President's Perspective

AOPA's Rebate Program

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon in January as I taxied up to Aero Sport, the well-run FBO at Florida's St. Augustine Airport. As the hard-working line personnel unloaded the audio-visual equipment for Pilot Town Meetings, a familiar aviation hero rode across the ramp on her bicycle. Patti Wagstaff is a three-time U.S. National Aerobatic Champion, the 1993 IAC Champion, and a six-time recipient of the "First Lady of Aerobatics" Betty Skelton Award. She is the first woman to win the title of U.S. National Aerobatic Champion. More importantly, she is a nice person with the same passion for all forms of flying that those of us in general aviation possess. St. Augustine is home base for Patty Wagstaff Airshows, and you couldn't pick a better place to live than this Northern Florida community.

Patti took me to see the new Extra-300S she acquired last year that already has accumulated some 150 hours of pulling multiple Gs. Like many of us on a nice weekend day, Patti had been polishing the wings of her airplane. She was getting ready for a busy spring-summer show circuit that will see her flying in almost two dozen events. We got to talking about the wear and tear on an airplane used in aerobatic demonstrations and related her expenses to AOPA member comments about the high cost of flying. Patti gets about 300 hours between engine overhauls. Keeping her skills sharp requires heavy dollars for avgas, hangar fees, and maintenance. From student pilots through national champions like Patti, no one is immune from the expense of flying. As a matter of fact, AOPA research has indicated that the number one concern among pilots is the high cost of flying.

Later that evening, when I produced my AOPA credit card to pay for dinner, Patti noted that she also has an AOPA card. I asked her if she uses it to pay for fuel and other aircraft expenses, and she said that she occasionally does. Was she aware of the AOPA FBO rebate program? No, she wasn't, and it was an opportunity for me to talk about one of the benefits of AOPA membership.

Throughout the 1990s, the association tried to come up with a fuel discount, some way to lower aircraft rental prices, or a way to rebate maintenance costs. Each time we hit a stumbling block. But in August 1997, the association came up with a solution by adding a feature to its affinity credit card program that allows pilots to receive a 3-percent rebate on every purchase at a qualified FBO. There is no catch. "Qualified" is not a limiting word. No need for you to even look at a list to see if the rebate is available. More than 4,000 FBOs throughout the United States are part of the program. You figure it out yourself: If the FBO sells fuel and/or rents aircraft to the general public, your charges qualify in the AOPA FBO rebate program.

As I explained this to Patti, I asked her if the hangar for her Extra 300S was rented through the Aero Sport FBO. She said that it is. Well, if you pay for that with your AOPA credit card, I told her, you get 3 percent back each month. The same with your fuel purchases, maintenance, supplies, and anything else that Aero Sport sells.

Recently, my FBO, which has a maintenance shop as part of the business, did an annual inspection on our personal Cessna 172. The nearly $1,500 charge went on my AOPA credit card, and the rebate was $45. That single purchase returned more than my $39 yearly AOPA dues.

When a member/cardholder receives his or her credit card statement, all he has to do is to circle the charges from FBOs and submit that copy to MBNA. The rebate appears as a credit on the following month's statement. It's that simple. Perhaps that's why more than 81,000 rebates have been made to AOPA members in a little more than two years-$2.3 million in credits to pilots. MBNA, a leading credit card company with outstanding customer/ member service, foots the entire bill. No AOPA dollars or money from FBOs funds this unique program. And, the association just renewed the agreement with MBNA, moving the program well into the new century.

While Patti Wagstaff doesn't need much flight instruction, the rebate can be used for aircraft rental and instructor time - so it immediately benefits primary and advanced students. In other words, you don't have to be an owner to take advantage of this program.

I'm not sure whether or not I convinced Patti to use her AOPA card, but I sure know that she will think twice the next time she makes a purchase at an FBO. And if she didn't understand the value of a card she already was carrying, perhaps you didn't either. Hopefully, you will take advantage of AOPA's small way of reducing the cost of flying. For more information about the AOPA credit card program call 800/USA-AOPA or visit the Web site (www.aopa.org/creditcard. html ).