President’s Position: Your AOPA Summit

During the course of the year, AOPA creates and participates in gatherings across the country where we interact with our members, share flying stories, and talk about the issues that affect our general aviation community. There is one gathering that, for us, represents the pinnacle of our annual outreach activity—the AOPA Aviation Summit.

Your AOPA team plans all year for this multiday event. We build strong educational sessions. We work to ensure you’ll have access to the most informative and interesting exhibitors inside the convention center and out at a vibrant general aviation airport. And we build opportunities for leaders in the general aviation community to join in meaningful conversations about the future.

I like the AOPA Summit precisely because it represents our greatest effort to gather our members in one place for valuable interaction and engagement. And, while we work hard to ensure that the experience is exceptional for thousands of attendees, we also work hard to include those who can’t take part by sharing share the highlights of the AOPA Aviation Summit.

We’ll give you special coverage in ePilot during the show, and we’ll wrap it all up with a story in AOPA Pilot following the event. And, of course, you’ll want to see everything that’s happening on AOPA Live This Week. In fact, AOPA Live was launched at our Summit meeting in 2009 through a grant from a donor who wanted to help us enhance the perception of general aviation by reaching a larger audience, and each year AOPA Live attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world.

This year AOPA Summit will be held in the middle of the country for the first time in a long time. Many of you have asked me through the years when it would happen. Well, it is happening this October in a very big way, which is the only way they do things in Texas! We will be in Fort Worth from October 10 through 12, and you can expect great things from our event and this lively city.

Whether you spend a day with us or the better part of a week, the Fort Worth community is ready to make this a great experience for each of us. We are excited to have built a large and first-rate group of presenters for our extensive seminar offerings. We’ve also lined up an impressive group of exhibitors at the convention center. Additionally, Airportfest at Fort Worth Meacham International Airport will provide an exceptional opportunity to get out and see what is new in GA.

While there is no substitute for experiencing all that is happening firsthand, the entire event will be covered by our ever-present AOPA Live team as well as our editors, who will file stories and interviews throughout Summit.

One guarantee I’ll offer is that there will be no shortage of interesting activities for you and your family to experience:

From mogas pilots to the Jet A crowd, Summit’s top-quality programs connect you one-on-one with experts who can help you get the most from your flying. They’ll share information you can put to use immediately to boost safety, manage costs, and find new ways to enjoy general aviation.

Summit is the place to plan your next equipment upgrade, buy the hottest gear, and learn about the newest apps that your friends are using. The Exhibit Hall will bring you 400 live-action opportunities to reach out and try things, talk with pros, and make money-saving deals.

Then, it’s out to the airport to climb into some great airplanes and enjoy live music, speakers, and learn-to-fly displays. This is a great place to introduce friends and family members to the fun of general aviation.

After three days of serious aviator focus at the AOPA Summit, enjoy serious fun in Fort Worth. From zebras, ghosts, and Picassos to meteorites, rodeos, and the Cowboy Hall of Fame, you can turn a few days into a fabulous vacation.

This will truly be a special AOPA Summit in a unique location that is easy to get to—and very GA friendly. Online registration is open now, and you’ll have access to money-saving packages by making your plans early. We can even save you money on hotels, airfare, and rental cars. Make your plans to drop in for a visit and become part of the action this October.