Phil helping the new guy with his parachute. Photo courtesy of Bruce Barnard, 10/19/2009

Headquarters receiving upgrade

The SSA office in Hobbs will be receiving some much needed computer upgrades on Thursday and Friday, May 17-18. The office will remain open, but we will be unable to handle any membership changes or merchandise shipping. We will be up and running again on Monday, May 21st. 

Posted: 5/9/2012

Let's Go Gliding

If you attended the SSA Convention in Reno, we hope you had a great time and are enthused about our new growth program, "Let's Go Gliding." If you were unable to attend the SSA is working on a new growth initiative and in order to make it successful, we need your help. This year we have a great opportunity to increase our membership with the World Gliding Championships coming to the USA and we want to keep the momentum going with our Let's Go Gliding campaign. We hope each of you will do your part to promote the sport.

One way to do this is displaying the Let's Go Gliding graphics on your trailer. Please contact the SSA office  for the graphics file.  If you do not have access to a company who can print these vinyl graphics (which are easy to apply) please contact the SSA and we can have the graphics printed and shipped to you from the company who printed the graphics for the trailers at the convention. You will only be charged the cost of the printing and shipping. We also have bumper stickers and Let's Go Gliding t-shirts you can purchase to proudly show your support of this initiative.  

We are also working on a membership campaign associated with this which will allow the winners to ride with Karl Striedieck or John Good at contests next year. 

So, Let's Go Gliding

Posted: 2/13/2012

NEW TRANSPONDER CODE for Gliders

“The FAA has assigned transponder code 1202 for use by gliders not in contact with an air traffic control (ATC) facility with an effective date of March 7, 2012.  The notice was published in JO 7110.577, a copy of which is available on the FAA web site here: http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Notice/N7110.577.pdf  Gliders operating in areas where there is an agreement with local ATC to use a different code should contact the agreement sponsor for guidance on which code to use.”  The document change proposal for VFR Gliders to use beacon code 1202 has finally been approved and controllers have that guidance.  A notice has been issued to implement the change immediately and our directives will be updated on the cycle change dates in the future.   

Paul Eure
ATO-E, Safety and Ops Support

 

Posted: 2/10/2012

USER FEES

Please take a moment to click on the two below-listed links to sign a petition to take aviation user fees off the table.

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/take-aviation-user-fees-table/Mtjk9lM3 and http://wh.gov/K4Q

Posted: 1/28/2012

GPS IN THE NEWS

SSA is well aware of the matter of potential interference to GPS if an FCC process considering LightSquared's establishment of another nationwide terrestrial broadband service receives final approval.  One of our SSA members has served for years on the RTCA group which recently studied such interference.  He is also the FAI representative to the UNOOSA's ICG, a UN group having expressed worldwide concern about such interference because it could affect not only GPS, but all satellite positioning, navigation and timing
systems capable of being received in the USA.  ICG is further concerned that approval for such frequency use in the USA could lead to other countries adopting a similar concept, making such interference a potential matter of concern worldwide.

SSA has applied for membership in the Save Our GPS Coalition which consists of just about every organization involved with using GPS.  GPS has been of great import to the gliding community in the Flight Recorders we use for the documentation of badge, contest and record flying, as well as GPS units used for navigation and traffic situational awareness as in ADS-B, including the private FLARM system.

Some of you may read about a 13Jan12 letter directed to the US Dept. of Commerce's Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information Lawrence Strickling which implies that LightSquared's proposals are unacceptable.  "It is the unanimous conclusion of the test findings by the National Space-Based PNT EXCOM Agencies that both LightSquared's original and modified plans for its proposed mobile network would cause harmful interference to many GPS receivers."  The letter is signed by the two co-chairs of the PNT
EXCOM, Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari.

That is countered by a 19Jan12 LightSquared release belittling the testing which led to the PNT EXCOM report, asking for a reevaluation of the testing and LightSquared's mitigation proposals.

This matter is one of great importance to your Society in which it remains closely involved.

ADS-B - Automatic Dependent Surveillance System - Broadcast
FCC  - Federal Communications Commission
GPS  - Global Positioning System
ICG  - International Committee on GNSS
PNT  - Positioning Navigation & Timing
RTCA - private non-profit corporation addressing aviation requirements and technical concepts to advance the art and science of aviation and aviation electronic systems, functioning as a Federal Advisory Committee
UN   - United Nations
UNOOSA - United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

Posted: 1/27/2012

SSA is now accepting in kind securities

The SSA is pleased to announce a brokerage account has been established through Vanguard, so you may make contributions of securities in lieu of cash donations. If you are interested in this, please contact Misty LeBreton at SSA headquarters, 575-392-1177. 

Posted: 8/31/2011

32nd World Gliding Championships Website

The 32nd World Gliding Championships (July 28-August 19, 2012, Uvalde, Texas) website is now live. The web address for the site is: www.wgc2012uvalde.com. 

The features and functions present in the design reflect the most successful WGC websites of the last several years. Owners looking to exchange or lease their gliders can list their equipment in the Rental/Hire section of the site. The organizing committee wants to make everyone aware that sponsorship and promotion opportunities are available for this major aviation event. For more information on sponsorship involvement, contact Linda Murray, linda@easternsailplane.com. 

Posted: 5/5/2011

SSA on Facebook

Photo #5632 | facebook icon large Click here to become a fan of the SSA on Facebook.

Posted: 4/8/2010

SSA Promotes Soaring Safety with New Sailplane Tracker List

It’s late in the day, and one of your sailplane pilots has not returned – what to do? If he or she is one of the growing numbers of pilots equipped with a SPOT™ satellite tracking device, an APRS (ham-radio only) or other personal locator beacon (PLB), and has updated his or her SSA profile with the information, then you may be able to quickly access the latest tracking information on the pilot through the SSA’s new Sailplane Tracker List.

In recognition of its leading role in promoting soaring safety, the SSA has created the SSA Sailplane Tracker List. The repository is a list of internet links to satellite tracker data, such as SPOT™,s ‘Shared Tracking’ page or other web-based tracking devices. Simply click on the ‘Locator URL’ link for a listed member, and the most recent tracking data is shown superimposed on a map.

Click on the SAILPLANE TRACKER icon on the SSA home page to go directly to the Sailplane Tracker List. For additional information or feedback please contact a member of the sailplane tracking team here.

Posted: 10/7/2009