How and why this survey is distributed the way it is

This survey has been publicized on Hanggliding.org, paraglidingforum.com, and OZ report.

In addition I sent the survey to all the email addresses that are on the USHPA/Clubs web site with the request that they post it on their board/distribute it to their members. With this I hoped to reach the pilots that don’t frequent the websites mentioned above.

I asked a member of the USHPA BOD if USHPA would like to take this survey. I was told USHPA was too busy right now. I didn’t get the impression I could get all the members email addresses (though I didn’t outright ask) Thus publicizing it this way was my only option.

I noticed some comments about the survey below are my responses

1 - It's only going to be completed by folks who have strong feelings about this positive or negative, so you are likely to get very polarized results. It won't be an unbiased group.

AV – It’s like any election/survey only the ones who care will give their opinion. Even if we called everyone they could decline to answer. Even if it was a requirement to take the survey to get a USHPA membership, those who don’t care might just fill-in the first choice just to get it over with…Thus it is probably appropriate that only the ones who care cast a vote/take the survey. Another reason we might not reach the “I don’t care pilot” see section above “How and why this survey is distributed the way it is”


2 - One person could complete this survey more than once - there is no lock out feature.

AV - we will be comparing responses by those who gave email addresses to the whole population. If the responses with no email addresses are significantly different it means that either no email address responses were entered by the side those responses support or that the folks responding supporting that side don’t feel safe giving their emails.
Lock out feature might be accomplished if I had a email list of all the pilots and was able to send them unique invitations. Such a list was not available to me - see section above “How and why this survey is distributed the way it is” thus everyone gets to come in and since cyberspace can give any individual multiple personalities (its such a schizophrenic place) there is no way to keep out multiple response. I’m from Chicago where the dead vote so I know the only true way in this or any voting scenario to ensure one person one vote is to take DNA a sample form the person standing right in front of you….a close second is if folks put in their email so we can verify. See next section about email addresses

3- public posting of email addresses

AV – Please add your email address it might give your response more weight (see #2 above)
This form does not have the option to automatically hide email. I have given an option to those who want to give it to me directly w/o having it on the results sheets and a few folks have done that. I have “hidden” the columns but I’m not sure it’s a definite fix if someone knows a work around thus the disclosure will stay up.
Even with respondents knowing their email would be public as of now 155 out of 284 (55%) gave their email.