AOPA donates 'Flight Training' magazine subscriptions to Alaskan village libraries

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association has donated AOPA Flight Training magazine subscriptions to 50 village school and public libraries across Alaska.

"More than in any other state, general aviation touches lives in Alaska," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "We hope these magazines will help Alaska's students living outside the urban areas, many in native villages, learn about flying and inspire them to seek careers in aviation."

Boyer announced the donation during a Pilot Town Meeting in Anchorage, Alaska July 12.

General aviation affects the lives of almost every Alaska student. Only five percent of Alaska has access to roads. For everyone else, the only practical way to get anywhere or to get something from somewhere else is by general aviation aircraft. The state even subsidizes "school planes" that, just like school buses, ferry children to and from school each day.

AOPA member Erin Hall Meade of Anchorage, who helped coordinate the donation, agrees. "The children of Alaska are vitally interested in being pilots," she said. "Because many of their villages are serviced only by airplane, they understand the important role a pilot can play in the life of a community.

"They also understand that this is a career path that will allow them to remain in Alaska, yet give them a decent lifestyle."

The Alaska Library Association helped select the libraries that will receive the AOPA magazine.

With more than 75,000 readers, AOPA Flight Training is the premiere magazine for student pilots, new pilots, and flight instructors. Its emphasis on practical information about flying techniques, safety, training, and regulations makes it an important learning tool for pilots who want to master the fundamentals of aviation.

The 370,000-member Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is the world's largest civil aviation organization. More than 58 percent of U.S. pilots, including some 4,000 Alaska pilots, are AOPA members.

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