President's Position: More than flying

And while many pilots like myself are beginning to think about when to make the transition from floats and tires to skis, we are also getting ready to gather with family and friends for Thanksgiving. The holiday gives us an annual opportunity to take stock of the past year and offer our gratitude to those who helped us along the way.

Nothing we do would be possible without our members, and your dues are going a long way to preserving and promoting the freedom to fly. I know many of you share a deep commitment to the future of aviation, which is why we have seen such an incredible outpouring of support in the form of contributions to the AOPA Foundation.

Thanks to this year’s You Can Fly Challenge by the Ray Foundation, the AOPA Foundation raised more than $3.6 million from 3,800 generous donors. We are so grateful for supporters who believe in what we do and understand how important it is to fuel the future of general aviation.

Both the AOPA Air Safety Institute and You Can Fly operate because of donations made to the AOPA Foundation. The money raised will continue to support growing initiatives and programming such as the AOPA High School Aviation STEM Curriculum that is educating more than 2,000 ninth-graders across the country. You Can Fly is on track to exceed 2017’s goal of 30 new flying clubs for the year. And at our Santa Fe Fly-In this September, we recognized the 5,000th graduate of the Rusty Pilots program getting back into the air; we are already closing in on 6,000 since the program’s inception.

Each accomplishment we achieve together reinforces my passion for aviation and our great community of pilots.The AOPA Air Safety Institute has played a significant role in helping to make GA safer than ever. We’ve experienced another record-setting year, seeing a decrease in the overall and fatal accident rates. The twenty-seventh Joseph T. Nall Report showed that the overall accident rate has decreased even with a 3.6-percent increase in flight activity, and the number of fatal accidents decreased by 4 percent. So, we’re flying more and safer, something I know we’re all thankful for.

I am also thankful for all the pilots who are saving money and avoiding red tape thanks to third class medical reform. In the past year and a half more than 40,000 pilots have gone airborne under BasicMed. According to projections by the Office of Aviation Policy and Plans, BasicMed will save pilots an estimated $67.7 million through 2026 because of reduced medical certification costs. BasicMed has given the power back to the pilots so they can determine their own fitness to fly with the help of their personal physician. Third class medical reform took years to pass, and all the effort has paid off. For that I am thankful.

We also wouldn’t be where we are today without the more than 200,000 members and supporters who contacted Congress to oppose the so-called privatization of air traffic control. The airlines came closer than ever before to taking over ATC, but thanks to your calls and letters, we were able to stop it.

Looking back at all the achievements we’ve shared throughout my past five years with AOPA, none of it would have been possible without the dedication of our staff in Washington, D.C.; Frederick, Maryland; and across the country. I am fortunate to work with the best in the business and appreciate every member of every team. Our staff is so passionate about the work we do and that makes my job that much easier. And for that I am thankful.

As the saying goes, “If you find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” I am fortunate to work in an industry that I’ve been passionate about for a long time. Being able to wake up every day and make a positive impact on the way people fly is something that makes me truly grateful. Each accomplishment we achieve together reinforces my passion for aviation and our great community of pilots—and for that I am thankful.

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