AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2013 - 46

FULLER CHAMPIONS AOPA’s media

properties and was instrumental in the
funding AOPA Live, the association’s foray
into video production. It’s part of the
strategy to “meet the members where
they are.”

to fund the towers through the end of the
fiscal year. But with the 10-year sequestration plan only just beginning, Fuller
believes that flight service stations and
contract towers, which serve general aviation, will continue to feel the biggest brunt
of FAA budget cuts.
In response, Fuller and other aviation
leaders have begun a discussion about
alternative ways to fund big aviation projects, such as the modernization of the air
traffic control system, frequently referred
to as NextGen (see “P&E: ADS-B Moves
Forward,” page 78). “Should we leave that
in the federal government or should it be
funded with some other mechanism?” In
referencing potential privatization of air
traffic control, Fuller acknowledges that
“traditionally we’ve had a concern about
that.” But through collaboration, the industry should consider all options. “That, I
think, is a discussion for the future that
needs to happen.”
While dealing with difficult regulatory and administrative changes affecting
aviation—many of them driven by the economic climate during his tenure—Fuller
also had to face the impact of the economy
on the pilot community. The continuing decline of the pilot population meant
fewer potential AOPA members. Rather
than continuing to waste marketing dollars on fringe members unlikely to renew,
Fuller focused dollars on building a stronger foundation for the future in the form of
free memberships to youth and active-duty
military. Getting those younger audiences
into aviation will serve the association well
in the future.
Likewise, he focused resources on
helping flight schools retain student pilots
to improve student dropout rates that,
46 | AOPA PILOT September 2013

at times, approach 80 percent. The Flight Training Excellence
Awards and a series of best-practices field guides for flight schools,
CFIs, and students followed, as did an email newsletter for flight
school managers, and a host of services to stabilize the declining
population. To help pilots have access to more affordable aircraft
and to improve the social climate at airports, the association has
focused resources on assisting flying clubs. All of these growth initiatives are housed in a new department at AOPA called the Center
to Advance the Pilot Community.
To fund such initiatives and replace advertising revenue lost
as aviation companies contracted, Fuller oversaw efforts to grow
new revenue sources in a way that also brought good value to
pilots. Among them was the launch of the FlyQ electronic flight
bag and the repositioning of the AOPA Aviation Finance program
into one that uses multiple banks to fund aircraft purchases and
upgrades rather than just one.
As a longtime pilot and AOPA member, Fuller wants to leave
the organization in a position for growth. “For me, aviation has
been a part of my life since I took my first flight with my dad when
I was 14 years old in a seaplane in Oregon. It’s been a part of my
life ever since,” he recalls. “Flying is definitely in my future,” he
concludes as he considers his next move, which will likely be in
the consulting world for a period of time—as it has been at various points in his career. “I really felt like a five-year stint here was
the right amount of time.” His notification to the board of trustees
was done “without any desire to jump immediately to something
else. I want to make sure there’s time for a new person to come
in and get settled.”
Meanwhile, he is considering his own aviation future, planning to keep his Aviat Husky. “I’ve almost reinvented myself as a
pilot,” he says of learning tailwheel and backcountry skills in the
Husky after a lifetime of using higher-performance aircraft for
transportation. His wife, Karen, isn’t keen on the Husky for transportation, so he is looking for an airplane in that category, having
sold his Beechcraft Bonanza a couple of years ago.
He describes his time at AOPA as “pretty intense.” However,
he says, “I will miss most the wonderful people I’ve had the
chance to work with here, and our members. But I do intend
to find ways to stay involved and help general aviation one way
or another.”
AOPA
EMAIL thomas.haines@aopa.org.

AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2013

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