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 (ft.aopa.org). 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.

Fall flying: You can't beat it

Summer may be peak travel season, but when it comes to flying, fall is fantastic. The temperatures are cooling, which means the air is smoother and cockpits are more comfortable. The leaves are turning colors in the northern states, providing unparalleled leaf-peeping opportunities, and there are football games, homecoming weekends, and many new destinations to explore.

Whether you are a new private pilot planning a weekend getaway, or a student pilot aiming to take your flight instructor to a new $100 hamburger destination, AOPA has numerous tools to help you get to where you want to go.

Plan your trip with AOPA's Internet Flight Planner. This easy-to-use Web-based program will illustrate fuel burns, time to waypoints, wind correction, magnetic variation, and groundspeed. It's a great way to back up the flight planning you do with chart, pencil, and plotter.

Have you selected your destination airport? AOPA's Airport Directory Online provides preflight information on the nation's public and private-use airports, along with taxi diagrams; fuel prices; and contact information for fixed-base operators, flight schools, and repair facilities. Both tools are free to AOPA members, including those with free six-month AOPA Flight Training introductory memberships.

If your trip involves an overnight stay, AOPA's Online Travel Service offers deals on lodging, cruises, vacation packages, and other travel needs. And AOPA members also get special discounts on car rentals with Alamo, Avis, Enterprise, and Hertz.