President's Perspective

More Pilots

Every year in the late fall, AOPA holds a convention and exhibition, which members know as AOPA Expo. This year?s event, held in Long Beach, California, was by far the largest and most successful ever. Nearly 11,000 AOPA members attended the three-day event. More than 1,200 pilots flew to Expo in a variety of aircraft, ranging from Cessna 152s to homebuilts. It?s not the world?s greatest airshow, like Oshkosh or Sun ?n Fun, but Expo has been a growing event where serious pilots can attend more than 100 seminars, many on safety, and hold in-depth discussions with more than 500 manufacturers and distributors of all varieties of general aviation products.

While GA was the subject of Expo, airline issues were very much on the minds of AOPA members and staff, many of whom endured what one called "the cattle car experience" in traveling to Long Beach. If you fly on scheduled airlines these days, you know what I'm talking about.

Of course, airlines are needed. AOPA surveys over the years indicate that general aviation pilots are heavier users of airline travel than nonpilots. Whether we use the airlines for reasons of distance, time, weather, or cost we're often reminded, during our airline travel, how lucky we are to have the option of flying ourselves, at least on trips that can accommodate the capabilities of pilot and light aircraft.

Airline horror stories I heard from AOPA staff members abounded. Flights were nearly all full-uncomfortable, particularly for those with long legs. While standing in the seemingly endless customer service line following a flight cancellation in Phoenix, AOPA Air Safety Foundation Vice President for Training Dick Hiner turned to AOPA's Director of Public Relations Kevin Murphy and said half-jokingly, "You know, if we had brought your Cessna 172 we'd be halfway home by now."

A man standing in the same long line piped up. "You guys are pilots?" he asked. "I'd love to learn to fly, but you have to be really, really rich, and it takes forever." Clearly, there is a huge misconception out there as to the cost of learning to fly, and perhaps all of us can help in raising public awareness.

In 1995, AOPA did a study to find out how widespread those misconceptions were, and the results were not encouraging. About one-third of those surveyed believed it takes more than a year to earn a pilot certificate. Some 40 percent put the hourly cost of renting an airplane at more than $200, with no concept of paying for the rental only when the prop is turning. Close to half said flying in private aircraft is "very" or "somewhat" dangerous. Is it any wonder so many harried business travelers continue to squeeze into the center seat of a full airliner and mutter under their breath?

AOPA's original 1939 charter insists that we work to keep general aviation flying fun, safe, and as affordable as possible. In the last few years, AOPA has launched Project Pilot (1994) and helped build the industrywide Be A Pilot program (1996).

AOPA Project Pilot asks members to identify friends and coworkers who might benefit from learning to fly, then offer to mentor those potential pilots as they work their way through the flight training process. AOPA offers ample materials to help, including a free six-month AOPA Flight Training trial membership, AOPA's Joy of Flying video, an information-packed brochure, a chance to win a $100 gift certificate from King Schools, and "find a mentor" and "find a student pilot" search engines on the AOPA Web site.

To date, some 23,000 AOPA members have nominated more than 32,000 potential new pilots. You can see pictures of some of the new pilots and their friends every other month on a special Project Pilot page in AOPA Pilot magazine.

The Be A Pilot program combines the resources of more than 100 aviation businesses, associations, and groups to sponsor cable TV commercials promoting the advantages of learning to fly. The tightly-targeted spots and the group's Web site ( www.beapilot.com ) offer a coupon good for a $35 introductory flight, now honored by nearly every flight school in the country. AOPA was one of the original Be A Pilot participants and still contributes substantial amounts of both funding and expertise to the program.

Hopefully, the airlines will be able to reform their current "cattle car" image and offer a reasonable level of service at a reasonable cost for the traveling public. In the meantime, AOPA and its members are doing all they can to ensure that air travel consumers realize there may be another, infinitely more pleasurable, business and recreational option.