AOPA Fly-Ins: Go on, Kick the Tires

For $99, private sellers of piston aircraft can park their aircraft in the corral, located near show center. They can help buyers work out the details of a possible purchase using the information in a package prepared by AOPA that includes an estimate of the value of the aircraft from valuation service Vref; an insurance quote from AOPA Insurance; and financing details from AOPA Aviation Finance—each estimate derived for the serial-number-specific aircraft for sale.

“With Aircraftforsale.com Sellers Corral, buyers and sellers can connect only a short walk from the fly-in’s main stage and show center,” said Michael Woods, aviation event planner and manager of the AOPA National Aviation Community Center. “With the sellers package from AOPA’s Ownership Services, a prospective buyer gets a clear picture of what the aircraft is worth and what it will cost to buy it and fly it.”

Space will be limited to 25 aircraft. Register soon to show your aircraft and connect with prospective buyers at the Aircraftforsale.com Sellers Corral at an AOPA Fly-In near you.

Events: The 6-percent solution

Women introduce women to flying

By Dennis K. Johnson

It’s hard to imagine in the seventeenth year of the twenty-first century that women still make up only about 6 percent of the total pilot population in the United States. Because of this gloomy statistic, a few of the current 6 percent—with a bit of help from the 94 percent—are working to improve that number by providing young girls and women an introduction to aviation through airport events, including free introductory flights. This all-volunteer organization, Women Can Fly, is based in Virginia with the goal to “encourage women to fly recreationally or pursue a career in aviation.”

Linda Mathias, a CFI and pilot examiner from Norfolk, Virginia, came up with the idea for aviation events targeted to women after a discussion with Randall Burdette, the director of the Virginia Department of Aviation. Together, they organized the first Women Can Fly event in 2013, held at Warrenton-Fauquier Airport, a rural airport 50 miles south of Washington, D.C. The event was co-sponsored by The Ninety-Nines Inc. (International Organization of Women Pilots), the Virginia Department of Aviation, and Warrenton-Fauquier Airport. Other WCF events followed that summer at Hampton Roads Executive Airport and Lynchburg Regional Airport. So far, this has been solely a Virginia program, but the organizers would like to expand it state by state until it reaches across the country.

“This number of women as pilots has been stuck at 6 percent for longer than I can remember, and I’d like to see if we can increase the ranks of women pilots a bit,” said Mathias.

Visitors to a Women Can Fly event usually start at the static aircraft displays, where they can sit in a cockpit while the airplane owner explains and demonstrates the flight controls and instruments. This is a good introduction for those women who are hesitant to fly, or just want to know more before they take off on a flight. Flight simulators may also be available, where participants can learn more about the cockpit instruments and how an airplane flies.

Women at the event may take a complimentary flight in a private airplane flown by volunteer pilots who enjoy sharing the thrill of flight. Before takeoff, passengers receive a briefing in which the basics of flying an airplane are discussed, plus the required safety procedures and possible use of the airsickness bag.

“We have some women who approach flying in a small plane with trepidation, but after the flight their grin is ear to ear,” said Mathias.

After the flight, women can attend a workshop detailing how they might become pilots. Topics include explanations of the various pilot certificates, how much training is needed, and the cost. Representatives from the airlines and the military, as well as business and recreational aviation organizations, are available to discuss aviation’s diverse career opportunities.

Throughout the daylong event, women pilots and aviation professionals such as air traffic controllers are eager to speak one on one about their flying experiences and to answer questions.

Women Can Fly provided 619 rides to potential female pilots last year and more than 2,000 throughout the past four years of the program.

Dennis K. Johnson is a freelance writer and pilot living in New York City.