Thanks, Cindy, for saying what all of us should be thinking. This is a
BIG DEAL for us as glider pilots in the U.S. and we should applaud the
SSA staff and volunteers--AND reasonable folks at the TSA--who helped
make this happen so remarkably quickly.

Disclaimer: I'm a former SSA Director. On the other hand, at times I'm
one of its most vocal critics. The organization has made some big
mistakes in recent years. Many problems still exist. And much progress
remains to be made. But as frustrated as I used to be as a Director
with the slow, sometimes erratic pace of improvement, more frustrating
still was the lack of awareness among our members--and non-member
glider pilots--of how well the SSA represents us with the Feds.

Things that make the SSA so effective as a lobbying force wildly
disproportionate to the importance of our hobby or to the number of
votes our members wield include: detailed knowledge of the regulatory
environment, intelligence, personal relationships, reason,
behind-the-scenes persuasiveness, the ability to seek compromise, the
political understanding not to trumpet each accomplishment as a
"victory" over the career regulators who must sometimes shoulder a
little risk and always answer to their bosses.

These very same things often discourage getting the story out to our
members even when there is something to celebrate, as there is this
time. At other times, when we must settle for half a loaf (or none at
all), our members don't always want to listen.

Well, this time we should all thank the SSA staff, the volunteers,
and--yes--the TSA for working together to preserve our ability to keep
flying without unnecessary, burdensome, and economically harmful
regulations.

Cindy's suggestion is a good one: put some money behind it. If you've
ever considered canceling your SSA membership in the past, now is the
time to re-up. If you're not a member, no more free rides: join now.
If you're a satisfied member, get the checkbook out and make a
contribution to Advocacy. Or to the Roof Fund so the staff can quit
worrying about which desk or file cabinet will get wet the next time
it rains which--based on my experience this summer--is nearly all the
time in Hobbs, NM.

Be selfish: do your part to help finance the only group in the world
standing between well-intentioned-but-ill-informed-and-short-sighted
politicians and your right to fly gliders.

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 "JB"