National pilot association president to meet with pilots in San Diego, California

AOPA President Phil Boyer will visit California to hold a Pilot Town Meeting in San Diego on Tuesday, May 13. As the president of the world's largest aviation association, Boyer will update pilots on the latest changes in regulations and legislation affecting general aviation during these times of heightened security. During lively, interactive discussions, Boyer will also solicit pilots' views on the general aviation situation in California. He will address perceived security issues facing the general aviation community and discuss AOPA's recently unveiled Airport Watch program, a joint venture with the Transportation Security Administration to help keep America's general aviation airports secure from terrorists.

Boyer will outline AOPA's push to reopen Chicago's Meigs airport; this icon for general aviation remains closed following the Mayor Daley's nighttime order for construction crews to rip X's across the runway, rendering it useless. AOPA is taking legal action to prevent further destruction of the airfield. During the San Diego Pilot Town Meeting, Boyer will explain why this situation happened and address pilot concerns about whether this type of closure could happen at their local airport.

Boyer, president of the nearly 400,000-member association, will also outline the new General Aviation Serving America Web site, which is an initiative to educate the country about the important role of general aviation in the national economy and transportation system. The Pilot Town Meeting in San Diego begins at 7:30 p.m. and is open to all pilots without charge. For more details on Pilot Town meetings, visit the Web site.

Phil Boyer, a 36-year veteran aviator and former network television senior executive, is the third full-time president in AOPA's 64-year history. Instrument and multiengine rated, he has logged nearly 7,000 flight hours, including two transatlantic crossings. He has been president of AOPA since January 1991.

Boyer has held over 295 Pilot Town Meetings during the past 10 years, reporting to pilots all across the country and soliciting their feedback to keep AOPA action focused on current pilot concerns. To date, nearly 64,000 pilots have participated in these Pilot Town Meetings.

AOPA represents pilots and owners of the 221,000 general aviation aircraft that constitute 92 percent of the U.S. civilian fleet.

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