Fred:

Thanks for posting, but don't everybody jump the gun.

SSA had started this request for a national code, about EIGHT YEARS
ago.
Following the NTSB recommendations following the Hawker incident, the
FAA
finally got off the dime. They had told usin Feb 2009 this was
underway -
but NOT that it had been published and hit the streets.

Local soaring organizations should CONTACT their local ATC friends to
inquire as
to what the local ATC would now like to do..... keep their current
agreement,
or switch to using the nationally assigned VFR code. There may be
local
advantages to having the local agreements continue.

Please COORDINATE locally, to not make for any confusion in local
relationships.

An article has been posted to the SSA website, to further elaborate on
this
nice new development. Please consider fully the implications and
obligations
of using the glider code, and using see-and-avoid regardless. Having
a transponder
on and working, is not full protection from mid-airs.

Why didn't SSA 'know" about this coming active?
Because a few of us don't have the hours in the dark of night to read
ALL the
continuing flow of federal publications, and still be able to get to
work in daylight.
(Maybe I am qualified to be a congressional representative? ;-) )
And, the Feds didn't drop us a phone call to advise us.

Kind of like the same favorable change in data plate requirements.
SSA asked for it, repeatedly.
When it finally got shoveled off someone's desk, they were done
and no one told SSA about it.

Thanks for helping us find things as they enter the real world.

Cindy B
SSA Governmental Liaison Committee


SO, from now on your transponder should be set to squawk 1201 anywhere
in the US (including the Reno airspace, where we have used a different
squawk code by agreement between PASCO and the controllers.)



Please use 1201 squawk code in your glider transponder.

Fred LaSor
SoaringNV
775 790-4314
Minden, NV

Thanks for breaking this news, Fred.

I’m also surprised the SSA wasn’t on top of this. * Did the RNO
controllers mention any other changes to the PASCO procedures that we
have been using in the Reno area for the past few years?

Michael Mitton