Aircraft Owners & Pilots Asso

PROTECT YOUR FREEDOM TO FLY BY: ADVOCATING, EDUCATING, SUPPORTING ACTIVITIES THAT ENSURE GA FLIGHT AND SECURING SUFFICIENT RESOURCES TO ENSURE OUR SUCCESS.

SEE SCHEDULE OSINCE 1939, THE AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION (AOPA) HAS WORKED TO PROTECT THE FREEDOM TO FLY FOR GENERAL AVIATION (GA) PILOTS IN THE UNITED STATES. MORE THAN 300,000 MEMBERS RELY ON AOPA, AS THE WORLD'S LARGEST AVIATION MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATION, TO ADVOCATE FOR GA INTERESTS AND KEEP FLYING SAFE, FUN, AND AFFORDABLE. AOPA WORKS WITH MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND AT ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT TO ENHANCE SAFETY, PROVIDE TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR PILOTS, AND ENSURE THEY GET THE MOST OUT OF THEIR FLYING. BEYOND JUST THE PILOT COMMUNITY, AOPA WORKS TO EDUCATE DECISION MAKERS AND THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE BENEFITS AND VALUE OF GENERAL AVIATION FLYING. ONE OF THE ASSOCIATION'S MAIN PRIORITIES IS TO ENSURE GA REMAINS A VIABLE FORM OF TRANSPORTATION AND RECREATION FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. AOPA PROVIDES ITS MEMBERS WITH AN EXTENSIVE PORTFOLIO OF BENEFITS THAT CAN BE GROUPED INTO FIVE AREAS: ADVOCACY, EDUCATION, EVENTS, PRODUCTS AND SERVICES, AND THE AIR SAFETY INSTITUTE. 1. ADVOCACYAOPA'S ADVOCACY EFFORTS ENCOMPASS A BROAD RANGE OF GENERAL AVIATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL ARENAS.THESE ACTIVITIES INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT OF HIGH SCHOOL STEM AVIATION CURRICULUM, PROMOTING AND PROTECTING OUR NATION'S GENERAL AVIATION AIRPORT ECOSYSTEM, IMPROVING THE CROSS BORDER TRAVEL EXPERIENCE, CREATING A MORE COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT AT OUR NATION'S PUBLIC USE AIRPORTS BY WORKING TOWARD IMPLEMENTATION OF FBO PRICING AND FEE TRANSPARENCY AND TRANSIENT PARKING AND WORKING TOWARD AN UNLEADED AVGAS SOLUTION FOR THE ENTIRE GENERAL AVIATION FLEET OF NEARLY 200,000 AIRCRAFT.AOPA'S ADVOCACY TEAM ALSO INCLUDES SEVEN REGIONAL MANAGERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND MORE THAN 2,000 ACTIVE AIRPORT SUPPORT NETWORK VOLUNTEERS WHO HELP KEEP AOPA INFORMED ABOUT GENERAL AVIATION ISSUES IMPORTANT TO PILOTS AND AIRCRAFT OWNERS. AOPA PROMOTES, PROTECTS, AND PARTNERS WITH COMMUNITY AIRPORTS ADVOCATING TO MAINTAIN APPROPRIATE FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL FUNDING. AOPA ALSO WORKS ON BEHALF OF GENERAL AVIATION PILOTS TO ENSURE A SAFE AVIATION SYSTEM, THWART UNNECESSARY AND COSTLY REGULATIONS, PREVENT EXCESS TAXATION ON FLYING, AND PROTECT OUR NATION'S FREEDOM TO FLY.AOPA'S ADVOCACY WORK HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED BY LEADING ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDING THE WASHINGTON, DC BASED NEWSPAPER, THE HILL, AS A TOP ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION.2. EDUCATIONEDUCATING AOPA MEMBERS, AND THE GENERAL AVIATION COMMUNITY, ABOUT AOPA'S WORK TO PROTECT THEIR FREEDOM TO FLY IS CENTRAL TO AOPA'S MISSION. PILOTS, AIRCRAFT OWNERS, AND AVIATION ENTHUSIASTS HAVE COME TO COUNT ON AOPA AS THE CALLED UPON SOURCE OF INFORMATION THAT IS VITAL TO THEIR FLYING INTERESTS. AOPA CONTINUES TO PROVIDE A VARIETY OF RESOURCES AND CONTENT THAT KEEP MEMBERS EDUCATED AND ENGAGED ABOUT ISSUES AND DEVELOPMENTS IN GENERAL AVIATION.AMONG THESE ARE: TWO REGULARLY PUBLISHED MAGAZINES, DAILY ONLINE CONTENT, MORE THAN A DOZEN DIGITAL NEWSLETTERS, TWO WEEKLY VIDEO NEWS PROGRAMS (ONE ON YOUTUBE AND ONE ON INSTAGRAM), EIGHT PODCASTS, PILOT INFORMATION CENTER ONLINE CHAT, MULTIPLE WEB SITES AIMED AT SPECIFIC INTERESTS, AND EVENTS ALL WITH THE GOAL OF EDUCATING AND INFORMING AOPA MEMBERS, THE LARGER AVIATION COMMUNITY, AND THE PUBLIC.AOPA ALSO ENSURES THAT ITS WIDE BREADTH OF CONTENT AND RESOURCES IS AVAILABLE TO THE AVIATION COMMUNITY IN THE MYRIAD WAYS THEY CONSUME TODAY'S NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT. THIS INCLUDES ROUND-THE-CLOCK ACCESS TO NEWS, INFORMATION, WEATHER AND AIRPORT INFORMATION, AIRCRAFT GUIDES, AIRCRAFT OWNERSHIP RESOURCES, AND MUCH MORE.AOPA'S WIDE RANGE OF CONTENT CATERS TO BOTH VETERAN AVIATORS AND THOSE NEW TO THE FLIGHT DECK. AOPA MEDIA OFFERS DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROCESS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR LEARNING TO FLY, AID IN FINDING A FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND AVIATION MEDICAL EXAMINER, AN IN DEPTH GUIDE TO CHOOSING A TRAINING AIRCRAFT, AND INFORMATION ABOUT AVIATION CAREERS. AOPA'S ANNUAL YOU CAN FLY PUBLICATION IS ALSO SHARED WITH FLIGHT SCHOOLS AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL FOR STUDENT PILOTS.PILOTS WITH MORE EXPERIENCE CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF INFORMATION ABOUT EARNING ADVANCED RATINGS AND CERTIFICATES, AS WELL AS TRANSITIONING TO HIGH PERFORMANCE AIRCRAFT, TURBOPROPS, AND JETS.OVER THE PAST YEAR, AOPA PROVIDED VALUABLE INFORMATION TO PILOTS AND AIRCRAFT OWNERS ABOUT THE COMING SWITCH FROM LEADED AVIATION FUEL TO UNLEADED AVIATION FUEL-DETAILING A SAFE AND SMART TRANSITION PLAN THAT WILL BE COMPLETE BY 2030. AOPA ALSO REPORTED ON THE PROGRESS OF ELECTRIC AND HYBRID AIRCRAFT PROPULSION, AND OTHER TECHNOLOGIES, THAT WILL LIKELY REVOLUTIONIZE GENERAL AVIATION IN THE FUTURE.3. EVENTSAOPA WANTED TO START HOSTING EVENTS AGAIN AFTER A ROUGH TWO YEARS OF THE PANDEMIC. AOPA DECIDED TO GET OUR FEET WET WITH TWO SMALLER FLY IN LIKE EVENTS CALLED "HANGOUTS". THESE SMALL GATHERINGS HOSTED BETWEEN 800-1,500 ATTENDEES IN SPOKANE, WASHINGTON AND TAMPA, FLORIDA. THESE SUCCESSFUL TWO-DAY EVENTS HOSTED EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS, A FULL EXHIBIT HALL AND STATIC DISPLAY AS WELL AS CASUAL EVENING ENTERTAINMENT. AOPA ALSO FINISHED THE YEAR WITH A SUCCESSFUL FOUNDATION EVENT, HIGH SCHOOL SYMPOSIUM EVENT, HOOVER TROPHY AWARDS EVENT AND AVIATOR SHOWCASE EVENT. AOPA ALSO CAME BACK IN FORCE AT OTHER EVENTS SUCH AS SUN 'N FUN AND EAA AIRVENTURE WITH A STRONG PRESENCE AND GOOD TRAFFIC THROUGH OUR CAMPUS.4. PRODUCTS AND SERVICES AOPA MEMBERS HAVE ACCESS TO A WIDE RANGE OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FROM THE ASSOCIATION'S AFFILIATES AND PARTNERS. WITH A TEAM OF DEDICATED SERVICE SPECIALISTS, AOPA HAS THE RESOURCES TO ANSWER VIRTUALLY ANY AVIATION-RELATED QUESTION MEMBERS MAY HAVE.WHEN A MEMBER HAS AN AVIATION-RELATED QUESTION, THEY CAN CALL THE AOPA PILOT INFORMATION CENTER TO GET FAST AND ACCURATE ANSWERS. WITH A TEAM OF FLIGHT INSTRUCTORS, AIRLINE TRANSPORT-RATED PILOTS, AVIATION MECHANICS, DIGITAL PRODUCT SPECIALISTS, AVIATION MEDICAL SPECIALISTS, AND OTHER AVIATION EXPERTS ON CALL, THE PILOT INFORMATION CENTER TAKES PRIDE IN ASSISTING AOPA MEMBERS WITH ANY AVIATION QUERY. 5. AIR SAFETY INSTITUTEFOR MORE THAN 70 YEARS, THE AOPA AIR SAFETY INSTITUTE (ASI) HAS BEEN LEADING THE GENERAL AVIATION INDUSTRY IN CREATING AND SHAPING NEW SAFETY INITIATIVES THROUGH ENGAGING EDUCATION, INDUSTRY COLLABORATION, RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS, AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH.OVERALL, GENERAL AVIATION IS GROWING ACROSS MOST SEGMENTS AND HAS BOUNCED BACK STRONGER THAN PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS. ACTIVITY GREW TO AN ESTIMATED 26.2 MILLION FLIGHT HOURS ACROSS GENERAL AVIATION IN 2022. ASI PROVIDES SAFETY EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS, OUTREACH TO THE GA COMMUNITY, AND COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS WITH GOVERNMENT, INDUSTRY, AND ACADEMIA. APART FROM ITS FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR RENEWAL PROGRAMS, ASI'S SERVICES AND PRODUCTS, SAFETY VIDEOS, PODCASTS, QUIZZES, SEMINARS, WEBINARS, PUBLICATIONS, AND RESEARCH ARE FREE TO ANYONE. WITH NEARLY 10 MILLION IN TOTAL REACH AND PARTICIPATION IN 2022, ASI CONTINUES TO EXPAND ITS SAFETY MESSAGE AND INFLUENCE ON GENERAL AVIATION SAFETY WITH FIVE GUIDING PRINCIPLES: KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING, PROFICIENCY, EQUIPMENT, AND CULTURE.IN 2022, ASI RELEASED THE 32ND JOSEPH T. NALL REPORT, THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE AND WIDELY USED ANALYSIS OF GA ACCIDENTS IN THE INDUSTRY. THE REPORT FEATURES NEAR REAL-TIME DATA TO HELP INFORM AND DRIVE NEW AND MODIFIED SAFETY INITIATIVES. IN 2022, ASI RENEWED MORE THAN 6,300 FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATES THROUGH THE EFIRC PROGRAM.IN RESPONSE TO THE GA COMMUNITY'S INSATIABLE APPETITE FOR MORE PODCAST AND VIDEO CONTENT, ASI CONTINUED TO RELEASE MONTHLY "THERE I WAS..." PODCAST EPISODES AND CREATED A NEW FIVE-PART COMPANION COPILOT VIDEO SERIES THAT FOCUSES ON THE ENJOYABLE, POSITIVE ASPECTS OF BEING AN ACTIVE, INFORMED, AND EDUCATED FRONT-SEAT, NON-PILOT PASSENGER. ASI LAUNCHED A NEW SAFETY CAMPAIGN IN 2022 CALLED VFR INTO IMC: AVOIDANCE AND ESCAPE TO HELP RAISE AWARENESS OF AND REDUCE GA'S WORST WEATHER-RELATED ACCIDENT CAUSE. THE CAMPAIGN, WHICH RAN FROM MARCH TO NOVEMBER, INCLUDED A VARIETY OF VIDEOS, ARTICLES, PUBLICATIONS, WEBINARS, SEMINARS, AND PODCASTS. IN RESPONSE TO THE RAPIDLY GROWING INTEREST IN BACKCOUNTRY FLYING, ASI CREATED A NEW BACKCOUNTRY RESOURCE CENTER WEB PAGE SPONSORED BY AVIAT HUSKY. THE RESOURCE CENTER OFFERS BACKCOUNTRY ENTHUSIASTS AN ARRAY OF SAFETY MATERIAL, VIDEOS, AND GUIDANCE ON SAFE BACKCOUNTRY FLYING AND STEWARDSHIP. ASI RECEIVED SIX EXCEL AWARDS FOR ITS EFIRC, SAFETY SPOTLIGHTS, EARLY ANALYSIS VIDEOS, ACCIDENT CASE STUDY: INTO THIN AIR VIDEO, "AVOIDING..." AIRCRAFT DAMAGE VIDEO SERIES SPONSORED BY USAIG AND APA, AND ITS CFI TO CFI NEWSLETTER. THE EXCEL AWARDS ARE THE LARGEST AND MOST PRESTIGIOUS PROGRAM RECOGNIZING EXCELLENCE AND LEADERSHIP IN ASSOCIATION MEDIA, PUBLISHING, MARKETING, AND COMMUNICATION. ASI ALSO RECEIVED THE SILVER CREATOR AWARD FROM YOUTUBE FOR REACHING 100,000 SUBSCRIBERS.