Hang Gliding and Paragliding Volume 44 / Issue 3: March 2014 | Page 12

LEFT Rob Kells Memorial award-winner, Steve
Pearson. BELOW Jon Stallman, recognized
for exceptional service.

Rob Kells Memorial Award
It’s highly unlikely that any hang gliding
member of this association is unaware
of Steve Pearson’s too-many-to-list
contributions to the hang gliding scene
in the US and around the world. His
many nominators wrote pages about
Steve as a driving force in the evolution
of hang gliding over more than three
decades. Here’s what some of them have
to say:
“Steve’s contributions to the myriad
Wills Wing designs over more than 35
years have resulted in the safest possible
evolution of glider design progression,
literally (in my opinion) allowing the
sport to survive.”
“Steve has devoted his life over the
last four decades not only to improving
the safety, user friendliness and performance of hang gliders but has unself-

12

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

ishly made himself available for advice to
uncounted pilots over all these years.”
“Steve designed the Condor trainer,
the Falcon and the new Alpha, all of
which have been instrumental in making
learning to hang glide easier, safer and
more fun.”
“It would be hard to find a member
who hasn’t flown a glider that Steve
wasn’t involved in designing. His deepdown interest in what we want as pilots
is evident in how he listens to others and
continues to be caring yet professional in
all aspects.”
“My personal faves regarding Steve
include his making the Falcon at a time
when common sense indicated singlesurface was dead—yet it revolutionized
our training, making it safer by a great
amount. Equally significant is his very
professional documentation (manuals)

for the gliders, which make us dealers
and repair guys look good.”
“In the last two decades, Steve has
revolutionized hang gliding training,
making entry to the sport easier than it
had ever been before, which has possibly
done more to grow the sport than any
other individual ever has. Steve has
bettered the sport in nearly every aspect
of hang glider design, from performance
to handling to ease of use, but it is his
work to make the sport easier and safer,
and more fun for new pilots that is most
notable, and makes him totally worthy
of the Rob Kells Memorial award.”
“Steve has made a lot of people’s
dreams come true, and to him we not
only owe an award of this nature and
prestige, but also a huge debt of gratitude. When I fly, I feel like I have wings
sprouting from my back—I don’t feel
like I am piloting some aircraft. It takes
a very special combination of features
to produce that feeling of intuitive and
natural flying. “
Because Steve’s dedication toward
making hang gliding fun, safe, accessible and rewarding for pilots of all skill
levels is closely aligned with Rob Kells’s
philosophy, USHPA finds it so totally
appropriate to present the 2013 Rob
Kells Memorial Award to Rob’s friend
and business partner, Steve Pearson.