International Seawind Pilots Association

Captain Rod Teel: 2000-2002

I am Rod Teel, the new administrator/editor/webmaster of your organization. I know that many of you haven't met me yet, but I do hope we won't be strangers for too long. I'll do my best to provide you with a community in which we can support each other in our quest to build and enjoy a beautiful airplane, the Seawind.

I would like to commend Mike and Jody Bowes for the excellent job they have done over the last two years for us all. I know the amount of effort it takes to produce a newsletter like this. Mike's writing was always informative and entertaining. Thanks Mike and Jody. You two are great.

Mike has agreed to continue to contribute articles and Tech Tips for us. There's an interesting article by Mike in this issue about state tax liability. Pay attention everyone! Folks, this is your organization. I would like to ask each of you to send me (or post on the web site) construction tips, news, photos, travelogues, information on interesting places you have visited with your airplanes, good restaurants/hotels you have found there, gas prices, anything you can think of that would be of interest/benefit to the other ISPA members. I depend on your input even more than Mike did as I am much farther removed from day to day contact with the Seawind community. The best way to reach me is via email. Photos (if you can't send them on the internet) and regular letters should be sent to our post office box. The addresses, both regular and email, are on the last page of the newsletter.

In the past, this newsletter has been the means of connection between our members. I would like, over the next year, to phase out the printed newsletter and concentrate on the web site, www.seawindpilots.com, and email instead, or at least go to a quarterly newsletter and the web site. A ton of work went into developing our site for you and it has many advantages over a traditional newsletter, a few of which are: The time it takes to get news to you is far less-instantaneous instead of two months on the normal newsletter publication cycle.

You can share as much information as you'd like in our online discussion group, "The Hangar" without any input from me. You'll save on membership dues in the future because mailing costs will almost disappear.

Those articles and pictures of interest to you will be always available for download and you won't have to keep a whole paper newsletter just for the one tip you'd like to keep.

The articles in the newsletter will have already been published on the website. I don't want to hold information from you just to have filler for the newsletter. It saves trees. It's the right thing to do.

I know it's going to be a break from tradition, but we must move on. I'd appreciate feedback from the membership on this. In the meantime, if you'd like to receive the newsletter in this format via email just let me know. It'll save a bunch on printing and postage.

I wish you all the best. It'll be fun communicating with you throughout the year, and after. I hope to have the pleasure of meeting you in the near future.

Captain Rod Teel