National pilot association president to meet with pilots in Anchorage, Alaska

AOPA President Phil Boyer will visit Alaska to hold a Pilot Town Meeting in Anchorage on Monday, March 24. During the lively, interactive meeting, Boyer will update pilots on legislation and policy changes that have occurred in Washington, D.C., affecting general aviation. He will discuss perceived security issues facing the general aviation community and introduce 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 also solicit pilots' views on the current state of general aviation in Alaska. Of particular interest to Alaskan pilots, he will outline the success and expansion of the Capstone program, which had its genesis in Bethel. In addition, Boyer will talk about 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 begins at 7:30 p.m. and is open to all pilots without charge.

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 290 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, more than 61,000 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. AOPA is the world's largest aviation association with more than 390,000 members.

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