President's Perspective

A Learning Experience

AOPA Expo (a oh' pah - x' poh), n. annual exhibition and trade show of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Always involves learning, fun, and displays of new and exotic aircraft, supplies, and avionics. Evolved from early AOPA "Plantation Parties" of the 1950s. See also: seminars, meetings, conferences, trade shows.

At 10 a.m. on November 7, more than 70 general aviation aircraft of varying shapes, sizes, and descriptions will roar down the streets of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, headed for that city's convention center.

That famous AOPA "Parade of Planes" - the first on the East Coast in more than 20 years - will kick off AOPA Expo 2001, November 8-10. For many spectators lining the parade route, it'll be the first time they've ever seen a GA airplane at close range, and certainly the first time they've seen one taxiing down their street!

AOPA Expo started life in the 1950s as a yearly get-together in Florida for AOPA members who arrived in then-revolutionary new Cessna 172s, as well as Piper Apaches, Stinson Reliants, or Beech Staggerwings. Black and white 16mm movie footage from the AOPA archives shows pilots (almost all male, and quite often wearing starched white shirts and narrow ties) and their spouses having fun, attending sessions on issues, and soaking up aviation education. There were a few aviation vendors scattered around the convention site, which was called the AOPA Plantation Party. Attendees usually numbered well into the...well, hundreds.

At this year's Expo, attendance is expected to top 10,000. The newly expanded Fort Lauderdale Convention Center exhibit area will be just barely big enough to hold the 500-plus aviation exhibits, offering everything from the latest gust locks to exciting new aircraft. Other vendors will answer questions about aircraft modifications. One example: A Cessna 180 that doesn't use 100LL or even auto gas. It's FAA-approved for use of ethanol, which proponents say could soon be available for as little as 65 cents a gallon.

Pilots will be able to see, touch, and sample a vast range of new aviation technology, some of which was only a pipe dream a few years ago. New large-screen multifunction displays, for example, go far beyond today's moving maps. The new displays can superimpose your position over your choice of colorful terrain charts, IFR en-route charts, and approach procedures. Some will show higher terrain ahead in different colors, depending on your altitude. And virtually every manufacturer of those wonderful devices will be at AOPA Expo this year. Whether you're a student pilot or the owner of a sophisticated GA airplane, the Expo exhibit hall experience is highly informative. Unlike similar booths at popular airshows, the unhurried atmosphere and totally pilot participants create an experience in which one can put his or her hands on the equipment, engage in lengthy conversations with the experts, and thoroughly understand the devices.

This year's static display will feature more than 70 airplanes, including the extravagant AOPA Sweepstakes Beech Bonanza. This refurbished 1966 S35 Bonanza has everything, including a ground-breaking glass cockpit from Meggitt Avionics. Some lucky member will win it in early 2002.

Expo's educational seminars have come a long way from the early days, too. Experts will present more than 90 hours of seminars, including "Ask the Federal Flight Surgeon," "Flying to the Bahamas," and "Aircraft Taxes: What Can I Really Deduct?" FAA Administrator Jane Garvey is expected to take questions from members attending the Thursday morning "Meet the Administrator" session.

Social activities will include luncheons, evening receptions, meetings of aviation groups as unique as the Christian Pilots Association and the Flying Chiropractors Association, and a festive swing dance party.

But even with the mammoth celebration of general aviation that AOPA Expo has become, attendance still represents only a small fraction - less than 3 percent - of AOPA membership of 370,000 pilots and aircraft owners. For that reason, AOPA's Web site ( www.aopa.org/expo) will be carrying up-to-the-minute Expo coverage for those who can't be there in person. This "virtual Expo" will feature near-real-time descriptions of events and photos illustrating the festivities, starting with the Parade of Planes on November 7 and running right through the closing banquet on November 10.

Mark your calendar now: AOPA Expo, November 8-10 at the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center. Like the early AOPA Plantation Parties in Florida, it's a celebration of general aviation, but incomparably bigger and better - and you're invited!