July 17, 2014
Dear RAA Members, Allies and Friends:

We are pleased to formally announce the launch of Take Flight Tomorrow, the online campaign headquarters for a coalition of aviation stakeholders including communities, student pilots, universities, regional airlines and others vital to this effort. Our goal is to alleviate unintended regulatory barriers for new pilots so we can safely meet the future needs of our aviation system.  
The Take Flight Tomorrow website is a rich source of materials and tools to aid in educating national, state, and local leaders about the growing pilot shortage, its impacts on communities, students, and the aviation system.  

You can check out the site here.
 
For this campaign to truly take off, we need to get the word out.  Here's how you can help:

1.    Contact your network - Stakeholders and interested parties must work together and act swiftly to effect change in order to mitigate potentially devastating air service losses.
  • Share the link to our coalition website with your customers, suppliers and other business partners.  Please explain the site and why our campaign exists.
  • Make an announcement of the Take Flight Tomorrow website on your homepage.
  • Utilize your social network platforms to announce the creation of the site, why the campaign matters, and encourage supporters to visit. You can help spread the word by making multiple Facebook posts this week and tweeting about the campaign at multiple points during the day to reach different audiences.
  • Tweet your pilot supply story using the hashtag #takeflight, and follow @RAATweets on Twitter.  
2.    Share stories from your part of the industry. Include your story on your homepage and share on social media using the hashtag #takeflight.
 
3.    Enlist your employees - Talk to your employees about this issue, and encourage them to share a link to the coalition website with their network via email, social networks, and at the workplace.
 
4.    Rally Congress - Stand up for future pilots by urging FAA to use its Congressionally-given flexibility to expand credit for experience gained in high-quality, structured training programs. The Take Flight Tomorrow website provides an easy mechanism to engage with lawmakers about the looming pilot shortage and unintended barriers to entry caused by the new regulations.

Our "Act Now" page contains the latest industry messaging and talking points to help you reach out to lawmakers and effect change:

*    Call your Representative. Access coalition messaging to tell lawmakers how the 1,500 hour rule is discouraging students from pursuing careers in aviation and creating a pilot shortage that jeopardizes millions of dollars in economic activity.

*    Send a letter to your elected officials. Write your Representatives and urge them to direct the FAA to grant credit-hour equivalencies for high-quality structured training programs - view a sample letter here.

*    Share your activism on social media. After submitting your letter to Congress, follow the website prompts to share on Facebook and Twitter.

In order for our campaign to gain momentum, we must, as a community, continue to grow and deliver our message over an extended period of time. Your continued engagement is paramount to our success, and we will provide you with regular updates via email, social media and conference calls to help facilitate your outreach.

Together, we can help tomorrow's pilots take flight tomorrow.
 
Thank you for your support.
Roger Signature
Roger Cohen
President
RAA