Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association President Mark Baker will speak March 11 to the Wichita Aero Club. Baker is a longtime general aviation pilot and only the fifth president in the 75-year history of AOPA. Prior to his appointment at AOPA, the Minnesota native served in numerous senior executive roles, including chief operating officer at […]
AOPA
AOPA promises strong opposition to user fee proposal
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association said Tuesday it would continue to reject aviation user fees after the White House released its 2015 budget proposal, which calls for a $100-per-flight “surcharge” to pay for air traffic control services. The presidential spending plan is the fourth in a row to contain a similar user fee proposal, […]
AOPA AV8RS program awards scholarships
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s (AOPA) AV8RS youth membership program has awarded four scholarships totaling $20,000 to teens who are pursuing flight training in high school and college. The winners are Alexander Brown, 15, of Boyds, Md., Abigail Jarve, 17, of Seatac, Wash., Carl Eefsting, 17, of Allendale, Mich., and Matthew Groh, 18, of […]
AOPA gets back to basics
With the new year came a big new announcement from our friends in Frederick, Maryland. Six new fly-in events will grace the calendar starting in 2014, spreading from the east coast to the west coast, with important bases of operation in the middle of the country, too. Yes, this is big news. It signifies and […]
AOPA unveils dates, locations for regional fly-ins
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has revealed the dates and locations of its first-ever regional fly-ins to be held nationwide throughout 2014. The association will host six fly-ins as well as an “AOPA Homecoming” in Frederick, Md., giving AOPA members throughout the United States a chance to interact and share ideas with AOPA […]
A battle GA must win
An in-depth story on AOPA.org about the embattled Santa Monica Airport in Southern California notes that its fate could have implications for airports across the country. The subject of a lawsuit by the city to close the airport, SMO “should be the cause célèbre of aviation interests to draw the proverbial line in the sand,” Richard Asper, […]
AOPA names Coon to lead government affairs division
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has named Jim Coon as senior vice president of Government Affairs and Advocacy. Coon, who has years of experience working with Congress and the aviation industry, will oversee both the regulatory and legislative aspects of AOPA’s advocacy operations. Coon has spent much of his career working as a […]
AOPA calls lawsuit to close Santa Monica Airport meritless
Officials at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) say a federal lawsuit filed Oct. 31 by the City of Santa Monica against the FAA lacks “any merit in law.” In its lawsuit, the Santa Monica City Council asks the court to give the city clear title to the site of the Santa Monica Municipal […]
Long-time AOPA executive dies
Harmon Pritchard, a long-time executive at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, died Monday, Oct. 14, at his retirement home in Winchester, Virginia. He was 84. Pritchard joined the staff of AOPA in 1966 as an assistant to the vice president of marketing and devoted the next 35 years to the association and the pilots […]