Mind-blowing

The first resource that I cannot emphasize enough is AOPA’s Pilot Protection Services. PPS is like having your own personal attorney and medical certification advisor at your beck and call for any aviation issue to come your way. Like it or not, each of us may face a situation that could put us on the wrong side of the FAA, whether we did something we meant to or not. I asked AOPA legal counsel Jared Allen and his team of attorneys what the most common violations are that members call for help. He polled his team and told me that a TFR/restricted airspace bust is the most common violation; followed by inadvertent entry into Class B, C, D airspace; and then intentional airport entry but with failure to establish communications. All easy “whoops” that we can imagine and fear happening to us. When that call from the FAA comes, do you know that AOPA can often mitigate the possible consequences simply by being in your court? In addition to the AOPA staff attorneys who are only a phone call/email away, we also have a nationwide network of panel attorneys who can help you in whatever state you are in—emotionally or physically. And, we have a team of medical specialists who will provide confidential advice. We can help maximize the chance you’ll get to keep your medical and keep on flying legally. Don’t face the angst that comes with a call from the FAA when your membership puts highly regarded and expert counsel on your side.

EAA AirVenture is behind us, but I am still amazed at the breadth of questions posed to me there. On the flight line or in our AOPA tent, I was asked repeatedly about getting help. Help with aviation career opportunities, help with medical issues, help with maintenance questions, help with aircraft purchases/sales, help with certificate issues and more. Again, I turned to AOPA’s staff and asked how we can help, and I was inspired by the insight our team delivered. The AOPA Pilot Information Center is staffed by aviation professionals who—with most of them being very long-term employees—can answer and have answered the myriad issues that pilots face. There’s Carlo Cilliers, the award-winning aircraft builder whom many have called the “airplane whisperer.” He can and has answered virtually every maintenance question on Earth. I challenge you to stump him. Then there’s Rodney Martz, our 30-plus-year expert on hangar issues, aircraft purchases, and so much more. Ask 25-year-plus senior technician Craig Brown about certificate issues. Ask 30-year-plus medical certification director Gary Crump about your medical problems or how to take advantage of BasicMed. These are just a few of the experts who happily and immediately answer member questions every day, to the tune of nearly 50,000 a year! And if they can’t find your answer right away, trust me, they will work the problem to its conclusion.

If I’m sounding a little giddy about AOPA’s offerings, please believe me when I say I had no idea. And worse than that, I fear you, our members, don’t realize how much AOPA can do for you either. As the premier advocate for general aviation pilots in this country, we are here to help. The depth of the AOPA staff’s understanding of aviation issues, problems, and solutions is, truly, mind-blowing. What we can and will do for our members sets us apart and aligns with the other very effective associations in this country advocating and protecting their interests for their members.

Over my many years of flying, there have been times when I could have used AOPA’s thoughtful, and easily accessible advice had I realized it was included in my membership. Whether that was when I was in my early 20s trying to navigate a color vision deficiency that kept me from becoming an airline pilot, or when I accidentally clipped the edge of a TFR many years ago, or when I was looking to purchase my first airplane (a Pitts S–1S), or when I had a trip to Canada and needed to understand cross-border procedures, or more recently when I was trying to guide my son on whether to get a third class medical or BasicMed for his own aviation journey. AOPA could have helped me to quickly and accurately navigate each of these issues had I only realized that my AOPA membership already included access to experts in each of these areas.

Your AOPA membership dues can be the best investment you make to ensure your aviation journey remains as vibrant, inspiring, and rewarding as all your life’s dreams should be. We are in your court. We are here to serve. You are a key member of the AOPA family. Call us.

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