President's Position: You Can Fly takes off

If you’re a regular reader, you know I write often about the importance of growing and strengthening the general aviation community. That’s an idea that’s close to my heart and, I believe, one that’s critical to the future of GA.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to building our community. That’s why, about a year ago, we created an umbrella program that would allow us to simultaneously pursue many different approaches.

We called it You Can Fly.

Under the You Can Fly umbrella, we gathered programs to support flying clubs, encourage best practices in flight training, get lapsed pilots back in the air, bring AOPA’s resources and expertise to pilot groups across the country, help high school students learn more about aviation opportunities, and make flying more accessible and affordable.

What makes You Can Fly so special is not just the variety of programs it encompasses, but also the rigor with which they’re managed and evaluated. We want to tangibly move the needle when it comes to getting people flying and keeping them flying, and to do that we need to measure our achievements so we can focus our resources on what works. I want to share some of those measurements with you now.

All around the country there are pilots who’ve stopped flying for one reason or another. Many want to get back in the air, but where to start? AOPA answered that question with Rusty Pilot seminars designed to help lapsed pilots get current on regulations, procedures, and more. Attending a seminar is free and qualifies for the ground portion of the flight review. Many of the events are hosted by flight schools, making it easy to sign up for some flight training at the same time. In 2015 alone, we held 103 Rusty Pilot seminars. More than 3,500 people took part, and 26 percent of them report that they are back in the left seat. Since the program started in 2014, we’ve helped more than 1,200 pilots return to active flying status.

To build a community, make aircraft more accessible, and make flying more affordable, we’ve been working to support flying clubs. Through our Flying Clubs Initiative, we helped start 10 new flying clubs in 2015 and worked with dozens of other groups to help them grow, improve operations, or begin the formation process. We’ve also launched free scheduling software that allows clubs in AOPA’s Flying Club Network to schedule aircraft and instructors, create invoices, and accept credit card payments. And we’ve improved the Flying Club Finder, making it easier than ever to find the perfect club based not only on location but also on the types of aircraft, services, and amenities offered.

The AOPA You Can Fly Ambassadors have a big role to play, too. We started with just two full-time ambassadors who spend their days visiting airports in their regions, talking to pilots, meeting with flight schools and clubs, hosting educational seminars, and generally bringing AOPA’s resources to the pilot community. They were so successful in 2015 that we recently added a third full-time ambassador and have plans to expand the program further in 2016.

Our Flight Training Initiative helps newcomers to aviation have a positive training experience by sharing information about best practices and recognizing the very best flight schools and instructors. This year AOPA received more than 7,100 responses to a survey asking students about their training experiences, and from those responses we identified top schools and CFIs nationwide to receive Flight Training Excellence Awards. In December 2015, we recognized the winners at an awards ceremony at AOPA’s headquarters (see “Flight Training Winners Announced,” p. 46).

The most recent addition to the You Can Fly program is the AOPA High School Initiative, designed to bring aviation education into high schools nationwide. My first formal aviation education came when I took a ground school class in high school, and I’m excited to work with educators to bring similar opportunities to a new generation of young people.

We held our first High School Aviation Symposium in November 2015, and more than 150 educators, administrators, pilots, and aviation industry leaders took part. It was a chance to share ideas, learn about the value of adding aviation education to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs, and discuss opportunities to start or grow aviation education programs.

The numbers tell the story. You Can Fly is making a difference for the future of general aviation. Of course, this is just the first chapter. There’s a lot more to be done, and we’re committed to growing the program, trying new things, measuring the results, and keeping you informed.

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AOPA President Mark Baker sold his van while in college to buy his first airplane, a Cessna 150.