 AOPA President Boyer and Jamail Larkins return from a three-day Pilot Town Meeting trip. |
Jamail Larkins is a young man in a hurry. He has just returned from accompanying AOPA President Phil Boyer on a Pilot Town Meeting "road trip" last week in Kansas, Texas, and Louisiana. Boyer, who averages 30 Pilot Town Meetings a year across the country, agreed to take Larkins along and show him the ropes.
No slacker himself, Larkins expressed amazement with Boyer's vitality and enthusiasm for Pilot Town Meetings and learning in general: "I am learning a whole lot, just keeping up with his schedule, traveling around with him, going to the various meetings, getting ready for the PTMs, and doing media interviews. It's a hectic schedule. I was fascinated and captivated at the same time," Larkins said.
On this swing, Boyer and Larkin took the message to the heartland, reviewing developments in general aviation and engaging pilots on the issues. Boyer briefed audiences with a multimedia presentation on recent items of interest to pilots, including videotaped messages of support from congressional representatives, including Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), and Rep. David Vitter (R-La.).
Larkins soloed the day after his sixteenth birthday and has flown several hundred hours in more than 33 different types of aircraft. This year he began to perform in airshows. He is also national spokesperson for the Experimental Aviation Association's (EAA's) Young Eagles program, Careers-in-Aviation, and Aeroshell. He was clearly impressed with the road show. "It was an excellent trip. At each one of the sites, Wichita, Austin, and New Orleans, we had a great AOPA Pilot Town Meeting. We had a lot of issues talked about in very productive sessions."
The next PTMs are scheduled to take place in Prescott, Ariz., on Monday, September 15, 2003; San Carlos, Calif., on September 16, 2003; and Sacramento, Calif., on September 17, 2003.
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