XCSoar Users:

Your participation is requested in a petition directed at the OLC to expand their Validation process to include XCSoar as a valid software package for posting flights to the OLC. This would not make XCSoar an IGC-approved logger for FAI record or badge flights, but it would enable pilots to submit IGC files from XCSoar to the OLC and receive the blue "V" OLC validation and be included in the daily scores.

Historically, the OLC has approved about a dozen PDA software packages for OLC submission, a process that requires the software vendor add an OLC-approved electronic signature to each IGC file, providing a level of security against tampering with the flight data. The OLC stopped accepting new PDA programs to their validation process in 2005 because they had limited resources and believed enough software products existed.

Our position is that many pilots use XCSoar to post their IGC files on the OLC, but the OLC does not validate the files. To correct this, we want the OLC to expand its validation process to include new PDA programs that are willing to follow the OLC's validation process.

We are asking users of XCSoar to electronically sign this petition which we will forward to the OLC. Please complete the petition by December 1, 2007 so we can send it to the OLC.

Please note that the petition requires that you explain the main reason why OLC validation is important to you personally. Some reasons you might list, but please use your own wording, are:

* The OLC is becoming increasingly popular throughout the soaring community and should be able to validate PDA-created IGC files from popular software packages

* The current version of XCSoar's User Manual has been downloaded over 5,000 times

* The current version of XCSoar has been downloaded over 2,100 times in the past 4 months

* Many pilots do not fly with loggers other than their PDA and post their ICG files to the OLC with "Negative Validation" and are not ranked in the daily score

* Many XCSoar users have requested that XCSoar add OLC validation to the software

* The OLC has validated other PDA software programs in the past

* XCSoar supports in-flight optimization of OLC scores

Thank you for your help.