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AirShares Elite accepts AOPA Project Pilot challenge
 AOPA last month formally challenged the nation's pilots to inspire others to learn to fly through the enhanced Project Pilot program, and now a private company is taking up the challenge. AirShares Elite Inc. is a popular general aviation fractional ownership program. "When I learned that the pilot population had declined by 25 percent over the past 25 years, I knew that we had to inspire more people to move from being wannabe pilots to gottabe pilots," said AirShares Elite CEO David Lee. AirShares Elite has announced its support of AOPA's Project Pilot by committing $100,000 in aircraft flight time for its group of aircraft owners. It hopes that after a pilot candidate flies in one of its fleet's technically advanced Cirrus SR22s, they too will be moved by the excitement, safety, and benefits that only GA can add to both personal and business lifestyles. "Using the great tools available through Project Pilot, we want to enable all of our owners to each convert at least one new prospect into a successful student pilot as well as challenge other aviation companies to step forward and support such a worthwhile cause," Lee said.
Photo: Erik Lindbergh and David Lee.
User fee reality — Boyer tells Oshkosh crowd 'be very concerned'
 $30 for a flight service station "consultation," plus an additional $5.31 for each forecast product used. That's GA reality in the United Kingdom. $1.50 per minute for an FSS briefing in Germany. $1,000 for a private pilot knowledge test in the Netherlands. In Austria, $31 to fly an ILS approach, and $70 to land after the approach. "In my situation, it's actually cheaper to fly the whole family by airline to the United States, rent an aircraft for about 30 hours, and have a nice 2 week vacation (including hotel and rental car costs) than flying same amount of hours in Europe," wrote an Austrian pilot to AOPA President Boyer. In New Zealand, the wife of a pilot tells of how her husband complained about the expense of getting a briefing and filing a flight plan. He was killed in a weather-related accident. He'd skipped the briefing and hadn't filed. "That's the reality of user fees and their impact on general aviation around the world," Boyer told an Oshkosh audience Tuesday. "That's what it could mean to all of you if we allow the user fee camel to stick its nose under the tent here in the United States." More
Photo: AOPA President Boyer explains the dangers of user fees to an Oshkosh audience.
 Watch a one-hour video of the user fee discussion.  AOPA SurPRIZE Squad — the big stuff
AOPA members flocked to the Big Yellow Tent all week at Oshkosh 2006. Ten thousand members entered our daily drawing for a variety of AOPA prizes. One lucky winner was drawn for a Garmin 496 GPS handheld — just released with AOPA's Airport Directory. The winners will receive their prizes in the mail this week. And the winners are: Monday, July 24 — AOPA Umbrella
Dave Hedgecock (AOPA 570284) of Elkhorn, Wis.
Carrol Barron (AOPA 611279) of Fremont, Ohio More AOPA Sweeps Cherokee Six flight simulator coming soon
  Visitors to the AOPA Big Yellow Tent at Oshkosh are enjoying a peek at the AOPA Sweepstakes Cherokee Six software, being developed by Flight1 Software for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Members will be able to download the software for free later this year. "It's fun," said Jim Lockwood of Tustin, California, after taking the virtual aircraft around the pattern. "I don't like the way you fly my airplane," chided his friend, Pete Vaughn of Wildomar, California. Tustin, who owns a Cessna Cardinal, had a Piper Cherokee 180 about 16 years ago. "That was a nice airplane," he said. If you can't wait for the Cherokee Six, you can still download the AOPA Commander Countdown Commander 114A that Flight1 created for last year's sweepstakes. Admiring fans, including a former owner, check out the Six
 Another day, another round of colorful, enthusiastic visitors visiting AOPA's 2006 Sweepstakes airplane — a 1967 Piper Cherokee Six-260 that's in the middle of its full-blown restoration. David Marotta, of Tewksbury, Massachusetts, and his friend Steve Beske of Haverhill, Massachusetts, were among the most recent groups of the curious. Marotta owns a Cessna 172 but has "lots of time" in a Cherokee Six and wants to lay his hands on the Win a Six in '06 airplane. More SurPRIZE Squad winners
AOPA's SurPRIZE Squad was on the prowl today, randomly awarding prizes to attendees displaying AOPA Project Pilot stickers. Today's lucky winners were Mark Vincent of Concord, N.H., who won an AOPA travel mug; Mark Lobstein of Gainesville, Ga., who won the AOPA cooler; Todd and Mary Pierce, who won AOPA beach towels; Torban Anderson of Denmark, who won Microsoft Flight Simulator and an add-on program from Flight1; and Marty Hauler of Dayton, Ohio, who won an AOPA travel mug. Members can win great prizes every day by stopping by AOPA's Big Yellow Tent for a Project Pilot sticker. While there, talk to staff, check out our great resources, renew your membership, and don't forget to fill out a drawing slip for a Garmin 496 handheld, which features AOPA's Airport Directory.
Mark Vincent | 
Mark Lobstein | 
Todd and Mary Pierce | 
Torban Anderson |  Look for the Big Yellow Tent
Heading for Oshkosh this week? Don't miss AOPA's Big Yellow Tent and the Win a Six in '06 Sweepstakes airplane. There's plenty of reason to make a beeline to the AOPA tent on your left after you come through the main gate. We will be giving away a just-released Garmin 496 GPS receiver among other great daily prizes. Be sure and sign up for the drawing at the tent and pick up a Project Pilot sticker. The AOPA SurPrize Squad might surprise you as they patrol the grounds.
Air Safety Foundation 'Emergency Procedures' debuts at Oshkosh
Emergencies can happen to any pilot, regardless of experience or level of preparedness. The AOPA Air Safety Foundation's latest safety seminar, "Emergency Procedures," is for pilots who want to know what to do if the unthinkable happens to them. The seminar will debut July 28, at 11:30 a.m. Back to AirVenture Main Page |
