President's Perspective

AOPA needs your thoughtful assistance

You're in the process of becoming a pilot, or you're very interested in becoming one--unless you've already earned your certificate, of course. Why else would you be reading AOPA Flight Training magazine? This publication provides you with information you need to know when you're learning to fly. Because its staff members read all your e-mails and letters, they know what you need to know to succeed in your quest for a pilot certificate. The fact that its editors and writers are pilots, with many involved in flight training on a daily basis--and that they, like all pilots, have been in your shoes--certainly helps, as well.

AOPA often asks you for information or feedback to help us serve you better. For example, when the magazine staff was preparing for publication the article "I Think I'm Alone Now" about the magical moment of a student pilot's first solo flight (see p. 20), they asked readers who have already experienced this very special occasion to share their pictures and recollections. You responded, in such large numbers that we couldn't possibly include all your submissions in this issue (we set up a dedicated Web page for the overflow). In addition, many of you have taken time from your busy schedules recently to complete reader surveys for the magazine, and we thank you for your insights.

I believe that one of the reasons AOPA has been so successful through the years is its focus on understanding what our members want and need. Before I came to AOPA I was a television executive, and I learned how important it is to listen to your audience--a TV show doesn't stay on the air very long if the audience doesn't like it. Shortly after I became your president more than 17 years ago, AOPA began an annual survey of members, asking the basic questions "How goes it?" and "What can we do better?"

Since then we've added a variety of research tools to help us better understand what concerns you, so that we can serve you better. AOPA's leadership team reviews this data, in the same way you may have a stage check or phase check with another flight instructor to make sure your training is progressing as it should. Our managers want to make sure we're continuing to focus on what's most important to you. We're also using the data as part of a long-range visioning project that seeks to create a realistic picture of what general aviation will look like in the future, so we can better adapt to serve your needs as you continue flying.

One of the questions I ask at my Pilot Town Meetings is, "Looking ahead five years, what costs will most affect your decision to continue flying?" More than 70 percent of you say that the cost and availability of avgas will most likely be the determining factor in your future flying. No real surprise there, what with avgas averaging around $5-plus a gallon. And many of you ask, "Can't AOPA do something about that?" Well, as the owner of a Cessna 172 and very thirsty radial engine powering my Waco biplane, I wish AOPA could. But as I often tell members, if the American Automobile Association (AAA) with some 50 million members can't affect the price of gas for drivers, AOPA isn't likely to have any greater success with aviation fuel for pilots. We can help you find the lowest cost fuel available, however--last year we added current fuel prices (provided by 100LL.com) to AOPA's Airport Directory Online, so you can look for the least expensive fuel wherever you're flying.

I also ask questions to gauge your feelings about general aviation's future. And the answers have been very gratifying, because your feelings mirror my own optimism--more than 80 percent of you predict that five years from now, you'll be flying as much, if not more, than you do now. You are concerned about the loss of general aviation airports. That has been a consistent theme for more than a decade, and it's why we created the AOPA Airport Support Network--and why your association has always fought so hard whenever a GA airport is threatened.

There is another question that concerns me, and I would like your help in answering it. This past year the pilot population dropped below 600,000 for the first time since 1966--and it's still dropping. This alarming decline threatens the long-term viability of general aviation. It's a challenge we can't tackle alone, but I'm convinced that one of you may hold the answer. After all, many of AOPA's most innovative and successful programs have started with one seed of an idea from a member like you.

I know that flying is important to you, and ask that you take five minutes to complete a short online survey. It's designed to capture your ideas and opinions on how AOPA might address the problem. You may have the idea that makes the difference. No good idea will be overlooked. I thank you in advance for your thoughts on this important subject, and look forward to working with you to find an answer to this troubling question.

Go online today and share your ideas.