AOPA's Project Pilot provides members with the tools to find viable flight training candidates and support them as student pilots with the wisdom and encouragement of experienced pilots through mentoring. Students with a Project Pilot Mentor are three times more likely to successfully complete their training. This exciting program is available free to all AOPA members. You don't have to be a CFI to participate. All it takes is someone who wants to share the joy of general aviation and a few minutes a week to help student pilots along.
A message from Erik Lindbergh
In his book The Long Tail, Chris Anderson, Wired magazine editor and author, proposes that the future of business lies in taking advantage of the sales of obscure items that are way out on the insignificant end of a sales chart. These items can't compare to bestsellers, but over time and with enough choices they aggregate into a significant percentage of sales. The savvy businesses that take advantage of that long tail are finding success that traditional businesses in the past ignored. So what does this have to do with aviation? Well, there I was, preflighting my airplane for a trip to the bronze foundry in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, to work on my latest sculptures, when a little bit of fuel dripped on my hands as I sumped the tanks. Hmm. As I looked into the GATS jar for anything abnormal, I noticed that the rubber seal around the lid had come unseated. Sure enough, as I poured the fuel back into the tank it dribbled a little bit more onto the wing. I hate to see that! I want to see all my fuel going back into the tank. Not on the ground and not into the FBO's fuel trucks. In this day and age with avgas in the $4-to-$6-per-gallon range, I want to be as efficient as possible and run my avgas in an airplane. The $16 dollars spent on the GATS jar pays for itself quickly and the more you fly, the more you save. By sharing this exciting tip with all of you, my hope is that lots of you start pouring fuel back into your tanks and, just like sales of obscure songs on iTunes become a "long tail" of profit, we can over time aggregate a substantial efficiency upon our industry.
Mentoring future pilots works the same way. Share your excitement about flight with as many people as you can. Not all of them will take to the skies, but if you have a great story they might share it with someone else who is then inspired to fly. Excitement and passion are inspiring. Share your passion for flight with someone today!
Erik Lindbergh
AOPA Project Pilot spokesman
We welcome your photos. Although we can't guarantee publication, we encourage you to e-mail photos to [email protected] or call 800/USA-AOPA (800/872-2672). For more information or to nominate someone for AOPA Project Pilot, please go to the Web site.
