AOPA Services

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is general aviation's advocate and the largest, most influential aviation association in the world. Its membership of more than 414,000 comprises nearly two-thirds of all pilots in the United States. Visit and bookmark our Web site designed especially to serve the information needs of student pilots. All AOPA Flight Training members, including those with free six-month introductory memberships, have full access to AOPA's resources, including the members-only areas of AOPA Flight Training Online and AOPA Online.

Help is just a call away

If you had a flight instructor on call, like you do a doctor, what would you ask him or her? How to make a good crosswind landing? How to judge a flare so that your touchdowns aren’t so bumpy? Which headset to use? Or do you have a specific question for which you can’t find an answer in the federal aviation regulations?

Luckily, you do have a flight instructor on call—make that 12 flight instructors. They’re part of AOPA’s Pilot Information Center staff, made up of pilots, flight instructors, and aircraft owners, all available to answer your aviation questions.

The Pilot Information Center, or PIC, encompasses AOPA’s Medical Certification Department, which has two medical specialists, one medical coordinator, and a director of medical certification on call to answer your questions or concerns related to your medical certificate. They’re all available by telephone (800-USA-AOPA) weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern, and you can also send an e-mail (pilot [email protected]) any time.

Don’t forget to check the online Pilot Information Center at AOPA Online, where you’ll find frequently asked questions and answers on a variety of popular aviation topics, such as international flying, planning a flight, advanced flight training, medical certification, and becoming a pilot.