Waypoints: Playing the Long Game

Usually followed by their solution. If only everyone would [fill in the blank], the problem would be solved. One example: All they need to do is produce a new four-seat 180-knot airplane for $65,000 and aviation will snap back to the grand days of 1975.

I’m still waiting for they to show up. Whoever they are, they sure are missing an opportunity.

In a recent exchange, a member was lamenting the antiquated business practices of aviation companies and the restrictions placed upon businesses at airports. Open the gates to anyone who comes along and prices will come down, he assured. Those things would help. However, there’s no one thing (or two things) we can do to stop the 30-year decline in the pilot population or to revitalize the 45-year-old GA fleet.

However, there are many opportunities to systematically improve the GA environment to keep it vibrant in the twenty-first century. While working to improve the near term, AOPA also has its eye on the long game through investments in the You Can Fly initiatives.

Educating youth and preparing them for careers in aviation is fundamental to the You Can Fly high school curriculum project, which is gaining momentum. Dozens of high schools will test the ninth-grade curriculum this fall. Hundreds of schools have expressed an interest and will adopt it once it is released nationally. Meanwhile, tenth-, eleventh-, and twelfth-grade curricula are being developed for rollout in upcoming years.

The You Can Fly Flight School initiative is recognizing flight schools and CFIs who do a good job of getting and keeping students. The program is also developing tools and training to help schools and CFIs succeed. Assuring students have a quality flight training experience can go a long way in turning around the population decline. Many start training, but too few complete it.

Cost, of course, is the most frequently cited reason for the decline in aviation. One of the best ways to reduce costs is to join a flying club, where your hourly operating rate plummets compared to that of individual ownership. The side benefit is a much more social flying experience.

Recognizing the importance of a robust flying club network, You Can Fly is supporting existing clubs and fostering new ones. The AOPA flying club network supports more than 800 clubs (and there are more than 1,500 clubs in our flying club finder), with AOPA assisting in the creation of more than a dozen new ones already this year.

When more people fly more often, businesses thrive; safety improves; airplanes are healthier. To that end, the You Can Fly Rusty Pilots program is looking to re-engage with the 500,000 pilots who have not flown in years or decades. And it’s working. Thousands of pilots are flying today who weren’t 18 months ago, after they have completed one of the three-hour Rusty Pilots ground school courses, usually conveniently conducted at a flight school. Many sign up for the flight review on the spot.

The You Can Fly initiatives are funded by donors to the AOPA Foundation, freeing up member dues revenue to tackle shorter-term initiatives that support day-to-day flying.

One of the most significant recent efforts includes the implementation of third class medical reform in the form of BasicMed, which dramatically simplifies getting a medical certificate for many pilots while lowering costs for them as well. As of this writing, some 10,000 pilots are flying under BasicMed—just since May 1.

Regarding day-to-day costs, members have made it clear in recent months how fed up they are with egregious FBO fees (see “President’s Position: Merger Fever,” page 6), the rapid increase in fees frequently related to consolidation in the FBO business. AOPA has reminded numerous local airport owners of their responsibility to assure fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory pricing. The result in several cases has led to efforts to recruit a competitive FBO on the field or, in some cases, replacing an existing FBO with one that will charge competitive rates. There’s lots more to come on this issue.

Convincing the FAA to modify its certification policies has led to the approval for installation of numerous non-TSO’d products in certified airplanes, helping to lower costs for owners and to modernize the aging fleet.

While none of these tailwinds is a complete solution, collectively they will begin to make a difference for general aviation today and tomorrow.

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