AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2014 - 4

PRESIDENT'S POSITION

Flying fun

MARK BAKER
AOPA President and CEO

Kicking off the season with a great fly-in

AOPA PRESIDENT

Mark Baker says
his favorite aircraft
is his Piper Super
Cub, which he has
flown for fun for
more than 25 years.

4 | AOPA PILOT June 2014

FLYING IS FUN. Or at least it should be. Most of us can give
100 well-thought-out reasons why we fly-transportation, business, convenience, efficiency, productivity. And
they're all true. But these very good reasons to fly are
almost never the reasons we wanted to fly in the first
place. Let's admit that we fly because it's fun.
There's something uniquely joyful about lifting off
and climbing above your day-to-day concerns, whatever they may be. So much so that when we aren't flying,
most of us are thinking about it, or-to the dismay of our
nonflying friends-talking about it.
But, like anything else, it can be all too easy to get
wrapped up in the mechanics of flying and forget about
the fun. That's one reason events such as our AOPA
Fly-Ins are so great. They are a chance to really enjoy
aviation and to share it with your fellow pilots, aviation
enthusiasts, friends, and family.
We just wrapped up our first AOPA Fly-In in San
Marcos, Texas, and it was a great experience (see
"Briefing," page 39). The morning's IFR weather was
followed by marginal VFR, and I have heard from
some folks who just couldn't make it in and others who
changed plans and decided to drive-in some cases eight
hours or more-to be with us. I wish we could have provided a perfect CAVU day, but even with the morning
overcast, turnout was impressive.
I want to thank the more than 2,500 people who
came out to enjoy the day with us, and especially the
185 volunteers, air traffic controllers, and FBO personnel who helped make sure everything ran smoothly. And
let's not forget the wonderful sponsors and exhibitors
who gave attendees the chance to learn more about a
wide range of services and products to make their flying
easier. AOPA's staff got into the swing of things, greeting
members and flipping pancakes for a traditional fly-in
breakfast served over the course of several hours.
Even the serious aspects of the day were enjoyable.
Hundreds of people attended seminars on topics that
included owner-performed maintenance, flying with
iPads, and improving radio communications. And it was
no surprise that Rod Machado's humorous take on aviation delivered laughs and learning to a packed house.
For pilots who've been away from flying for a while
and want to get back into the cockpit, we held a Rusty
Pilots program the night before the fly-in (see "Member
News and Notes," page 102). About 90 pilots spent
the evening with us, getting up to speed on the latest

regulatory, airspace, and other information needed to
get back in the air. The program is free, and participants
can get a signoff for the ground portion of the flight
review. If you're a little rusty, join us the night before
any of this year's fly-ins to polish up your skills, and then
spend the next day celebrating with us.
I was pleased to see young families out and enjoying Saturday's event. Not surprisingly, the more than
35 airplanes on display were a big hit with kids and
adults alike. Everyone was treated to the impressive
rumble of EAA's beautiful B-17 Aluminum Overcast as
it took off and landed, giving rides throughout the day.
Other big hits included a Great Lakes biplane, a Quest
Kodiak, an Aero Vodochody L-29 jet trainer, and AOPA's
Sweepstakes Debonair-which is now headed back to
the East Coast for a paint job (see "Briefing," page 28).
At lunchtime, AOPA staff turned over the grills to the
professionals, and everyone enjoyed a Texas treat with
free barbecue brisket, sausage, and all the trimmings.
Later in the afternoon, I had a chance to take questions during a Pilot Town Hall. I was impressed with
the high level of engagement around issues such as
third class medical reform, avgas, Customs and Border
Protection stops of GA aircraft, ADS-B, the cost of flying, and aircraft certification reform. It's gratifying to
know just how much our members care about the freedom to fly and the work we do to protect it.
That was especially evident when it came to our
traveling petition in support of third class medical
reform. This was the first chance members had to
sign on and deliver a message to decision makers in
Washington, D.C.-and they did, in droves. In fact, we
collected almost 2,000 signatures by the end of the day.
We started these fly-ins to accomplish a few very
important goals-to meet you, our members, where you
fly; to hear what you have to say about the issues that
matter to you; and to put a little fun back into GA. I
think we achieved these goals and I can't wait for the
next AOPA Fly-In. We've got events scheduled May 31
in Indianapolis; July 12 in Plymouth, Massachusetts;
August 16 in Spokane, Washington; September 20
in Chino, California; and November 8 in St. Simons,
Georgia. Our seventy-fifth anniversary celebration-
the AOPA Homecoming-is October 4 at our Frederick,
Maryland, headquarters. I hope to see you there. AOPA
EMAIL mark@aopa.org

AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2014

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