Good News from SSA: Private pilots may now tow for compensation or hire under SSA insurance policy

[Phil Umphres]

SSA ANNOUNCES AN IMPORTANT CHANGE IN TOWING RULES: PRIVATE TOW PILOTS
MAY TOW GLIDERS FOR COMPENSATION OR HIRE UNDER SSA'S GROUP LIABILITY
INSURANCE POLICY

One of the challenges facing many soaring clubs and commercial
operators in recent years has been the difficulty in finding qualified
tow pilots. SSA is pleased to report that recent SSA actions have
greatly eased this problem. SSA recently obtained (in November 2010)
a legal opinion from the FAA office of Chief Counsel stating that
pilots who carry only a Private, Single Engine Land (SEL), pilot’s
certificate may tow gliders or ultralights for compensation or hire.
On the basis of this FAA legal opinion, SSA has now obtained a
modification of its SSA group liability insurance program to provide
insurance coverage for glider tows, for compensation or hire, by tow
pilots with only a Private pilot certificate where the soaring
operation and the tow pilot meet certain qualifications.

In short, Clubs and commercial operators that are currently covered
under the SSA Group Policy and that have satisfactory loss histories
will be covered under the SSA policy for tows by private pilots for
compensation or hire effective on their next renewal date. It will be
up to the club's chief tow pilot to determine if a particular tow
pilot has the requisite level of skill to conduct the tows.

Information about this important change can be found on the SSA
homepage under the heading, "Private Towpilots Information." There
you will find a more extended discussion of these changes as well as a
link to the November 3, 2010 FAA Legal Opinion. The FAA opinion can
also be found on the FAA website at:
http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/agc/pol_adjudication/agc200/interpretations/data/interps/2010/Umphres.pdf

Phil Umphres,
SSA Region 10 Director & SSA Foundation Trustee
Cell: 214-558-1285
Home: 214-221-0429
Office: 214-999-0035

[aero...@socal.rr.com]

On Feb 28, 7:57 pm, Phil Umphres <pumph...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> SSA ANNOUNCES AN IMPORTANT CHANGE IN TOWING RULES: PRIVATE TOW PILOTS
> MAY TOW GLIDERS FOR COMPENSATION OR HIRE UNDER SSA'S GROUP LIABILITY
> INSURANCE POLICY

> Phil;

Whoever helped work this deserves some accolades - This will definitly
help the shortage of tow pilots nation wide!

Thanks for posting!

aerodyne

[IdoMillet]

Hi Phil,

This is indeed very good news.

Moving in the same direction, could the directors consider forming a
discounted SSA membership for tow pilots who are not interested in
getting Soaring magazine and who don't fly gliders?

Thanks for the news and the good work!
- Ido

[CindyB]

On Mar 1, 4:43 am, IdoMillet <i...@MilletSoftware.com> wrote:
> Hi Phil,
>
> This is indeed very good news.
>

Ido:

SSA has many categories of member affiliation, Student, Family,
Introductory, to attempt to include as many persons as possible. We
attempt to run a very lean, effective service organization and serve
many diverse interests within the sport.

The governmental liaison efforts put forth by SSA do benefit members,
but they also benefit all other soaring pilots across the nation.
These efforts include the exclusion of gliders from many airspace
transponder requirements (1988), the exclusion from 12-inch N-numbers,
the elimination of assembly/disassembly maintenance logging(~1993),
the exclusion from drug testing legislation for CFIs and Commercial
pilots (~1996), the external airframe data plate exemption (1990 to
permanent change in 2008), the exclusion from student background
checking and TSA recordkeeping (~2003), the interpretation AC on
parallel operations in 2010, and the newest – an interpretation on
Private pilot towing in 2011, to name some of the major national
successes by SSA.

The efforts expended on behalf of local organizations, with regional
ATC facilities, local airport managers, regional airspace updates,
negotiations for temporary events, intercessions with local mechanical
staff, are too numerous to mention.

These efforts could not be sustained without a core of membership to
help support the communications efforts and governmental inputs that
benefit soaring. As it is, SSA is operating without a compensated
lobbyist or governmental watchdog, without a webmaster, and with one
fewer staff person this year than last.
SSA has not made a dues increase to members for over six years. How
long can we expect that to continue? (Individually, I have been asking
SSA’s Board to consider an increase for two years now.)

We understand the contribution tow pilots make to the act of soaring.
But we hope that the local operations which require tow pilots to be
SSA members can continue to foot that small line item, and assist the
SSA in continuing to act on behalf of soaring pilots nationwide.

If you are sick and tired of hearing about the US government taxing
someone (you?) to pay someone else some benefits, please apply that
concept to your SSA renewal, and support the aviation recreation that
we all love. If all soaring pilots were SSA members, we could do a
lot more in the governmental and member service arena.

Cindy Brickner
Region 12 Director, Vice Chair 2011

[HoUdino]

Another FAA legal breakthrough for soaring. Fantastic work!

This is turning into a great year for soaring's legal foundation.

LT

PS- How about a FAA runway definition below A-1 for glider/towplane
runways?

[Alan]

In article <c3556919-3a2e-47e9...@w7g2000pre.googlegroups.com> Phil Umphres <pump...@yahoo.com> writes:
>SSA ANNOUNCES AN IMPORTANT CHANGE IN TOWING RULES: PRIVATE TOW PILOTS
>MAY TOW GLIDERS FOR COMPENSATION OR HIRE UNDER SSA'S GROUP LIABILITY
>INSURANCE POLICY
>
>One of the challenges facing many soaring clubs and commercial
>operators in recent years has been the difficulty in finding qualified
>tow pilots. SSA is pleased to report that recent SSA actions have
>greatly eased this problem. SSA recently obtained (in November 2010)
>a legal opinion from the FAA office of Chief Counsel stating that

>pilots who carry only a Private, Single Engine Land (SEL), pilot=92s

>certificate may tow gliders or ultralights for compensation or hire.

Contrary to all the discussion in this group last year, this was quite
clear in the regulations and writings of the FAA. Having it explicitly
restated is extra good.

>On the basis of this FAA legal opinion, SSA has now obtained a
>modification of its SSA group liability insurance program to provide
>insurance coverage for glider tows, for compensation or hire, by tow
>pilots with only a Private pilot certificate where the soaring
>operation and the tow pilot meet certain qualifications.

This is amazingly good. Many times the limitation on aircraft activities
is the insurance companies, not the FAA. Here you have worked around the
difficult problem.

Good news.

Alan