What is USHPA membership and why does it matter for your flight park?

Every hang gliding and paragliding pilot flying at a commercial flight park in the United States is expected to carry a current USHPA membership. This isn’t just a formality — it’s a layer of liability protection for both the pilot and the park.

What USHPA membership actually covers

A current USHPA membership includes third-party liability insurance up to $1 million per occurrence. If a pilot causes damage or injury to a third party during a flight, that policy provides coverage. Without a current membership, the pilot — and potentially the park — may be exposed.

USHPA also tracks pilot ratings. A Hang 2 pilot attempting a flight that requires Hang 3 certification isn’t just a skills concern — it’s a waiver and liability issue the park is implicitly approving if nobody checks.

The honor system problem

Most parks don’t check memberships at the gate. A pilot shows up, signs the waiver, and goes to the flight line. This works 99% of the time. The 1% is where the exposure lives.

USHPA memberships expire. Pilots don’t always renew on time. A pilot who was current last month may not be current today. Without a system that checks at the point of flight, there’s no way to know.

What TowMeUp does differently

TowMeUp validates USHPA membership in real time at every QR code scan. Before a pilot reaches the ramp, their membership status, pilot rating, and expiration date are confirmed against the USHPA database. Expired memberships surface immediately — not after something has already gone wrong.

This isn’t about being the compliance police. It’s about giving parks the information they need to make good decisions, automatically, without adding a step to the ground crew’s morning.

TowMeUp is flight park management software for aerotow hang gliding and paragliding parks. Request early access.