President's Position: Hats off to you

I’ve stood before Congress, businesses, universities, and intrepid aviators all over the country preaching the good word of general aviation. While it comes with the territory, advocating for GA is as rewarding as it gets, and I am honored to be the voice for you—our AOPA membership.

Most recently I was asked to deliver (virtually, of course) a commencement speech to flight students graduating from California Aeronautical University’s prestigious aviation program. In the past, my speeches to students frequently mentioned Boeing’s Pilot and Technician Outlook, which reflected the global demand for airline pilots and an impending shortage of professionals in aviation. But that was before 2020 wreaked havoc on the airlines and threw a wrench in the industry. News of furloughs, route cuts, and an overall sense of uncertainty have many students questioning their postgrad choices.

My advice to CAU graduates, as it is for every new pilot, is to look at each setback as a learning opportunity. Perseverance is an underrated characteristic and one that will take you very far in life. Learning to fly is a life-changing event and a lifelong skill. There is every indication that the airline industry will see growth again within a couple of years. So, while the immediate future may be a little murkier than it was a year ago, I am confident that with perseverance today’s graduates will see rewarding futures in aviation.

When I see these aspiring professionals eager to start their careers, it’s impossible not to reflect on my own flight training journey at home in Minnesota. As pilots, we’ve all been in the same spot—finessing our maneuvers, building hours, and gaining confidence to do what we love. I was fortunate to support myself through flight training, but I know not all are as lucky. In fact, many pilots wouldn’t be left seat in an Airbus, flying for a corporation or a charter company, currently training to be a CFI, or taking an introductory flight lesson without the generosity of others. Thankfully, so many in our industry are extremely passionate about aviation—and their generosity shows.

When I became AOPA president seven years ago, one of my goals was to stay true to our mission to ensure GA has a viable future for generations to come. If you’ve read our magazines or been on our media channels, you’ve probably heard of our You Can Fly program, which aims to make flying more accessible and affordable. Attracting younger generations, like high schoolers, is key if we want our industry to not only to survive, but thrive.

What you may not know is that AOPA’s You Can Fly program is made possible through donations to the AOPA Foundation. Kudos to our team, because despite a challenging fundraising year with no face-to-face events, we raised more than $2.7 million—securing a matching grant of $2.5 million from the Ray Foundation, for a grand total of $5.2 million for You Can Fly. More than 4,400 individual donors and AOPA members contributed to this goal. To all of them, I say thank you.

AOPA’s You Can Fly program, which consists of four initiatives—High School, Flight Training, Flying Clubs, and Rusty Pilots—has already made significant progress. Thanks to the program, more than 8,500 students in 38 states are participating in the high school aviation STEM curriculum this school year; more than 150 flying clubs have been started; $1 million has been allocated for flight training scholarships in each of the past few years; and, this year alone, more than 700 rusty pilots have returned to the sky. Our sights are set on the initiatives’ long-term goals, including reaching 10,000 high school students per year with the High School Aviation STEM Curriculum, reducing the student pilot dropout rate, and helping 10,000 flight training students with flight training support through an app tailored to their individual experiences. Growing the number of pilots in the AOPA Flying Club Network to more than 10,000, and getting 15,000 lapsed pilots back in the air, are also future goals of the program.

With all that’s been accomplished, it’s safe to say AOPA’s You Can Fly program is a huge success and every dollar has made a difference in an aviator’s life. Fueling the future of GA takes a little dedication and a lot of generosity. I cannot begin to thank our members and donors enough for being a part of the community that keeps GA alive and well. And while there are tough times ahead for the aviation sector, the GA community has a tight bond that will take far more than a global pandemic to break. Hats off to you—and hats off to those graduates entering our field.

Email mark@aopa.org