AOPA Expo '99

AOPA's convention reflects a vibrant general aviation industry

Ebullient means "overflowing with enthusiasm, excitement, or vivacity; high-spirited; exuberant." And from the seminar rooms to the exhibit hall, the excitement was palpable at AOPA Expo '99, which took place in Atlantic City, New Jersey, October 21 through 23. A record attendance of 9,749 helped AOPA to celebrate its sixtieth anniversary in high style — and during the party, guests were able to visit exhibits from a record 463 vendors in the new Atlantic City Convention Center, see some 60 new or refurbished aircraft on static display, and choose from among more than 90 hours of educational seminars. Upbeat guests, enthusiastic about today's robust general aviation industry and anxious to keep pace with new technology, crowded manufacturers' product demonstrations.

Nearly 1,000 more people attended this year's Expo than during its last visit to Atlantic City in 1995. Last year's all-time record attendance in Palm Springs, California, was topped by 29 people. This year's event tallied 1,466 GA aircraft arrivals.

"What a way to end the century," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "The tremendous response to AOPA Expo is a wonderful expression of the passion that people feel for general aviation."

The convention's only sour note was Atlantic City's beleaguered Bader Field, which hosted Expo's display aircraft. But because the airport has no fuel or services — and the city built a baseball stadium and skating rink on airport land, reducing the space available for aircraft parking — fly-in visitors were encouraged to land at Atlantic City International Airport, 12 miles west, and other nearby facilities. A new fixed base operator at Bader called it quits earlier this year after only two months, citing problems with the city. In May, Atlantic City was named in a General Accounting Office report for ignoring FAA grant assurances when it constructed the baseball stadium without required FAA approval. In 1996, AOPA had to ask the FAA to intervene when city officials started bulldozing Bader's ramp.

Continuing problems at Bader and two other airports — Meigs Field in Chicago and Reid-Hillview Airport in San Jose, California — led AOPA to create the Airport Support Network, which was launched at AOPA Expo '97 in Orlando. The ASN program seeks to eventually identify a volunteer at every public-use airport in the United States who can inform AOPA of any threats to the field and help to lead a local airport support organization. According to AOPA surveys, the preservation of GA airports is a significant member concern, second only to the prevention of user fees. By the end of September, 703 ASN volunteers had been identified — well on the way to the program's 1999 goal of 1,100 volunteers.

Johnny Miller, AOPA 058843, 93, of Poughkeepsie, New York, didn't need a runway in the 1930s when he flew more than 2,000 flights in an autogyro from the roof of the Philadelphia post office, carrying mail to the city's airport. One of 14 AOPA charter members — and 60 fifty-year members — on hand to commemorate the association's sixtieth anniversary, Miller was selected to represent the 2 million pilots who have been AOPA members over the years. During Expo he was also presented with the 1999 Pioneers of Vertical Flight Award by Groen Brothers Aviation, a Utah-based gyrocopter manufacturer. Miller is currently president of the United Flying Octogenarians; according to FAA records, 100 pilots older than 90 hold current medical certificates.

A few accomplishments of some other charter members were highlighted during the convention. Billy Bailey, AOPA 001084, of Genesee, Michigan, who soloed in May 1939, was a fighter pilot instructor during World War II, and still flies a Beech F33 Bonanza and a Starduster biplane. Celebrating his eightieth birthday during Expo, Bailey noted, "The older I get, the better the flying gets!"

Wayne Carpenter, AOPA 004894, of Winter, Wisconsin, bought his first airplane — a 40-horsepower Piper J-3 Cub — right at the factory in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, in 1937. Later, he met Max Karant and helped him to recruit new members for AOPA. "I've never made a lot of money in aviation, but I've made a lot of fine friends," he said.

Marion Weyant "Babe" Ruth, AOPA 000109, of Lansing, Michigan, prizes the letter that she received from Amelia Earhart on September 1, 1933, answering her inquiry on how a girl could become a pilot. She soloed in 1936, and in 1938 placed third in the McFadden Trophy race against an otherwise all-male field. She was one of five civilian women selected during World War II to teach instrument flying to military students in Link Trainers. Enshrined in the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame, she taught hundreds of students.

Of course, not all Expo attendees could match the experience levels of these charter AOPA members. George Parisi, AOPA 1410658, of Wallkill, New York, received his pilot certificate on October 21 — the first day of Expo. The youngest pilot in attendance was 17-year-old Brian Vidis, AOPA 1380418, of Lisbon, Ohio.

Pilots of all ages were interested in learning about general aviation's future, which was the subject of Thursday morning's general session. The program offered a look at recent progress in two important areas: air traffic management (ATM) and communication, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) technologies. "Some say CNS stands for 'cool new stuff,'" said Jeffrey Hmara of the FAA's Office of Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance.

Efforts by AOPA and the industry are focused on minimizing the costs of this "cool new stuff" and maximizing the benefits to pilots and aircraft owners who choose to invest in new equipment. "We are very involved behind the scenes," AOPA's Boyer explained. "AOPA's focus is on benefits to users."

One FAA initiative that AOPA has encouraged, the provision of a free or low-cost navigation database, is moving closer to reality. James Washington, director of the FAA's Air Traffic Service, said that an initial database release is planned for late in 2000. Boyer observed that Jeppesen, which currently provides most navigation data to users, has introduced lower-cost regional databases for pilots who don't require nationwide data, as well as a new system that allows customers to download data over the Internet.

Women in aviation was the subject of two works recognized during the presentation of AOPA's 1999 Max Karant Awards for Excellence in Aviation Journalism. Dawn Bayman and Jennifer Lewis of KSPS-TV in Spokane, Washington, won TV program-length honors for "Women in the Sky: Ninety-Nines of the Northwest," and Mary Grady of the Providence Journal in Rhode Island took print honors with a feature article, "Their Dreams Took Wing." An item about a flying houseboat mechanic garnered TV news/short feature honors for Karen Sunderman and Steven Ash of WDSE-TV in Duluth, Minnesota, while radio talk show host Art Cronk of WENG-AM won the radio award for focusing attention on a controversy involving Englewood, Florida's Buchan Field.

A special Max Karant Award for Lifetime Achievement in Aviation Journalism was presented to Jack Elliott of New Jersey's Newark Star-Ledger for his consistent and effective reporting of GA and advocacy. Elliott shared credit for the award with his wife, Esta Ann. "It's an honor to receive an award in the name of Max Karant," Elliott said. "I remember him well, and he did a great job."

Elliott was among those listening as FAA Administrator Jane Garvey addressed the AOPA membership during Friday morning's general session. Garvey joked with the crowd as she presented several general aviation industry awards. "You're not nervous, are you?" she asked David Faile of Fairfield, Connecticut, the 1999 Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year. Harry Shannon of Winter Haven, Florida, was honored as the 1999 Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year, while Daniel Derby of Greensboro, North Carolina, received the first-ever Avionics Technician of the Year Award.

Garvey complimented AOPA on its educational efforts following the John F. Kennedy Jr. accident. "You were the voice on Capitol Hill, you were the voice on countless news shows, on what it takes" to obtain a pilot certificate and fly in the United States, she said. Garvey drew more applause when she told the audience that in the wake of Kennedy's crash, she currently sees no need for any changes in the regulations. "What we need to do is push for more education and training — and that's what we will do, with you."

The administrator expressed concern about the agency's current budget. "I have to tell you that I've got real concerns about the budget we've received for this year," she said. "The WAAS [Wide Area Augmentation System, which will supplement current GPS navigation signals to allow precision instrument approaches] budget was cut by $28 million." Garvey said that the agency was working to restructure the funding that it has received, but warned that some other agency programs could suffer as a result.

Garvey expressed optimism regarding the agency's reauthorization, which was pending before Congress. "Congress has a wonderful opportunity over the next few days" to give the FAA the tools that it needs to do its job, she explained, adding that she hopes to see more federal dollars for general aviation airports. Failure to reinvest in the aviation infrastructure is something the nation cannot afford to neglect, Garvey cautioned.

Garvey said that she thought the agency was doing better with airport issues. Later, she told re-porters that the federal government can and should play an important role in airport issues. "Meigs [Field in Chicago] is still an airport and still OK," she said, "we have a period of time to work together on that one." Garvey also said that progress was being made in discussions with the National Park Service about aircraft overflights, and that the FAA was close to issuing a decision on AOPA's petition to exempt from drug-testing requirements any flights made for charity by AOPA members.

Expo's extensive selection of seminar topics drew rave reviews from guests. Among the popular programs was the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's "More Never Again," which premiered at Expo. The program was great, according to Michael McKendry, AOPA 527914, of Windham, New Hampshire. "It stimulated wonderful conversation." Michael Bush, AOPA 1341894, of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, agreed that the program was lively and engaging; he noted that audience participation was very high.

The Air Safety Foundation also operated a display in the exhibit hall, where visitors could spin the roulette-like "Wheel of Misfortune" and win prizes such as flashlights, coasters, and ASF's 2000 wall calendar.

Near-perfect weather Friday afternoon drew many Expo visitors to the aircraft display at Bader Field. Forrest Pace Sr., AOPA 153507, of Tomball, Texas, a 40-year AOPA member, was looking at installations of Garmin's popular GNS 430 GPS/com and trying to envision the color moving map in the family Cessna 172. With him on their first Expo visit was his son, Michael, AOPA 1082094, of Houston. "There are so many presentations I want to see that I'm finding it hard to get into the exhibit hall," the younger Pace said.

Manufacturers reported that the crowd did more than look, buying more than two dozen new airplanes during the three-day show — including 12 Cessnas and six Cirrus SR20s.

The FAA operated a temporary tower at Bader during Expo, and controllers handled more than 1,000 Expo aircraft at Atlantic City International — where the FAA's William J. Hughes Technical Center and the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station provided ramp space for parking. Airport management and American Port Services staff assisted with parking, ground handling, and shuttle service. The South Jersey Transportation Authority and New Jersey Division of Aeronautics also provided assistance, as did the FAA's Millville (New Jersey) Automated Flight Service Station, which operated a temporary flight service station at International. Other Expo arrivals used the Hammonton, Ocean City, and Woodbine airports.

On Friday evening, many Expo attendees donned Halloween costumes and went to the ballroom of the old Atlantic City convention center for dinner and an eerily fun evening of dancing and socializing. Strolling magicians, balloon artists, and other performers went from table to table, entertaining guests.

There was little to scare attendees on Saturday morning, however, when members heard updates on a variety of association programs and initiatives. A new weekly e-mail newsletter, ePilot, including industry news, AOPA activities, and information on upcoming events, debuted on October 29 and is e-mailed to members early every Friday morning.

AOPA also unveiled a new trial membership program for student pilots. Student pilots will receive free six-month subscriptions to AOPA Flight Training magazine, as well as access to the AOPA Web site and toll-free Pilot Information Center. How does this benefit student pilots? Statistically, student pilots who join AOPA are three times more likely to complete their certificates. After students earn a pilot certificate, trial members can upgrade to a full AOPA membership. And any AOPA member can subscribe to AOPA Flight Training for the discounted rate of $18 per year.

At Expo's closing banquet Saturday evening, Tim McDermott of Kansas City received AOPA's 1999 Sharples Award for leading local action to preserve Richards-Gebaur Memorial Airport, a threatened reliever airport south of Kansas City. Development and transportation interests, along with local officials, want to convert the airport into an intermodal transfer facility.

U.S. Rep. Bud Shuster (R-Pa.) received AOPA's Hartranft Award for his efforts on behalf of aviation. As chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Shuster has led the battle to unlock the surplus in the aviation trust fund and permit all taxes collected from aviation users to be spent promptly on aviation needs. "There's only one thing I can thank you more for than this award, and that is your wonderful support in our battle to unlock the aviation trust fund," he said.

Also recognized were Beverly Fogle, AOPA 1137639, who flew 2,123 miles from Vancouver, Washington, to attend Expo, and Richard Ryan, AOPA 1112555, who flew 2,109 miles from Long Beach, California. Ryan encouraged AOPA members to attend the first Expo of the next century, which will be held in Long Beach from October 20 to 22, 2000.

For more information and photographs from Expo, visit AOPA Online's Virtual Expo '99 ( www.aopa.org/expo/). Details of AOPA awards presented during the convention can be found in " AOPA Action." E-mail the author at [email protected].