Membership Services
Medical advice from someone who really cares
When you call AOPA to get help with medical certification issues, you may very well talk to Jo Ann Wilson. She’s been part of AOPA’s medical certification team for 14 years, and before that she was a nursing assistant and emergency room technician. But what makes her special is the distance she’ll travel to help you.
“I want the members to know that I truly care about their certification problems and that I will do everything I can to obtain their certificates for them, whether it takes an hour or months,” Jo Ann says. “It is very hard for me to tell them that I just can’t help them, so I will pull every string I have. I’ve worked hard establishing contacts at the FAA, and it has paid off not only in my ability to assist our members, but also in many long lasting friendships.”
Over the years Jo Ann has handled a number of unusual cases, but one that was particularly satisfying involved getting an AOPA member home for a family member’s funeral. “The member did not have a current medical, and he called very late on a Friday afternoon,” Jo Ann remembers. “Through my contacts at the FAA, I was able to have his application reviewed and a temporary medical faxed to him, even though it was after business hours.”
Members who have worked with Jo Ann often seek her help year after year, and one member even asked AOPA President Phil Boyer to personally fly Jo Ann to an aviation event in Florida so he could meet her.
“I love my job because I love helping people,” Jo Ann says. “I love talking to our members and helping to keep their dream of flying alive. Even when I have to tell them their flying days are over, I enjoy just letting them talk and tell me about all their flying experiences. It helps soften the blow, and if that is the last service AOPA can provide to them, I want to do it.”
April 30, 2008
