President's Perspective

Helping others discover flight

For most of us, learning how to fly is something we can't keep to ourselves. Whether it's the ability to realize a longtime dream; the prospect of mastering a new, useful, and uncommon skill; or just the sheer excitement and joy of taking to the sky alone, student pilots are always talking about their experiences. I was the same way when I was learning to fly. At work, at home, around the neighborhood--it probably seemed like flying was all I talked about.

Think about your own experiences in learning to fly. I'll bet that it's been the same for you. The process of learning to fly gives the student pilot an unlimited array of stories to tell and successes to recount. They're not limited to milestones like your first flight, your first solo, or your long solo cross-country--you learn and have experiences to share on every flight.

AOPA Project Pilot (see "President's Perspective: The Power of Mentoring," August 2006 AOPA Flight Training) offers a unique opportunity for you to share your passion for flying with others. Project Pilot pairs beginning student pilots with experienced Mentors who can provide motivation, encouragement, and information to help them get started--and guide students through any delays, setbacks, or rough spots in their training.

We are not asking you, as a student pilot, to become a Mentor to a new student--it could distract you from your own training, and you're still developing the flying knowledge that you need in order to be a truly effective Mentor. However, we have always known that active and engaged student pilots are among the most enthusiastic advocates for learning to fly. While you'll be a great Mentor in the future, you can be a great recruiter for new student pilots today!

One of the ways we're helping to spread the word about the fun of learning to fly is our new Invitation to Fly seminars that are being held simultaneously with many of my Pilot Town Meetings--informative, interactive gatherings that update pilots on the latest issues affecting their flying at the national, regional, or local levels. Pilot Town Meetings will be held in more than two dozen cities during 2007.

All you have to do is bring a friend to the meeting. Invite someone who's interested in learning how to fly. You'll be able to identify these people immediately--they are the friends, neighbors, co-workers, or family members who are always hanging on every word when you talk about the progress of your own flight training. Look for those whose eyes light up when you recount the experiences of your most recent flight lesson, or who ask you how your flying's going before you have a chance to mention it. The free, hour-long Invitation to Fly seminar leads participants through the flight training process from first flight to first passenger. It will show your prospective pilot just how easy, exciting, and fun it is to learn to fly.

Attending this seminar may be just the spark that a potential pilot needs to get started. Afterwards, guide them to the AOPA Project Pilot Web site and help them select a Mentor--listed on the site are hundreds of experienced AOPA-member pilots who have volunteered to serve as Mentors. Remind them that a student with a Mentor is three times more likely to complete their training and earn a pilot certificate. Your friend can look for a Mentor in his or her local area, or select one across the country; hundreds of students have been mentored successfully long-distance through e-mail and perhaps the occasional telephone call.

What's it like to participate in AOPA Project Pilot? A short multimedia presentation on our Web site (http://flighttraining.aopa.org/projectpilot/multimedia/) tells the story of one Mentor and his Project Pilot student. If you're already a student and do not have a Mentor, by all means visit the Project Pilot Web site and find one today!

I just returned from a very successful AOPA Expo in Palm Springs, California, where we offered the Invitation to Fly seminar on each of Expo's three days. More than 200 members and prospective pilots attended presentations with Erik Lindbergh. While they were at the show they also got to visit more than 500 vendors and merchants in the exhibit hall and see 110 aircraft on display inside and outside the convention center.

Look for AOPA's Invitation to Fly seminar at selected Pilot Town Meetings and other aviation events this year--such as the Women in Aviation International conference in Orlando, Florida, and the Northwest Aviation Conference and Trade Show in Puyallup, Washington, in February; the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Florida, in April; and AOPA Expo 2007 in Hartford, Connecticut, this October--and invite your friends who have an interest in learning to fly. Help today to share our passion for flight.