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Questions about FAA funding dominate Boyer's public appearances
Paul Poberezny and Phil Boyer | During a morning radio interview at Sun 'n Fun, AOPA President Phil Boyer pointed out that the Bush administration's FAA funding bill would take authority for FAA budgets and spending decisions away from Congress and put it in the hands of a board dominated by the airlines, "which haven't proven they can run their own businesses too well in the last few years."
Most of the questions from pilots during the informal "Meet your President" session outside the AOPA's Big Yellow Tent also centered on the proposed 50-cent-per-gallon increase in avgas taxes and the threat of user fees trickling down to general aviation.
Responding to one pilot's question, Boyer expanded on the issue of control. "It's not about money. The FAA has plenty of money to spend on modernization," Boyer said. "This whole idea of user fees, a lot of it is about control."
Boyer said that nobody likes having a boss, "but as my Dad said, 'Phil, you're always going to have a boss.'" He said that the FAA would like to get rid of its boss "and who's their boss? Congress." More
Fight against user fees, taxes increases is going well
But 'we can't let our guard down'
 The fight against user fees and unreasonable tax increases on general aviation is going well so far, AOPA President Phil Boyer told some 400 pilots at an AOPA Pilot Town Meeting at Sun 'n Fun April 19.
"We're in a 10-round fight," said Boyer, "and we've just finished the fourth round. We don't have much blood on us yet. But like any fight, there could be a knockout punch. The airlines have a vast war chest of money, so we can't let our guard down."
And yet another influential member of Congress has come out against the FAA funding bill, a proposal dreamed up by the Bush administration and the airlines.
"You all have a big issue of user fees, trying to shift the burden of our airways over to you, general aviation pilots. That should not be," Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) told the gathering in Lakeland, Florida, via a video message. "I think we will be able to send that particular proposal into File 13." More
AOPA Day closes on high note
It was a playground of sorts for more than 2,500 aviation enthusiasts. With AOPA's Catch-A-Cardinal open for inspection, flight simulators ready for test pilots, and AOPA's giant petition against user fees and aviation fuel tax increases open for signatures, pilots had plenty to take in on AOPA Day at Sun 'n Fun.
And even though pilots and AOPA staff discussed tough issues, like the FAA funding debate, medical concerns, and aircraft insurance, the atmosphere at AOPA's Big Yellow Tent reflected why we all fly — for the joy of it.
And two longtime AOPA members demonstrated that joy best as they sat in the shade of the yellow tent Friday afternoon watching fighter jets make low passes. Donald Scott of Marietta, Georgia, and William "Bill" Howard of Concord, North Carolina, reminisced about serving in World War II and talked about the aircraft they own.
Scott owns a 1946 Aeronca Champ, an aircraft that he purchased more the two decades ago to learn how to fly. So far, he's built up more than 470 hours in it. Howard, who was a B-24 pilot in WWII, owns a Beechcraft Musketeer.
Given the chance, they brag about how AOPA combats the negative stereotype of general aviation in the media and fights ill-conceived FAA proposals. And while Howard takes pride in the fact that he just received his 10-year AOPA membership pin, Scott has to dig around in his wallet to find out how long he's been a member. It's there — 1978, the year he joined — with his AOPA member number, both written in green ink on a worn piece of paper.
Fuel alert: Check prices in AOPA's Airport Directory Online
 AOPA has teamed up with 100LL.com to provide fuel prices as part of a new feature in AOPA's Airport Directory Online.
"With increasing fuel prices nationwide, it's important for pilots to have the latest information available so they can plan fuel stops accordingly," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "We are pleased to be working with 100LL.com, a resource known among the aviation community for providing reliable, up-to-date fuel prices."
Speaking at his annual Pilot Town Meeting at Sun 'n Fun, Boyer told attendees that AOPA will receive fuel data daily from 100LL.com. The information will be posted in the Airport Directory, which all members can access free of charge. After you type in an airport identifier, click on the "FBO/Facility/Fuel Information" link and scroll down to find the FBO.
"Pilots can save hundreds of dollars each year by using this service," said Jay Humbard, CEO of Control Vision, the parent company of 100LL.com. "We have worked very hard to create a site that gives pilots reliable and current fuel price information, and our efforts have paid off."
'AOPA family' wins handheld Garmin GPS unit
 Jeff Blossom, his wife Dee, and son Mark were lounging in a field on April 20 — AOPA Day at Sun 'n Fun — watching aerobatic performers turn loops, hammerheads, and rolls into artwork in the sky when AOPA's surPRIZE Squad snuck up on them.
Even as Blossom talked about the GPS that he uses in his Saratoga, he had no idea he had won a Garmin 496 handheld GPS unit. But once the Sebastian, Florida, resident learned that he won, he exclaimed, "Did I really?" and looked to his wife for confirmation.
Blossom, an AOPA member who has been flying for four years, had his family decked out with AOPA Day stickers. "My AOPA wife, my AOPA son — an AOPA family," Blossom said.
And the whole family is hooked on flying. His son or the family's golden retriever usually rides in the copilot seat, while his wife prefers the back. The next time they go up, they'll have another AOPA addition to the family — the Garmin 496 handheld unit.
AOPA surprises Project Pilot Mentor, Student
Winning a free pilot watch and $250 for flight training — not bad for a day at an airshow. Andrew Allocco and Sergio Sanchez were two lucky winners.
Allocco, an AOPA Project Pilot Mentor, was excited about his watch, but even more so that his Project Pilot student, Sanchez, got some financial help for flight training.
Sanchez had expressed an interest in aviation, so Allocco took him for a few flights. "After the first or second flight, he was hooked," Allocco said. The two have been flying together almost every other weekend, or as much as their wives will let them, he explained.
Both are from the Miami Beach, Florida, area and have started looking for flight schools for Sanchez to begin flight training. He already has his medical certificate and is ready to take the written knowledge test after studying the King Schools ground school material.
As a $250 winner, Sanchez is automatically entered for a chance to win $5,000 for flight training from Project Pilot. AOPA will randomly select the lucky winner at the end of AOPA Day.
Virtual Cardinal gets rave reviews at Sun 'n Fun
Training tool for future pilots
 As aircraft engines roar overhead, children's giggles and squeals of delight reverberate through AOPA's Big Yellow Tent — not because of the aircraft flybys but because of the Catch-A-Cardinal's stunts on a special beta aircraft module for Microsoft Flight Simulator.
AOPA member Pete Kaiser, of Melbourne, Florida, coaches his 4-year-old son James on how to take off. And once airborne (after clipping a couple of trees), James climbs, descends, and rolls the 1977 Cessna Cardinal 177B.
While James has is eyes fixed on the simulator, his father, who rents a Cirrus SR22, has his eye on the real thing: "I want to win the Cardinal."
Darren Nodorft, 12, who occupied the second Catch-A-Cardinal simulator much of the morning, got unsolicited tips on how to fly the aircraft. More
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