President's Position: A family affair

Walking around the flight line and seeing the iconic brown arch signals we’ve arrived at our annual family reunion—minus the clashing personalities, political debates, and opinionated Uncle Earl. To the average bystander, it’s just another airshow, but to pilots and aviation enthusiasts, it’s the homecoming we’ve been waiting for.

Arriving at Oshkosh is a rite of passage. Whether it’s your first time or you’ve been coming for the past 50 years, it’s an exhilarating tradition. Aircraft from every decade, thrilling aerobatic airshows, educational workshops and seminars, and one unforgettable campground. It’s the get-together of a lifetime, but it’s the people that lure us back year after year. They’re the family we never knew we had.

Just as family reunions come with a cast of characters from all walks of life, EAA AirVenture is host to hundreds of aircraft of all different types.

Take the vintage aircraft. They’re like our grandparents reminding us of our history and eras past. Then there’s the popular crowd, the Cessnas and Pipers—classics in most GA families. The aerobatic aircraft are like the jocks of aviation; they live to show off and compete. Then there are the tech-savvy drones, the newest addition to our airspace. We’ll call them the millennials.

No matter what you fly or what aircraft you’re passionate about, there are thousands more like you, just waiting to hang out at Oshkosh. I’ve learned the best way to keep in touch with these friends throughout the year is by joining a type club or a local flying club.

I’ve been a regular at AirVenture over the decades—long before I became president of AOPA—and I am constantly amazed at the magnitude of our GA community. Wide-eyed kids gazing up at the aerobatic performers pulling negative Gs takes me back to when I first found the spark. My childhood was spent riding my bike to the local airport and bumming rides off anyone who would take me flying. I later got my wings in my twenties and have never looked back.

But flying is often an elusive dream to those who don’t come from an aviation background. Someone planted the aviation seed in me, and as flight instructors, airport managers, performers, or casual weekend fliers, it’s up to us to spark that enthusiasm in someone else. There are so many opportunities and thrills that come with being a part of this tight-knit community, so it’s a bit alarming to read headline after headline of an impending pilot shortage.

Thankfully the numbers are heading in the right direction. The number of original certificates, active aircraft, new aircraft shipments, and AOPA memberships have increased over the past two years. In 2018, the number of student pilot certificates issued was up 18 percent; private certificates were up 17 percent; and commercial certificates up 16 percent.

Many of the positive trends can be attributed to organizations striving to make flying more accessible and affordable. Some 55,000 pilots are now flying under BasicMed, the simpler aviation medical program. AOPA’s You Can Fly program is improving experiences for pilots and encouraging them to stay active. You Can Fly’s Rusty Pilots initiative has seen huge success in getting more than 7,000 lapsed pilots back in the air.

From older pilots to younger pilots, it’s clear You Can Fly is making a difference. You Can Fly’s High School Aviation STEM curriculum will be implemented in more than 160 schools for the 2019-2020 school year; 141 schools will be teaching the ninth grade courses and 118 schools will be teaching the tenth grade courses. The curriculum introduces students to careers in aviation and shows them the dream is within reach.

But AOPA isn’t working alone to build our pilot population. We are working collaboratively with other organizations, industry leaders, and community groups to attract more people to aviation and keep flying exciting. It also helps when we see generous donations pouring in to support work done through the AOPA Foundation and the Ray Foundation, which supports all of these initiatives helping us attract new pilots.

AOPA has never strayed from its mission to make flying safe, fun, and affordable, but we can’t do it alone. It’s up to us as individuals to introduce friends, family, and kids to aviation and show them what is attainable. Would you be where you are today if someone hadn’t introduced you to aviation? It’s time we invite as many as we can to our next family reunion, whether it’s “the World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration”; the AOPA regional fly-in at Tullahoma, Tennessee, in September; or just your neighborhood airport. We can all make a difference.

Email [email protected]