AOPA Expo 2006

AOPA Expo Returns to Palm Springs

August 5, 2006

Join us in sunny California!

The clock is ticking, the days are rushing by, and the date for AOPA Expo — the annual three-day general aviation show of shows — is fast approaching. When August 1 arrives, there will be only 100 days left until AOPA President Phil Boyer kicks off AOPA Expo 2006 on Thursday, November 9, at 9 a.m.

Jot down a note on your to-do list so that you'll be in Palm Springs, California, for three days in November with 10,000 of your closest aviation friends.

The one-stop-shop aviation expo

AOPA Expo is an annual aviation get-together. Many aviation fans use the arrival of AOPA Expo as a signal that it's time to take a well-deserved break to catch up on all the aviation news. Expo attendees always spend hours looking over all the new products and the improvements and upgrades to existing products. That popular part of AOPA Expo is always topnotch. For those who are planning to invest in upgrading their airplanes over the winter, there's no better place to get the facts about the latest gear.

Last year in Tampa, there were more than 80 new airplanes exhibited in conjunction with AOPA Expo. With the buzz created by scores of light sport aircraft coming onto the market, and the beginning of very-light-jet (VLJ) deliveries, there is sure to be more to see this year. These airplanes aren't mock-ups nor are they towed to the convention center — vendors such as Cessna, Cirrus, Columbia, Diamond, Eclipse, Liberty, Mooney, Pilatus, and The New Piper taxi their new, shiny airplanes along city streets from Palm Springs International Airport to the Palm Springs Convention Center. This all occurs on Wednesday, November 8, at 10 a.m., the day before the show officially opens. Palm Springs is the only city where AOPA Expo can still send a tail-to-spinner procession down the roadway. The aircraft are taxied back down those same streets late Saturday afternoon — it's a sight you won't want to miss.

Registration and convention details

Start planning your trip to this year's Palm Springs expo by visiting AOPA Online. Hotel and registration information, seminar schedule, product demonstration hours, a full list of exhibitors, and tons of other expo information are there. On-site registration starts at 1 p.m. Wednesday, November 8, and is open every day through Saturday. Product demonstrations and seminars go on all day, from Thursday through Saturday. Where else can you get detailed explanations about topics such as GPS WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) updates and the effects of full authority digital engine control systems available on the general aviation fleet? Thinking of upgrading to a new airplane? Perhaps you're wondering if you can install a ballistic recovery parachute or a set of the new air bag-style seat belts on your existing Cessna. Expo is the place to fill in all the blanks on your aviation checklist. The exhibit hall opens at 10 a.m. each day and stays open until 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and until 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Special events

Expo officially starts Thursday at 9 a.m. with the first of three days of general sessions hosted by Phil Boyer. The opening general session typically provides attendees with the opportunity to see and listen to federal government decision makers. Past speakers include the FAA administrator and directors of entities such as the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Transportation. Be there and listen to Boyer and AOPA members — you're invited to ask questions — put questions to these officials.

Friday's general session, "Increasing the Pilot Population Through AOPA Project Pilot," offers a plan to ensure general aviation's growth by gaining new pilots.

The closing general session will feature an in-depth report presented by executive-level personnel about what's happening at AOPA headquarters.

The exhibit floor

With more than 500 exhibitors, getting a chance to look over everything will be a snap — you'll find tried-and-true products such as super-comfy noise-canceling headsets, leather jackets, and the latest in cutting-edge flight-planning, moving-map, and in-cockpit-weather hardware and software. Exhibitor categories such as aircraft sales, aircraft manufacturing, avionics, software applications, aircraft insurance/financing, flight schools/training, flight gear and apparel, jewelry, and art illustrate how vast the list of information and resources is. Every year airplanes are bought, financing packages are shopped for, and insurance policies are sold during AOPA Expo.

The exhibit floor is an ideal place to comparison shop. Many AOPA members will be talking face to face with product sales staff and picking up literature from competing vendors so they can make informed decisions regarding everything from a new multifeatured handheld GPS-based navigator to the latest in electronic flight bag technology. Experienced expo attendees have learned to allot a sizable space in their airplane, or to bring an extra suitcase to tote home all the sales and product information that's invariably garnered during an expo visit. There's no other place that AOPA members can learn as much about flying-related products in three days.

The airplane displays

The sixth year of the twenty-first century will be marked by advances in avionics and the general aviation "glass cockpit" as well as certification of pocket-size turbine aircraft such as the Eclipse 500 and Cessna Mustang in the VLJ category. If you haven't yet had the chance to look over, sit in, and learn about what makes these aircraft so appealing — and what has so many predicting that VLJs will revolutionize commercial air travel — there's no better time to get those answers than at AOPA Expo.

In addition to the first VLJs, sales of composite-airframe aircraft such as the Cirrus SR22 and the Columbia 400, as well as Mooney's more traditional all-aluminum airplanes, continue to grow. The outlook for general aviation is very good and that enthusiasm will be felt throughout the exciting three days of AOPA Expo.

The type, variety, size, and category of airplanes at the aircraft display will be so diverse that there will be airplanes for every enthusiast.

The AOPA Expo extras

In addition to the fun of looking at airplanes, shopping for flying products, and visiting with other pilots and flying families, attendees also are invited to mix and mingle at an opening reception Thursday evening and at a rollicking Friday night party at the Palm Springs Air Museum (AOPA will provide transportation). The whole show wraps up on Saturday evening with a banquet and dance.

AOPA hasn't forgotten about the nonflying members of the family. There also will be seminars for non-fliers and novice copilots to help demystify the world of flight.

AOPA Expo 2006 will be great, thanks to its sponsors DTC DUAT, Cessna Aircraft Co., Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co., Cirrus Design Corp., Columbia Aircraft Industries Inc., Diamond Aircraft Manufacturing Corp., and Eclipse Aviation Corp.

AOPA Expo is many things. It's a showcase for manufacturers and vendors; it's a school for everyone who attends; it's a place for swapping tales with old flying friends and the best place to meet new flying friends. And last but not least, attending will reaffirm for those who may have forgotten, and assure those who may not yet know, that personal aviation is alive and well in America and AOPA continues to work to ensure this freedom stays intact. Join us — you'll be glad you did.

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