President's Perspective

A proud legacy of Seven Zero years

Early in your flight training, perhaps even before your first lesson, your instructor will caution you to always "First, fly the airplane." As a beginner, you might wonder what he or she means, or consider the advice to be painfully obvious. You'll soon learn how easy it can be to focus on an air traffic controller's radioed question, for example, and find your airplane climbing or descending while you're transmitting an answer. First, fly the airplane! This important reminder not to allow yourself to be distracted is really the key to safe flying.

I was reminded of that by a friend and fellow pilot as we were talking about the nation's economy, our challenging role in the world, and the unknowns of a new administration under President Barack Obama. "Do what you've always done," he said. "Fly the airplane!"

What an appropriate metaphor for the threats and challenges we face today in general aviation, particularly if we change it a little to "First, fly AOPA!"

Although you may be new to AOPA, the association has been there for its members through good times and tough times. I've been a member for some 36 years, but this association is 70 years young! Think about that. AOPA was established in the bleakest of times. We were in the midst of the Great Depression, the country was about to go to war, and the government was about to ban GA flying. Our visionary founders realized that the economy would recover and so would general aviation, but GA needed a strong organization to nurture and protect it. AOPA was founded in 1939 to defend and promote general aviation, and to be a strong advocate for the citizens' right to fly.

Seventy years later-Seven Zero in pilot speak-the story is much the same. The economy will recover, and history shows that GA starts its recovery sometime after the general economy's. With your continued membership support, AOPA has the solid resources to nurture and defend GA even during these downtimes.

We're all worried about the economy. The aviation industry has been particularly hard hit. Many manufacturers have scaled back production and furloughed or laid off employees. You've probably cut back your personal spending, and maybe even your flying. The storm ahead looks very dark, but it will break. And I don't think I'm being naively optimistic.

When I first joined AOPA in 1973, the nation was in a recession. Remember the oil crisis? GA recovered with the rest of the nation. When I came to Washington, D.C., in 1981 with President Ronald Reagan, the nation was once again in recession. Back then it was more than the general economy that was dragging down GA, but with some heavy lifting from AOPA, particularly the support for the General Aviation Revitalization Act, the industry came back again.

But consider the ultimate optimists, those Philadelphia lawyers and businessmen who founded AOPA in the midst of the Great Depression. And Seven Zero is an ongoing reminder that no matter what, general aviation continues, and AOPA is there for you and GA through good times and bad.

I had the AOPA staff do some research, and history tells us that GA follows the general economy. As consumer confidence starts to pick up, the number of new pilot certificates follows about 18 months later. Aircraft manufacturing lags a growing economy by about 18 months as well. So we will come back.

And in some ways, things aren't so bad right now. Fuel prices have dropped significantly and insurance rates have declined as well. Many flight schools that imposed fuel surcharges last year have removed them, and some schools have even reduced their hourly aircraft rental rates. This may sound crazy, but if you have the money, right now's a pretty good time to learn to fly. Aircraft prices have declined, which makes buying a used aircraft more affordable-according to AOPA's online aircraft valuation tool, powered by Vref, a typical 1980 Cessna 152 would run you around $20,000.

But even if you've had to cut back or cut out your flight training for the moment, I hope you'll keep your passion for general aviation. Stay connected, stay informed, stay interested. More than ever, AOPA will be there to keep you informed and involved. You'll be seeing much more on our Web site, including new blogs from me and AOPA's magazine writers and editors. And our new Aviation eBrief with all the news about GA five times a week will be available free to everyone.

And already there are some encouraging signs. During a recent visit to Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina, I saw Greensboro Community College's investment in new facilities and educational faculty to meet current and future demand for a skilled aviation workforce. The school is quickly moving to triple the size of its aerospace training program to 450 students a year from 150 today. And it's adding specialized training in avionics and composite testing as well.

For Seven Zero years, AOPA has been there for you, and we will continue to be there for you and to support your passion for aviation. So with the challenges ahead, I hope you will first "Fly AOPA!"