Home  » About PASCO  »  Board Section » 2008_0317_min

Board Meeting Minutes

Minutes from Meeting - Feb. 25, 2008

PASCO BOARD MEETING February 25, 2008

Meeting called to order at 7:13 pm

Board members present: Peter Deane, Mike Mayo, Karol Hines, Marc Ramsey
Committee chairs and guests present: Dave Cunningham, Ramy Yanetz,
Jay McDaniel, Rolf Peterson

ACTION ITEMS

- Mike Mayo and Hans Van Weersch still need to finalize banquet financial's.
  Mike has submitted his information, Hans has not

- Hans: look into IRS non profit status of PASCO
  No report

- Hans: look into process for financial audit and make recommendations to board
  No report

- Hans: Pay Webbnet for 2007 and 2008 with current invoice.
  No report

- Karol Hines: publish in WestWind thanks to Cindy Donovan for being long term Awards Chairperson.
  Done?

- Karol Hines: publish NASA near miss report in next WestWind
  Will discuss in FAA Liaison report

- Larry Roberts: make PASCO board page open – not password protected.
  Done.

- Peter Deane: check into using Yahoo Group for archival file storage
  Insufficient, but no alternatives identified.  Marc will help identify options.
  Karol suggests looking at using same host as PacificSoaring (WEBBnet)

- Peter Deane: refine roles and responsibilities for promotions chair with Tony Gaechter
- Peter Deane: send officers, directors, chairs roles and responsibilities document out for comment
  Done, document distributed for comment, some feedback from Ty White, Ramy Yanetz, Karol Hines,
  Dave Cunningham.  Will wait on further comments from other board members.

- Peter Deane: will send a 2008 PASCO meeting plan to board members and chairs for review
  Created but not finished, will do so in the next week.

- Peter Deane: will send out the AOPA airport champions list to BoD for Region 11 airport based soaring bases.
  Done.

- Peter Deane: will write presidents corner for WestWind on Airport advocacy.
  Will be done in next week.

- Ramy Yanetz, Larry Roberts: will obtain pictures of trophies for web site
  No pictures yet.

- Ramy Yanetz: will get old PASCO League trophies from Hollister
  Not yet, might be a month or two.

- Dave Cunningham: inform Lee Edling that his director candidacy was unanimously approved.
  Done.

- Dave Cunningham: Invite to next meeting and add Lee to the distribution list.
  Done.

- Jay McDaniel to send write up of Jean NV Soaring club for WestWind.
  Not yet, article published last year.

- Jay McDaniel will contact Sergio to discuss the Coast to Coast traveling trophy idea with the SSA
  Suggests Region 11 sponsoring trophy for publicity purposes.  Sergio may be willing to administer.
  Need to get into Soaring, two month lead time.  Sergio is making a trophy.  PASCO could fund.  Ramy
  will talk to Sergio and ask him to attend so we can determine the financial needs.

- Jay McDaniel/Fred Lasor coordinate on finding a new CA State Governor.
  Rex Mayes and Marc Ramsey are considering.

- Ty White: finalize and issue PASCO membership drive mailer to region wide soaring pilot distribution list.
  Haven't heard from Ty.

- Ty White: send out PASCO board meeting alert to membership distribution list – Peter to provide details.
  Peter needs to contact Ty to finalize.

TREASURERS REPORT – Hans

a. IRS non profit status?
b. Banquet books closure
c. Schedule for financial audit.
d. WebbNet website hosting charges – redirect to Larry/Hans

Hans not present at meeting, no report.

COMMUNICATIONS CHAIR REPORT – Karol/Larry

a. Website Updates – Larry
b. WestWind Update - Karol

Karol is putting together next WestWind. 

Larry Roberts reported to Peter that his time available has dwindled.  Will add data about duties and responsibilities once comments received.  Added "print" button to the Events Calendar and the PASCO Board Agenda pages.
Will add the new safety slogan to the Safety page, once decided by the Board. Still would like to have photos of the Awards, this is not a priority.

COMPETITION UPDATE - Rick

a. Regionals, Airsailing Sports, Nationals
Montague Regionals will have all FAI classes, Air Sailing will be Sports Class only.

SAFETY COMMITTEE – Dave Cunningham

a. Current status of PASCO Site Champions
No glider related safety incidents this month.  Dave will contact Carl Herold about Ely.  NCSA had a successful safety seminar last Saturday.  Dave would like to know of any other seminars, so he can collect materials and place them on the PASCO website.

b. Update on Reno Airspace procedure – Karol/Dave . Karol will come up with new wording for transponder blurb in WestWind.  Will be working on article for Soaring. 

SSA REGIONAL DIRECTOR & PASCO DIRECTOR POSITIONS – Peter

Jay McDaniel reports that Fred Lasor has resigned as Region 11 Director.

a. State Governor/Promotion chair candidates?
b. New secretary candidate for Marc?  None yet.

c. Other director positions? – Dave C

FAA AIRSPACE LIASON - Rolf

a. Wave window update - Rolf
Meeting scheduled with Donald Brookes for next week.  Reno TRACON now has the airspace from  18 to 19K.  They want radio contact and a transponder to transition through this airspace, Oakland Center is happy to do without from 19K up.  Rolf is working on getting Reno to drop these new requirements.  Also proposing changes to boundaries of windows to make it more usable.

FAA AIRPORT LIASON –

a. Hollister, Minden, Truckee updates – Byron/Montague status – Site Champions role?? Peter reports that gliding is back on the map at Hollister, Drew Pierce, etc. have been on top of it.  Rolf is not aware of any problems at Byron.

PROMOTION/MEMBERSHIP – Ty

b. Define a target set of activities – review proposals from Peter
c. Define and assign material development.
d. Membership drive and mailing – Ty/Peter

No information or updates.

AWARDS COMMITTEE - Ramy

Sawyer Award proposed simplification, no need to register, opt out, based on OLC.  Winner does not need to administer the following year, Ramy will take care of it.  Eliminate duration, per flight, field factor points.  Handicap taken care of by OLC.  Leaves OLC score and pilot factor.  Add additional pilot factor of 0.7 for pilots with flight over 1000 km.  Mike made a motion to accept the proposed changes, motion carried.

Distance award changes approved last meeting, sanctioned contest flights now permitted,  rationale is that long  distance flights rare during contests, eliminates confusion.

NEW BUSINESS

Jay reported on SSA director meeting at convention.  Chuck Coyn is the new editor of Soaring magazine. He's a low-time glider pilot with 30 years of publishing experience.  2010 SSA convention was going to be in Indianapolis, they have declined.  Diane Black-Nixon will be matching donations to SSA up to $25K.

Peter is looking for volunteers for static displays at airshows, he will be doing Half Moon Bay show.  Reno, Salinas, Watsonville?

Meeting adjourned at 8:40 pm.

==================

REPORT FROM SSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

Received from Fred Lasor:

Chaired by Chairperson Dianne Black-Nixon.

1. Chuck Coyn is the new editor of Soaring magazine. He's a low-time glider pilot with 30 years of publishing experience, mostly in motor sports. He believes we need to focus on beginners and intermediate pilots as they represent the future of the sport. “What can we do to keep everybody excited about being a member and
getting the magazine?” he asks. He'll be asking lots of us for material – don't worry about professional writing as he'll edit. He closed with the comment that being named editor of Soaring makes him feel like he's just flown into a booming thermal and wants us to be his yaw string.

2. Treasurer’s report: Phil Umphres reported that we finished the year with a $207,000 operating excess. We're in good shape. “The extended period of financial insecurity is over -- it's time to make this organization more responsive to the membership.” Now's the time to think about increasing membership. Time to hire a compensated webmaster. Please make suggestions on how to spend money to grow SSA. Umphres opposes a dues increase at this time because of generosity of Eagle Fund donors. Projected budget surplus of $104,000 this year – propose to spend $85,000 on repayment of loan from foundation and the rest on capital improvements.

3. Chip Garner introduced Kathy Taylor, who has been scanning in back issues of Soaring magazine. She talked about experience to date – 30 years now finished – and wonders how this should be made available. Continued to next meeting.

4. Future Restructuring Task Force: Final report accepted. Outstanding recommendations include consolidation of regions 1-4 and 2-3, plus decreasing Directorships in Regions 11 and 12. There was a long discussion of what has been done to restructure Society and the timeline of implementing recommended changes.
Directors Skydell (12) and LaSor (11) tendered their resignations effective immediately to advance the process. (PLEASE NOTE REGION 11: your new Director is Jay McDaniel, formerly Director of Region 11 south).

5. On Line Contest Committee: Chip Garner reported it went well this past year and US pilots were very well represented in top finishers. Credits Doug Haluza with making it work. Still looking for monetary donations – users encouraged to send in at least $30 to keep it going. Val Pagett also has press releases that can be used for people completing badges – all are encouraged to use them! Write the SSA for information.

6. SSA Foundation: Al Tyler nominated and elected to the foundation.

7. Government Liaison, Steve Northcraft:

a) the ADS-B NPRM comments are due by March 3. Northcraft will file one on behalf of SSA. Bernald Smith thinks “the radar people have taken over and they want veils out as far as possible.” (NOTE: Hines, LaSor and Peterson
will meet with Reno tower director Feb 27 to discuss this issue locally).

b) Northcraft: Public comment requested for White Elk MOA expansion. LaSor and Brickner have responded and we understand AOPA also opposes this expansion.

c) NTSB RECOMMENDATIONS FOLLOWING MINDEN MIDAIR 2 YEARS AGO: Northcraft understands NTSB has changed position and will recommend transponders on ALL gliders as a result of this.

d) Life limits on Pegasus – Northcraft expects FAA to do something on this but notes that Centrair and DGAC appear to be content to ignore it. There are 51 Pegasus gliders in the US.

e) Bernald Smith reported on the ADS-B NPRM. He thinks a better option is a simplified technology that is currently available as a “small ADS-B to be used on ground vehicles.”

8. Chip Garner introduced Mike Abernathy who is producing a high quality HDTV program for public TV. Program follows several glider pilots flying XC in beautiful conditions in Colorado. Reports will be published on this in
Soaring magazine. Abernathy encourages us to call local public TV stations and ask them to air program, wonders if we could give free glider rides to local public TV as a fundraiser item and to build interest in the program.
Keep your eyes open for this.

9. Question of how to award non-flying awards in non-convention years. Sense of board to make sure of publicity in Soaring magazine. Brickner wondered if we could use winter meetings in non-convention years to present those awards. Many of us will be there for annual meeting, FIRC, etc. Skydell suggested awards be given every two years; voted down. Welles moved we present awards at a venue to be decided by Director in region where recipient lives – passed.
 
10. Rules Change: Ken Sorensen asked for approval of a rules change calling for a “super regional” subject to the rules of regionals, but without preference for in-region pilots. Parowan is example. Allows participation from all over
without making contest a national one. Passed..
 
11. Contest sites for 2009: Open/Standard = Montague. 18 Meter = Ephrata.
15 meter = Cordele. Sports Class = Elmira. Passed
 
12. Convention 2010: Houston offers to investigate possibility of hosting.
Accepted in principle without a formal vote, pending further research by Houston.
 
13. Fall Board of Directors meeting: 26/27 or 27/28 of September in Houston
– no final decision.

Adjourned Saturday at 11:57.