President's Perspective

The new LetsGoFlying.com Web site

As pilots--and yes, this includes you student pilots reading this--we all have something in common. It's more basic than a love of flying or a fascination with aircraft. Before we ever took a first flying lesson, someone--or something--got us out to an airport. Without that critical first step, we never could have experienced flight firsthand, and the idea of taking flying lessons would be inconceivable.

I'm willing to bet, as I mentioned in this space a few months ago, that one of the biggest thrills in your life has been the experience of learning to fly. Even today, I clearly remember my introductory flight in a general aviation airplane. And while actually flying the airplane was overwhelming, there was also that spark: "Hey, I can do this! I can be a pilot!"

There's no better way to hook potential new pilots than to show them what general aviation is all about. Think back to your first flight experience. What was it that brought you to the airport so that you could sample aviation? Perhaps a friend, a co-worker, or a family member who is a pilot invited you to accompany him on a flight.

Unfortunately, not everyone is lucky enough to receive such an offer. Earlier this year, when we asked you for ideas on how AOPA could convince more people to take up flying, you told us that we need to do a better job of explaining how useful flying can be. You also said it's critical to get a prospective pilot out to the airport so that he or she can experience flight firsthand (see "President's Perspective: Let's Go Flying," August 2008 AOPA Flight Training).

We recently launched a new Web site, www.LetsGoFlying.com, to help us get the word out. It communicates several messages, which rotate on its main page, that convey the value a pilot certificate can provide. "How was your commute today?" shows a light airplane cruising above an urban cityscape. "Get away--far, far away" is accompanied by a photo of a couple relaxing in a hammock, within view of the airplane that made their escape possible. "A mile of runway can get you anywhere" depicts a biplane landing on a runway atop a desert butte. And we are using the most effective Web marketing techniques to promote this site. It has gained traction quickly, with visitors after just one month already well ahead of projections.

Borrowing from the structure of a Web page you've probably already visited, AOPA Flight Training Online's Student tab--with information that is arranged by where you are in your training--LetsGoFlying.com is organized into three main content areas that follow the decision process for learning to fly: Dreaming of Flying, Ready to Start, and Already in Training. Dreaming of Flying presents all the options, including helicopters, gliders, hot air balloons, and ultralights, to name a few. It offers many reasons why someone might choose to learn to fly, including some you may never have considered. An interesting calculator shows how far you can fly in one, two, and three hours if you're flying a single-engine training airplane, a high-performance piston airplane, or a light jet. Don't have a destination in mind? The calendar of airshows and aviation events will give you plenty of ideas.

Ready to Start provides you with the information you need to know in order to chart your own course into the world of aviation. This section presents eight easy steps to get started in flight training, and helps you to explore the entry-level pilot certificates--private pilot, recreational pilot, and sport pilot. Depending on the kind of flying you want to do, you may not even need a private pilot certificate, at least not right away. Assess the time and cost of each. You can even search for a flight school.

If you currently use the AOPA Flight Training Online site, you'll find the Already In Training pages to be very familiar. The LetsGoFlying.com site even has its own blog--be sure to check it out, and make a post about your own training experiences. The site is still a work in progress, and more rich content and social media opportunities are on the way.

As LetsGoFlying.com grows and evolves, we hope it will become the single online destination for all potential pilots. It will be exciting, engaging, and entertaining. And it will show how people use general aviation for business, family travel, challenge, and adventure. But the Web site is not all we will be doing. We will be testing member-generated ideas well into next year, including how to get prospective pilots out to the airport, incentives for taking that first flight, the use of key influencers to spread the word, a robust public relations campaign, and more. So, if you believe that somebody you know is interested in learning to fly, introduce him or her to LetsGoFlying.com--and then invite that person to the airport and see to it that they go flying!

Visit AOPA's new Let's Go Flying Web site.