Contributors

Policy on Authorship and Bylines

To ensure the best selection of quality material for the magazine, while also protecting the organization's interests and professional standards, the USHPA publications management team allows contributors to write under pen names with the following restrictions. This policy applies to all USHPA publications, including the magazine, this website, and any other forms of publication that might be offered now or in the future.

1. All items sent for use in the news and information sections of the publications must be submitted and published under the author's true, legal name.  
2. All product-related items (i.e. gear reviews, new equipment announcements, etc.) must be submitted and published under the author's true, legal name.  
3. Any feature story that includes direct references to the author's pilot rating and/or special skills (as defined by the USHPA) or which contains material which call into question the author's skills and/or ratings, must be submitted and published under the author's true name. 
4. Any feature story that includes direct references to a third party pilot and their ratings and/or specials skills (as defined by the USHPA), must include the true name of the third party pilot. If the individual(s) described do not wish to have their names included, they may appeal to the editor for the use of a pseudonym. That appeal will be granted if:
   a) The name and current rating/standing of the pilot is not an integral part of the main story line.
   b) The story is primarily a "flying adventure"-style feature written for entertainment purposes rather than for skills building or to cover the technical aspects of flying.
   c) The pilot's pseudonym is used consistently for all such applications.
5. Pen names may be used by authors for feature stories which focus on the joys and experiences of flight rather than technical details of the sports, provided: a) An author uses a single pen name for all qualifying materials submitted to USHPA publications (and the author's real name is used on materials that do not qualify for pen name use); b) The editorial task force is aware of the author's true name and pilot ranking; c) The story does not include material that may bring into question the author's rating or skill level, especially regarding tandem flights.   
6. The editorial task force is under no obligation to guarantee the secrecy of an author's real name if a pen name is used, but the members of the ETF will not readily volunteer the information.

Editorial Guidelines

We encourage contributions from all writers and photographers interested in sharing their flying-related articles and images. Our readers are knowledgeable, enthusiastic participants in the sports of hang gliding,  paragliding and speedflying and we therefore require well-researched, well-crafted articles of interest to the free-flight community. All article submissions should include photographs or illustrations, or information about where we can find such supporting photography/artwork.

All articles should be original works, and we give first preference to authors and the works for which we receive first-time publishing rights. PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT WORKS THAT HAVE BEEN SIMULTANEOUSLY SUBMITTED TO OTHER PUBLICATIONS.

Contributors may send queries or completed manuscripts for any of the various departments and sections within the magazine. The most likely areas for writers to contribute are:

Pilot Profiles/Club Profiles

This section seeks to bring more attention to the membership of USHPA. We will consider all suggestions for subjects for these profiles. Ideally, individuals being profiled should be leaders of their local community and/or strong contributors to the national flying community. Pilots who excel in any aspect of their sport are also worthy of consideration for this section. All hang gliding and/or paragliding clubs and USHPA chapters are eligible for inclusion in this section. Profiles of clubs should focus on the club's membership, the club's activities and function, and the local flying sites maintained and supported by the club.

Pilot profiles are typically 800 to 1500 words. Club/chapter profiles may run 1200 to 2000 words.

Feature Articles

Feature articles may be technical articles designed to help pilots improve their flying skills, or "entertainment" stories that convey the joy and wonders of free flight. First-person "flying adventure"-type stories are especially desired. These can range from descriptions of flying vacations or local fly-ins to a chronicle of a great day at your local home site. All feature articles will be considered.

A letter of query is the preferred way to submit article ideas. The query letter should provide a brief summary of your article idea, including information about any supportive photography you may have. All feature articles should either include photographic support, or have some recommendations for where we can find photographs to accompany the text.

Feature article manuscripts may run 1200 to 3000 words. All submissions are subject to editing, though writers will be consulted about substantial edits. Writers may include suggestions for headlines and article titles, but the final title/headline will be decided by the editor and art director based, in part, on its fit within the page layout and design.

Please send questions and queries to: [email protected].

Photography

Photographs may be submitted in a variety of formats: .jpg .psd .png .tif .eps .raw (call for specifics)

FILM - Film accepted only with prior approval from Editor. Formats: .mov .wav .mp4 .avi (ask about links)

DIGITAL - In order for a digital photograph to be properly rendered in a printed magazine, the image should be captured at 3-megapixel resolution or better. The basic rule for digital photography is the higher the resolution, the more useful the image. Please use the highest resolution setting on the camera when taking the pictures, and the lowest compression setting. Digital pictures can be uploaded directly to the USHPA contributors FTP upload site.

All photographs must include the name of the photographer and any recognizable people within the photos. The information sent with the photos should also include the location of the image, the subject's information (name, site, event, etc.), and if possible the specifics of the media used (camera type, special set-ups and so on).

Contributor Payment Policy

1. For all editorial contributions there will be a standard pay rate determined by the editor and published on this USHPA website. This pay schedule will apply to both writing and photography/artwork.

Exceptions: A) USHPA employees will not be paid for contributions. B) USHPA officials who write an article or submit photos as part of their job will not be paid (e.g. accident report articles).

2. Payment will be made according to the terms of the Contributor Agreement and according to the published pay scale.

3. If the author and photographer(s) for a particular article are two (or more) different persons payment will be handled separately and will require a signed contributor's agreement and an invoice from each person.

4. After USHPA pays the invoice, the signed contributor's agreement will be kept on file in the USHPA office.

5. Each editorial contributor will be entitled to three complimentary copies of the magazine issue his or her article appears in. If the contributor wants additional copies, he or she may choose to trade all or a portion of the contributor's fee at a rate of $5 per additional copy.

Contributor Agreement

Contributor Agreements must be in place with all USHPA contributors. Please follow this link to complete a USHPA Contributor Agreement before submitting content:USHPA Contributor Agreement

Editorial Dropbox