Two of the nation’s largest aviation associations, AOPA and EAA, will be collaborating on issues and programs that protect, support and grow general aviation, as the result of a June 3 working session at the EAA Aviation Center in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the two groups announced on June 4.
EAA’s chairman and president, Tom Poberezny, and AOPA President Craig Fuller, along with senior staff from each organization, met to discuss how they can work more closely to support GA. They agreed to a collaborative, three-pronged commitment to protect GA interests, promote GA safety, and grow the GA community in the United States.
“This is a logical collaboration that makes sense for the greater good of general aviation,” Fuller said. “Each of our associations has been an effective advocate for GA. But now I look forward to EAA and AOPA working more closely together at all levels to protect and grow general aviation, and to keep it safe.”
AOPA and EAA leaders identified a significant number of near-term opportunities for collaboration, which will be evaluated over the next few weeks. In addition, the organizations agreed to hold a joint GA roundtable early in 2010, to include a broad spectrum of the GA community.
“What evolved during the meeting was the mutual respect for the strengths of each organization, which will be used in ways that are mutually beneficial, and address aviation growth and preservation,” Poberezny said. “The majority of our nation’s pilots belong to one or both of these organizations, so our members expect us to utilize these strengths in a way that addresses the long-term vitality of general aviation.”
Additional information regarding future collaborative efforts will be announced in coming weeks as details are finalized, the groups’ joint news release said.
