You can fly: Skin in the game
Club members are owners, too
AOPA Fly-Ins
Fly-Ins expand
Skill-building activities added to events
AOPA Fly-Ins for 2017 will offer more to experience—from camping and camaraderie to workshops and clinics providing opportunities to learn new skills, fly more affordably, or make the jump from aircraft renter to owner.
The 2017 Fly-In schedule includes four events: Camarillo, California (April 28 and 29); Norman, Oklahoma (September 8 and 9); Groton, Connecticut (October 6 and 7); and Tampa, Florida (October 27 and 28). Each event features two full days of activities, including an expanded roster of learning opportunities and workshops beginning on the Friday of each event at 9 a.m.
“We’re listening to our members who have asked for more extensive content, and we’re excited to bring new things that will deepen relationships and expand your flying skills,” said AOPA Director of Outreach and Events Chris Eads. “This has been about us really listening to the members.”
Friday workshops are $105 for AOPA members and $155 for nonmembers; preregistration is required. Count on each to “take you to new places in your aviation experience,” Eads said, adding that attendees can look forward to learning about mountain flying, overwater flying, owner-performed maintenance, IFR refreshers, or other topics that will sharpen skills or build confidence.
Exhibits will open at 4 p.m. on Friday, and vendors will be available until 7 p.m. An exhibit hall happy hour is planned. The food, music, and fun of the Barnstormers Party concludes the day. Camping opportunities will also be expanded. Saturday's free events are the same as previous years.
In addition to expanded content on Friday, the regional fly-ins will also offer pilots and their families and friends the opportunity to use the new skills obtained during the event. For example, pilots who attend the first 2017 AOPA Fly-In in Camarillo, California, may have the chance to learn about overwater flying on Friday and put those skills to use Saturday afternoon with a fly-out to Catalina Island. AOPA will partner with other aviation groups such as type clubs to ensure these opportunities come to fruition—stay tuned as AOPA continues to finalize new fly-outs throughout the year.
A week before he died of a terminal illness, Lilly’s friend asked him to sell the 1963 Debonair, and to make sure the new owner cared for it as he had. That was a tall order.
Lilly, 64, already owned a Beech Bonanza. But he bought the Debonair himself, updated it, and formed the Beech Aero Club of Frederick, currently a five-member group in Maryland, to own, fly, and maintain it. He also rented a hangar and got a preheater, tug, and other ground-support equipment.
AOPA helped Lilly choose the corporate bylaws and ownership structure for the new club, and find affordable insurance.
“All those things were important, but the biggest thing AOPA did for me was convince me that there were other pilots out there who wanted to be involved and would make good partners,” said Lilly, founder and owner of a medical equipment services firm. “That gave me the confidence I needed to go forward.”
Lilly set the value of the airplane and support equipment at $70,000, and he sold shares for $10,000 each.
“It’s important that everyone have some skin in the game,” he said. “We’re all owners and not renters.”
The club has a president, treasurer, safety officer, maintenance officer, and vice president, and they divide ownership tasks to ensure everyone who flies the airplane, as well as the airplane itself, stays current. They also use their own Facebook page to stay in touch, share pictures, and make plans to attend aviation-themed social events.
The club’s bylaws require all pilots to participate in type-specific training events through the Beechcraft Pilot Proficiency Program (BPPP) every two years. And Lilly is reaching out to the American Bonanza Society to form other clubs using the same ownership structure.
“There are so many airplanes out there that owners love and want to keep, but just aren’t getting flown,” Lilly said. “Instead of having their airplanes become hangar queens, or leaving aviation completely, clubs can provide an alternative.
“New members help pay for hangar rent and insurance,” he said. “They fly and maintain the airplane, and if an owner loses his medical or stops flying temporarily, they’ll probably take [the owner] with them when they want to go someplace.”
Lilly soloed at age 16, served in the U.S. Air Force, and has owned GA aircraft individually most of his adult life. Working with the American Bonanza Society, he hopes to start at least three clubs a year.
“Every club keeps airplanes from falling into disuse, brings new pilots into aircraft ownership, and makes a positive impact on general aviation,” he said. “One little club by itself seems trivial, but many clubs all around the country can really change things for the better.”
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You Can Fly
The Flying Club Initiative is part of AOPA’s You Can Fly program, a collection of initiatives designed to get people flying and keep them flying. These initiatives support flying clubs, get lapsed pilots back in the air, encourage best practices in flight training, help high school students prepare for careers in aviation and aerospace, and bring AOPA’s resources and expertise to pilot groups across the country. Together, these programs are moving the needle when it comes to creating a vibrant and growing general aviation community.
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