AOPA marks fall each year with an expo celebrating general aviation. You're invited. So take a moment right now to block out October 24 through 26 for your trip to AOPA Expo 2002.
This fall, the AOPA Expo will return to Palm Springs, California. Get together with your family, your flying buddies, or your flight instructor - everyone's invited to join in as AOPA puts a wrap on the second (or is it the third?) year of the millennium.
What's Expo like? It's a three-day gathering of all the best and brightest in general aviation. Everyone's going to be there. Last year in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the first event for the 9,886 attendees was a briefing by FAA Administrator Jane Garvey delivered live via satellite. That took place in the first general session at 9 a.m. Thursday. Attendees could walk right up to a microphone and ask Garvey questions - and receive public responses to their concerns. A similar session will occur this year. This opportunity to speak to the administrator is one of the unique features of Expo.
If you're more interested in toys such as new airplanes, new products, and aviation education you can rest assured that AOPA Expo is not all business. There also will be fun, forums, and the opportunity for attendees to frolic in one of America's sunniest vacation spots.
It's always been an eyeopener to attend an Expo. Last year in Florida (Expo locations are flip-flopped between the East and West coasts yearly) attendees joined together to hear the latest information and to applaud AOPA's efforts in defusing a volatile and rapidly changing airspace situation with hard work and education following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. This year even more participants are expected to come and mingle with other members of the AOPA family. Gathering with old and new airplane friends is important, and so is keeping up with the changes in equipment and airspace. The place to learn about the latest is at Expo. There is more information for aviators condensed into one place at AOPA Expo than at any other event. And the signs show that this year's event will be the biggest yet.
Exhibits and exhibitors
There will be 500 exhibit booths and 70 aircraft displays this year. Exhibitors ranging from the oldest, most-established vendors to the innovators with a dream will be available every day for personal contact on the exhibit floor. The hall opens at 10 a.m. and stays open until 6 p.m., except on Saturday when the closing hour will be 4 p.m. The list of products and vendors that will be available goes on and on - airplanes to start with, then aviation art, books, videos, avionics, financing, insurance, fly-in communities, apparel, survival gear, training programs, airplane type groups, simulators, flight gear, communications equipment, datalink equipment, paint shops, engine suppliers and overhaulers, computer services, and flight-planning software. That's the short list. Interested in finding out more about a Mode S transponder? It will do things that transponders have never done before. Would you like to find out all you can about the virtues of active noise reduction (ANR) headsets? Expo is the place to gather data as you try out the latest offerings from every supplier. Want to get a progress update on the airplanes of the future? Set your course for Palm Springs in late October.
If you've heard that ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) and Free Flight programs will change the way we fly, there's no better place than Expo to learn what these terms really mean. You'll even be able to see demonstrations of the equipment.
Seminars
Experts from industry, the FAA, and AOPA will present seminars on a continuous basis from the first minute the exhibit hall opens on Thursday until late Saturday afternoon. There will be more than 80 hours of seminars during Expo. The biggest problem for attendees will be the difficulty in choosing between simultaneous seminars. Even pilots can't be in two places at one time.
Fortunately the AOPA event staff works hard to stagger the most popular seminars so that AOPA members aren't forced into trying to decide whether they would rather hear favorites such as Rod Machado or John and Martha King.
The seminars will be broken down into six broad categories: aviation general interest, proficient pilot, all pilot, medical issue, safety, and owner. To give an example of the depth and breadth of the seminar schedule let's take a look at the typical menu.
"Quest for Speed: High Performance Airplanes"; "The ABCs of Aircraft Financing"; "Spatial Disorientation"; "How to Avoid Unwanted Adventure"; "The New Dos and Don'ts of Aircraft Insurance"; "Pilots, Poets, and Psychologists"; "GPS for Instrument Operations." Did you see any topic that interested you? Now multiply these choices by a factor of six and you'll understand the delightful dilemma attendees face. Nonpilots can learn the basics of the cockpit by sitting in on the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's Pinch-Hitter ® course that will be offered more than once. Expo's a three-day college of aviation knowledge.
Flying to PSP
Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) is not as far away as you may think. Because of the way Southern California angles eastward from the San Francisco Bay area, PSP is only a few degrees away from being on the same longitude as Boise, Idaho. For instance, the distance from Palm Springs to Austin, Texas, is only 60 miles more than the distance to Seattle. Denver and Boise are equidistant from PSP.
There will be special air traffic procedures in effect for AOPA Expo 2002. Palm Springs International Airport is the official, primary arrival airport. Desert Resorts Regional Airport (TRM) is the official overflow airport when parking capacity has been reached at PSP. Transportation to the Palm Springs Convention Center will be available for pilots flying in. Approximately 2,200 airplanes are expected to fly in to the Coachella Valley for this year's Expo. More detailed procedures for flying into Expo will soon be available on the AOPA Expo Web site ( www.aopa.org/expo/).
Golf country
The communities of the Coachella Valley - Desert Hot Springs, North Palm Springs, Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, and Thermal - are home to more than 90 golf courses. A few miles east of the convention site in Palm Springs are the communities of Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, and Indian Wells. This area abounds with golfing opportunities. Another incentive for packing your sticks is that even late October is the off-season in this area. This means lower greens fees, but it also means that temperatures will be in the 90s and protection from the sun's rays is a must. There's enough daylight that if you get up with the sun (official sunrise is 5:58 a.m. on the opening day of Expo) you'll be able to get in a quick 18 before the show opens each day.
AOPA has considered the needs of its visitors and scheduled this year's Expo so that it concludes a day before the clocks fall back to standard time. This thoughtful consideration is primarily for our flying visitors, since it's well known that the most comfortable time to fly over the desert occurs early in the day before the afternoon winds and thermal bumpiness peaks. If the golfers also take advantage of AOPA's foresight on this issue, so much the better.
The airplanes
First AOPA entices the Palm Springs city fathers into closing the streets between the airport and the convention center. Then on Wednesday, October 23, the AOPA Parade of Planes begins as at least 70 airplanes taxi down the city streets from the airport to the convention center. The parade will be led by the AOPA Sweepstakes Waco, a 275-horsepower radial-engine, fabric-covered biplane that will be won by an AOPA member. Behind that taildragging classic will follow airplanes from almost every aviation era since tires became standard equipment.
There will be all-weather pressurized twins and singles, turboprops, and light two-place trainers. There will be utility airplanes such as the Aviat Husky and the latest Maules. You'll see fully refurbished Piper Super Cubs and a full menu of airplanes featuring performance-enhancing modifications. There will be airplanes for every budget and taste.
After the airplanes arrive they'll be polished up and wiped down so that Expo attendees can look them over, sit in them, and ask questions to their heart's content. Bring a couple of pilot friends and find out how to form a flying club, learn what it's going to cost to buy a brand-new airplane, and arrange financing for it - this kind of thing is easy to pull off at Expo.
Saturday afternoon after 4 p.m., the parade will reverse directions and head back to the airport, navigating the same boulevards and avenues. The Parade of Planes is always a crowd favorite.
The general sessions
Each day will start at 9 a.m. with a general session. The first session is titled "Meet the Administrator" - when either the new FAA administrator or a representative from the department of transportation is scheduled to address the assembled AOPA members. This session is always packed full of information on the state of aviation.
On Friday the Government and Technical Affairs Division of AOPA will host the second general session. Last year this session outlined the reasons why airports are being shut down and explained how AOPA members can get involved to keep their local airports out of the bulldozer's path.
The third general session on Saturday morning, consists of hot topics, announcements of new programs, and news from headquarters - updates from AOPA department heads on what each of the divisions of AOPA is doing for members. Briefings on the success of AOPA ePilot, AOPA's online newsletter, the introduction of new products such as Flight Explorer, and the growth of online member services were some of the topics discussed last year. These briefings inform members about the behind-the-scenes work at headquarters in Frederick, Maryland, and about AOPA's plans for the future that affect the association's 380,000-plus members.
If you're planning to spend all three days at Expo, remember to fit in the opening luncheon and welcome reception on Thursday. At this luncheon AOPA honors members of the media who have used their talents to fairly and accurately tell the general aviation story.
On Friday night, AOPA will be throwing a party at the Palm Springs Air Museum. Dine amid vintage aircraft, enjoy music and camaraderie with fellow pilots and friends. We danced the night away to swing üusic last year - get a ticket and join your airplane friends for some dance-floor whoopee. We've also approved attendance at this party for those who aren't dancers but enjoy live, upbeat music while tapping their toes to infectious rhythms. It'll be fun.
Expo concludes Saturday night with a gala banquet. This year's headliner is comedian Mark Russell - best known for delivering political satire as he tickles the ivories. Don't miss it!
The good clean fun
Palm Springs is a great site for family fun. There are museums, a wide range of hotels and resorts, great shopping, and art galleries. Many are within easy walking distance of the convention center. Some Expo activities will take place at the Palm Springs Air Museum ( www.palmspringsairmuseum.org), which is located at the Palm Springs International Airport. The museum features a collection of flying World War II airplanes.
The Palm Springs aerial tram station ( www.pstramway.com) is just a short distance from the convention center. With tramcars leaving at half-hour intervals, riders experience temperature drops of 30 degrees as the cars ascend from the desert floor at 2,643 feet to the mountain station at 8,516 feet.
If the family isn't traveling to Expo this year, the big people will be happy to know that this area still retains a little wildness from its old-west days. The activities that are available for grownups are almost endless. The cities of the Palm Springý desert resort area are skilled at catering to visitors. If you want to try your luck at the gaming tables, there are four casinos in the valley. If you just want to be pampered after a hard day sharing airplane stories or learning about the latest navigation equipment, the spa-to-visitor ratio can accommodate everyone.
There is no better way to get a total immersion in the thriving, innovative, exciting world of today's personal aviation than attending this year's Expo. See you in Palm Springs in October!
E-mail the author at [email protected].
AOPA Expo Schedule of Events
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