It's always bothered me that the public, and to some extent aviation
policy makers, have no clue as to the real meaning of "general
aviation", and it bothers me even more that soaring is lumped into
that group for the purposes of making policy.

And there's evidence of why this is a serious issue to our sport in
this month's Atlantic Monthly which starts off with a short article
entitled "Private Plane, Public Menace". This journal influences
thinkers and policymakers, so it shouldn't be ignored. See
http://tinyurl.com/359fgyu for the full article. The author has a
legitimate concern, and generally argues for a more rational approach
to airline passenger security, BUT the likely message people will take
away from the store is "we need to restrict all aircraft operations",
including LSAs, gliders, hang gliders, you name it.

Jim Kellett
Chairman, Virginia Soaring Association