National pilot association president to speak at Air-Land-Sea Safety Fair in Juneau

The head of the world's largest general aviation association, AOPA President Phil Boyer, will be a featured speaker at the Air-Land-Sea Safety Fair coming up on March 22 at the Centennial Hall Convention Center in Juneau. Boyer will give his speech at 1 p.m. and address a gamut of issues that are of key importance to aviators. In these times of heightened security and awareness, Boyer will outline a newly unveiled national initiative: AOPA's Airport Watch program, which is a joint venture with the Transportation Security Administration designed to help keep America's general aviation airports secure from terrorists.

Of particular interest to Alaskan aviators, Boyer will discuss the success and expansion of the Capstone program, which began in Bethel, Alaska, and has since spread to southeastern Alaska as well as to one site in the lower 48 states. He will also update pilots with the latest news from Washington, D.C., on legislation and policies affecting general aviation. In addition, Boyer will showcase a new Web site, which is dedicated to educating the public about the important benefits of general aviation.

Phil Boyer is a 36-year veteran aviator and former network television senior executive; he's 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.

The Air-Land-Sea Safety Fair, at which Boyer is speaking, is being hosted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the U.S. Coast Guard, and Federal Highway Administration. It will be held at the Centennial Hall convention center at 101 Egan Drive, just three blocks from the heart of downtown Juneau. Boyer's speech is at 1 p.m. Following the fair, Boyer will travel on Monday to Anchorage, and then on Tuesday to Fairbanks to hold Pilot Town Meetings in both cities. For more details on the speech and Pilot Town Meetings, see the Web site.

AOPA represents pilots and owners of the 221,000 general aviation aircraft that constitute 92 percent of the U.S. civilian fleet. With nearly 400,000 members, AOPA is the world's largest aviation association.

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