The Fall 2001 SSA Executive Committee meeting was at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Marriott from 8 AM until 6:30 PM on November 17. The entire EXCOM (Welles, Short, Northcraft, Mockler, and Payne) and Larry Sanderson attended.

The EXCOM devoted considerable time to discussions of the SSA finances. The last dues increase was in 1995. Since then the Consumer Price Index has increased over 20%. At the Board’s request, the EXCOM has been working a new dues structure.

I reported in the Spring that the Board may soon face the most important policy decision in the SSA’s history. This is the decision on how to respond to the FAA’s now delayed effort to privatize aircraft airworthiness certification and pilot certification. Given the events of Sept 11, the FAA has put this effort on hold and may even abandon it.

Upon the recommendation of the Contest Rules Committee, the EXCOM agreed to recommend to the Board that non-USA pilots who are full members of the SSA be treated as citizens in Regional Contests, i.e. they are eligible to win medallions.

The EXCOM picked its "Vital Few," the things we want the SSA to focus on during the next year. First on the list is Advocacy, our effort to favorably influence the response of the government to aviation in light of September 11. Others items are Development of the Sport, Safety, Staff Effectiveness, and Revenue Enhancement.

We approved a new staffing plan for the SSA.

The EXCOM completed its annual evaluation of the President.

The next Board meeting is in Ontario, CA during the Convention. I have visited the convention site and highly recommend you attend … 54 of 60 booths are rented and the 70,000 square foot convention floor is sold out. Ontario Airport is about one-half mile from the Convention Hall so getting there is easy. For those driving it is next to I-10. Speaking of conventions, ’03 is in Dayton. The SSA is considering Atlanta for ’04.

PS I traveled from Burbank. American Airlines said to arrive 2 hours before departure. Passing through the security check there and at Dallas/Fort Worth took only a few minutes more than before Sep 11 … one hour before departure was plenty of time on Friday afternoon and Sunday morning. As an editorial comment, the mode used by the September 11 hijackers will never be used again unless they are insiders … such as the crew of a mid-eastern airline on an international flight. Rather than subjecting the typical American to confiscation of their tweezers, it would make much more sense to spend the extra money on intelligence efforts.

Soar safe, have fun, go fast and far,