President's Position: It’s up to us

AOPA’s You Can Fly program is helping to change that story.

We’re showing young people that there’s a place for them in aviation, and giving them the tools to get there. We’re showing pilots and aviation enthusiasts that flying can be more affordable and accessible than they thought. And we’re even showing lapsed pilots that it’s never too late to get back in the air (see “Always Vigilant,” p. 78).

To help students discover the possibilities available in the world of aviation, the You Can Fly program is delivering a rigorous high school aviation science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curriculum with a range of options for aspiring aviators. Through the curriculum, students are exposed to piloting, aerospace engineering, and drones. We’ve already field-tested the ninth-grade program with more than 700 students, and those courses will be available to all high schools during the 2018-2019 school year. Additional courses for grades 10 through 12 will become available in each of the next three years—all at no cost to the schools.

To help students complete a private pilot certificate, we’re also offering student pilots—current or aspiring—generous scholarships to help cover the costs. This year, AOPA will award $5,000 scholarships to at least 20 deserving teens.

We’re looking far into the future to ensure programs like this are around for the aviators of tomorrow.When it’s time to start flight training, we’re helping students of all ages find great schools and instructors. Through the Flight Training Experience Survey and Awards, we’re identifying and recognizing training providers that are doing it right. In 2017, we reviewed more than 1,000 flight schools and 2,000 instructors, and awarded 89 schools and 71 CFIs with top honors. If you’ve taken lessons within the past year—whether as a primary student or for an advanced rating—we want your feedback (www.aopa.org/ftsurvey).

Once you’ve earned your certificate, we’re finding ways to make it more affordable to keep flying. Through our Flying Club Finder (www.aopa.org/flyingclubfinder), we’re helping pilots connect to hundreds of existing flying clubs across the country. We’ve also helped 80 new clubs get off the ground. With a built-in community and the ability to share expenses and airplanes, the only thing left for flying club members to do is fly.

When most pilots start flying, they never plan to stop. But sometimes life gets in the way. For pilots who have been out of the cockpit awhile, we’re making it easier to come back. The three-hour Rusty Pilots seminar offers a refresher to help lapsed pilots complete a flight review. More than 5,000 pilots are back to active flying status after completing our program. Sound like you? Sign up for a seminar this summer and we’ll have you back in the left seat in no time (www.aopa.org/rustypilots).

These four You Can Fly initiatives, and all the great resources available through the AOPA Air Safety Institute, are fully funded by donations to the AOPA Foundation. To keep the momentum going, we’re working to raise $1.4 million by July 25. If we’re successful, we will receive a generous matching donation from the James C. Ray Foundation.

That’s a critical short-term goal. But we’re also looking far into the future to ensure programs like this are around for the aviators of tomorrow. I’m personally making a commitment to that effort by including the AOPA Foundation in my estate planning. To recognize those who leave a bequest to the foundation, we’ve created the Legacy Society and constructed a new Legacy Court at our headquarters in Frederick, Maryland, where member names are memorialized.

Through our initiatives and charitable programs, we’re helping redefine what’s possible. It’s up to us to provide encouragement, support, and tools to help every enthusiast pursue their aviation dreams. These days, when someone tells me they wish they could learn to fly, my response is simple: You Can Fly!AOPA

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