2024 AOPA Annual Report

As your new president, I want to continue the great work of my colleagues and staff at AOPA. I have five goals that will guide me as we pursue excellence in 2025, and those goals are exemplified in the work my colleagues accomplished in 2024.

First, I want to deliver a great value for the cost of your
membership. Every day your association works tirelessly to take care of you as pilots and GA as an industry. Nowhere is this more exemplified than in the work of the AOPA Government Affairs and Advocacy team. Jim Coon and his staff put member needs first as they navigate the halls of Congress and the bureaucracy in state and local governments.

Second, we will continue to build our aviation communities, taking care of our members at every level. For example, our legal team protects and defends your rights as pilots. Third, we will continuously promote safety and make an accident-free future a real possibility through the remarkable work of Mike Ginter and the AOPA Air Safety Institute.

We will energize the next generation, especially through the AOPA Foundation and You Can Fly. I like what Senior Vice President Elizabeth Tennyson will tell you: This work is the most satisfying, helping others start, renew, and continue their passion for flying.

And, finally, we will continue to tell GA’s story. Kollin Stagnito and his staff are the standard bearers for a nearly 70-year-old icon in this industry—the venerable AOPA Pilot magazine and its many companion products, providing our members with the very best in aviation storytelling, news, and information, with a side of inspiring photography and video.

We usually think of a new year starting in January or a new beginning in the spring, but every day is a new opportunity for me to share the good news of GA. Here’s to continued blue skies!

[email protected]

Delivering a great value
Our efforts are paying off

By Jim Coon

 When we can say ‘signed by the president,’ we can say we’ve accomplished some lofty goals. Your advocacy teams in Washington, D.C., and across the states are hard at work defending general aviation and your freedom to fly.—Jim Coon

For AOPA, advocacy is more than just lobbying Congress or negotiating with the FAA. It’s about staying engaged with hundreds of state agencies and legislatures. It’s about maintaining a network of pilots to monitor thousands of airports. It’s about putting the combined weight of hundreds of thousands of pilots behind you. Jim Coon is the senior vice president of AOPA Government Affairs and Advocacy, bringing years of experience on Capitol Hill to the association.

Our accomplishments in 2024:

• Congress passed and the president signed into law the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. The five-year bill includes the first-ever GA title and authorizes an increase in funding for GA airports, expands BasicMed, ensures the availability of 100LL during a transition to an unleaded fuel, addresses the need to modernize FAA systems, and more.

• The National Institute of Lobbying and Ethics and The Hill recognized Jim Coon as a top 100 lobbyist for initiatives before Congress impacting GA. AOPA led and organized the National Celebration of General Aviation D.C. Flyover. This special event, which coincided with AOPA’s eighty-fifth anniversary, took place over one of Washington, D.C.’s most restricted flight zones. The event had the support of Congress and participation of 10 government agencies.

• AOPA helped reduce handling fees for piston operators at Signature Aviation.

• AOPA-U.S. hosted the thirtieth International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA) World Assembly in Washington, D.C. The biennial event brought together AOPA affiliates from across the globe to collaborate on issues impacting GA.

• AOPA advanced the adoption of standardized GA parking and FBO labels to be used on airport diagrams. FAA guidance on three terms (GA Parking Apron, GA Transient Apron, FBO Apron) are now available to airports.

• As prescribed by the 2023 Notam Improvement Act, the Task Force was established, with AOPA co-chairing one of the five subgroups. More than 40 recommendations were put forward by the Task Force and the final report finalized.

• AOPA worked with ForeFlight to have Letters to Airmen added to its product.

• AOPA successfully lobbied to increase the hours for screening GA aircraft flying between the Lower 48 and Alaska. Persistence from AOPA resulted in the FAA reaching an initial milestone of 1,000 active designated pilot examiners.

• Successfully advocated for the FAA to establish a DPE National Oversight Office to ensure consistent policy and oversight, selection, training, determination of need, activity level, and performance.

aopa.org/advocacy

Building our aviation community
There when you need us most

By Justine Harrison

In 2024, the Pilot Protection Services legal team helped PPS members with thousands of matters and created the largest array of new legal resources available in PPS history that members can use to make flying more affordable and accessible, while the Office of General Counsel continued to fight for a safe and smart transition to unleaded fuel and for the rights of GA users at public airports.—Justine Harrison

AOPA’s Pilot Protection Services helps when our members need it most. Our team of medical certification specialists, in-house lawyers, and nationwide network of aviation attorneys means you’ll never have to face the FAA alone. AOPA’s Legal Services Plan serves more than 66,000 members. Former general counsel Justine Harrison is a commercial pilot who built and flew her own AirCam.

Our accomplishments in 2024:

• PPS helped members with 5,340 legal matters of all types, from reviewing hangar leases and helping with aircraft purchases to defending certificates and more.

• Launched new after-hours PPS phone tree to help members who have had an accident/incident or have received a number to call from ATC, as well as those dealing with an emergency order of revocation, drug testing issues, or pilot deviations.

• Created new online template agreements for deed of gift (when you want to give your aircraft to someone), aircraft liability waivers for adults and minors (for passengers in your aircraft), statement in support of LLC aircraft registration with FAA, sample LLC operating agreement and dry lease (for aircraft co-owners who use an LLC), aircraft co-ownership agreement (for aircraft co-owners to hold title in their individual names), and 61.15 DUI reporting.

• Notable PPS panel attorney case victories for airmen against the FAA where the NTSB was critical of FAA investigations, process, and pursuit of charges.

• Sent legal letters to city and county attorneys at Florida airports that appeared to be colluding to implement landing fees, which would violate antitrust laws.

• Successfully countered Santa Clara County, California prohibiting the use of 100LL at its airports before an unleaded 100-octane fuel is available that works for all airport users’ aircraft.

• Filed Part 13 complaint against Clay County, Missouri, to protect the airport and its GA users.

• Provided aviation legal education for nearly 600 panel attorneys across the country.

• Provided aviation legal education for members in articles; presentations at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh; Buckeye, Arizona; and at state aviation association conferences.

• Pushed back legally at airports where hangar leases also require a fuel purchase.

aopa.org/pps 

Promoting safety
Another strong year for GA safety

By Mike Ginter

The steady decline in accident rates over the past decade hasn’t been due to one factor. Instead, it reflects the combined efforts of government and industry to improve education and training within the GA community. As these initiatives take root and expand, GA is building a stronger safety culture and moving closer to even lower accident rates.—Mike Ginter 

Preliminary estimates for 2024 suggest that it was another strong year of safety for general aviation. While the final numbers won’t be official until all NTSB accident investigations are completed—a process that can take up to two years—the early outlook is encouraging.

As of September 30, 2024, there were 195 fatal GA accidents. This number represents 58 fewer fatal accidents than the goal of 253 established by the GA Joint Safety Committee as part of a 10-year effort to reduce the fatal accident rate by 10 percent, or 1 percent per year. Secondary data suggests flight activity is on the rise, even exceeding initial projections compared to 2023. Together, these trends signal a bright future for GA safety. Mike Ginter, a former U.S. Navy pilot and active GA pilot and aircraft owner, leads the AOPA Air Safety Institute.

Our 2024 accomplishments:

• More than 10 million engagements across ASI programing.

• ASI honored John and Martha King with the prestigious Richard G. McSpadden General Aviation Safety Award at the Hoover Awards event. This award celebrates exceptional contributions to advancing safety within the GA community.

• ASI recognized six air traffic controllers with its annual Flight Assist Commendations at the National Air Traffic Controllers Association Communicating for Safety conference and the Archie League Medal of Safety awards banquet. These commendations highlight the controllers’ outstanding professionalism in guiding GA pilots through challenging and potentially life-threatening situations.

• Released the thirty-fourth Richard G. McSpadden Report. This year’s report underwent a modernization effort to align with industry standards, focusing primarily on noncommercial fixed-wing aircraft.

• Released Fatal Flight Training Accident Report 2000–2019, which was developed in collaboration with Liberty University. The report offers a detailed 20-year retrospective, comparing the first and last 10 years of the period. Renewed 6,354 CFI certificates with ASI’s online flight instructor refresher course.

• Produced 13 new videos covering a wide range of topics and formats. Released 12 new episodes of the There I Was... podcast.

• ASI’s quarterly “What Went Wrong” articles in AOPA Pilot provided readers with lessons learned from pertinent GA accidents.

• ASI produced its popular weekly Training and Safety Tips on aopa.org, and delivered a variety of seminar topics nationwide.

airsafetyinstitute.org

Telling our GA story
AOPA media brings you great stories and more

Throughout 2024, the AOPA media team traveled the United States—and beyond—to write stories, take photos, capture video, produce podcasts, and post social media content about the people, places, and aircraft that make general aviation extraordinary. Every story we craft, every news article we post, every press release we send is intended to entertain, inform, and educate our members.—Kollin Stagnito

From the first The AOPA Pilot magazine in 1958, AOPA’s media reach has grown to include multiple titles, including Flight Training magazine and its annual You Can Fly issue, weekly newsletters, video productions, podcasts, and social media. Through these products, we reach members where they are with stories and information they need. Senior Vice President Kollin Stagnito is the editor in chief of AOPA media. He is an active commercial pilot, ground instructor, and owner of a Cessna 170.

Our accomplishments in 2024:

• Representing virtually every chapter of general aviation’s storied history, 54 aircraft flew over the National Mall in Washington, D.C., during a commemoration of the GA industry’s numerous contributions to our nation. The National Celebration of General Aviation D.C. Flyover coincided with AOPA’s eighty-fifth anniversary. The media team wrote the 15 “chapters” that told the story of GA in America starting in the Golden Age and continuing to the present day, which was presented via YouTube livestream by former AOPA Editor in Chief Tom Haines and CNN aviation analyst Miles O’Brien.

• The AOPA creative team won eight Graphic Design USA awards, including the You Can Fly Flight Training Experience Awards video, the AOPA Sweepstakes Cessna 182 campaign, and the AOPA eighty-fifth anniversary logo.

• AOPA Publications won two Folio: Ozzie Design awards: honorable mention for design of a single magazine issue for November 2023 AOPA Pilot and for cover design of May 2024 AOPA Pilot.

• The AOPA Publications team created 33 print and digital edition magazine issues of AOPA Pilot, AOPA Pilot Turbine Edition, Flight Training, and a special annual issue with distribution to 1,000 flight schools. The AOPA video team told the story of AOPA and GA through the production of more than 260 videos. Videos on AOPA’s YouTube channel (@flywithaopa) were viewed more than 5 million times, and by the end of 2024, the channel exceeded 100,000 subscribers.

• AOPA Presents, a twice annual series of 10- to 25-minute mini documentaries produced by AOPA videographers, was launched. These films tell stories of why people love to fly, through stunning visuals and captivating storylines. The first two in the series were Wings of the Iditarod and Hops Across the Rockies.

• AOPA’s social media team created 1,753 posts for our five social media platforms, reaching more than 15 million people and engaging 545,000 of them through likes, shares, and comments. AOPA’s social media audience grew by more than 39,000, ending the year with a total of 550,000 followers on our social media channels combined. AOPA’s podcast lineup (There I Was, Ask the A&Ps, Never Again, and Hangar Talk) had more than 850,000 downloads throughout the year.

• The AOPA digital media team produced 104 weekly newsletters (AOPA ePilot and Flight Training, with ePilot marking 25 years of continuous weekly publication), which included more than 450 online articles written by staff and freelance contributors. Newsletters drove a significant portion of the 5.1 million page views of articles posted on aopa.org.

aopa.org/news-and-media

For a new generation
You Can Fly programs benefit so many

Being part of You Can Fly is the most satisfying work in the world. We have the privilege of helping young people discover a passion for aviation, helping lapsed pilots get back to doing something they love, making flying more affordable and accessible through clubs, and supporting the training community that we all depend on. There’s nothing more fulfilling than watching these programs—and the tens of thousands of aviators who use them—thrive.—Elizabeth Tennyson

You Can Fly was designed to meet people wherever they are in their aviation journey. Whether they’re just discovering aviation through our high school initiative or getting back into flying after decades away, tens of thousands of people are benefitting from these donor-funded programs every year. An instrument-rated private pilot, Elizabeth Tennyson is a co-owner of a Beechcraft Bonanza A36.

Our accomplishments in 2024: 

• As of December 2024, the High School Aviation STEM Curriculum was serving more than 1,430 schools in 570 programs in 48 states and Guam, and 30,000 students were enrolled in the courses and earning high school credit for learning about aviation. More than 97,000 students have participated in the courses so far. 

• Some 63 percent of students who graduated from the high school program in 2024 said they plan to go on to aviation careers. 

• More than 17,600 hours have been logged in the AOPA Flight Training Advantage app. 

• The Flight Training Experience Awards received more than 7,400 survey responses and recognized 55 flight schools and 53 CFIs for delivering outstanding training experiences. 

• The Flight Training initiative produced 36 webinars and videos that served more than 20,000 participants.  

• The Rusty Pilots initiative delivered 70 live programs, serving 2,500 pilots. 

• Since the program began, more than 13,500 lapsed pilots have returned to active flying status with the help of the Rusty Pilots initiative. 

• The Rusty Pilots initiative launched the Back to Your Roots online course to help professional pilots get back into general aviation. 

• The Flying Clubs initiative helped launch 17 new clubs, bringing the total number of clubs started through the program to 256. 

• The team gave 30 live presentations, including safety seminars, flying club workshops, and how-to-start-a-club seminars. 

• More than 13,000 people subscribed to the Club Connector newsletter for flying clubs. 

• Some 250 scholarships worth more than $1.5 million were awarded for everything from private pilot certificates through advanced ratings and aviation maintenance certificates. 

• The You Can Fly team delivered a dozen live webinars to support scholarship winners in their training.  

youcanfly.aopa.org