the pandemic when making decisions about flying.
Landowners may not be happy to have visitors under these circumstances, please check with the site organizer or landowner before heading out.
Your fellow pilots may wish you to keep your distance, please respect their space.
First responders and emergency services are likely to be increasingly overloaded. If you have a bad ending to your flight, you may wait a very long time for rescue if they are able to respond at all. If you need emergency care you will be using resources that someone else may need more than you.

With respect, I ask you to weigh the relative importance of your desire to fly against the needs of your community to limit the spread of the virus. It is your decision where and how you fly. Please make your decision wisely.

Best Regards,

Nick Jones
President, HPAC/ACVL