AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2014 - 6

PRESIDENT'S POSITION

What's past is prologue

MARK BAKER
AOPA President and CEO

Setting the stage for the next 75 years

AOPA PRESIDENT

Mark Baker started
flying in 1977,
became an AOPA
member in 1987,
and was named
AOPA president
in 2013.

6 | AOPA PILOT May 2014

MOST OF US WEREN'T BORN IN MAY 1939 when a handful
of pilots gathered around a table to formalize a commitment they'd long since made-to protect the freedom
to fly. Their concerns were immediate. Europe was
going to war and, if history was repeating itself, the
United States wouldn't be far behind. They needed to
act swiftly to keep private aviators in the air. And they
did, making a promise-to one another, to the general
aviation community, and to future generations-to fight
for the freedom to fly. Every one of us flying today is the
beneficiary of their actions.
In 1939, there were only 13,217 active general aviation airplanes, compared to more than 220,000 today.
And at the end of that first year, AOPA had 2,000
members-a fraction of the hundreds of thousands
of members today. But now, as then, every member is
important. It's your engagement, your participation, and
your passion that make general aviation heard in the
halls of government and beyond.
Standing on the shoulders of AOPA's founders and
all the members who have made this association great,
I consider myself lucky to be in the left seat at AOPA as
we celebrate our seventy-fifth anniversary this month.
At a milestone like this, it's fitting to look back at our
history and reflect on how AOPA has helped shape GA
as we know it. One of the first things I did after being
named AOPA president was to visit Wings Field in
Philadelphia, where our association was created (see
"Where It All Began," page 30). I spent time learning
about the history of AOPA and the people who brought
us to this point. Later, I met with past AOPA presidents,
who generously shared their experience. It's important to see the present in the context of the past. But
it's even more important to use that knowledge to shape
the future. Those who came before us set a solid foundation. It's up to us to make the most of it and set the
stage for the next 75 years.
As we look to the future, we know we will continue
to face regulatory hurdles, attempts to impose new
costs, and challenges from those who don't understand
the many contributions general aviation makes. And we
know we can be successful only with the support and
engagement of you, our members.
I'm no futurist, but it is my job to consider what lies
ahead and where general aviation and AOPA will be 10,
20, 50 years down the road. After listening to thousands
of our members, there are a few ideas that stand out

in my mind. I want to see the pilot population start to
grow and keep on growing. I want general aviation to
be affordable and accessible to more people than ever.
And I want GA to be both safe and fun.
Those themes are in keeping with the mission
AOPA's founders set out. So our goals aren't new, but
in some ways the path we must take to reach them has
changed, along with the world we live in. That's why so
much of what AOPA is doing today-and has planned
for the future-revolves around creating an environment that offers opportunity for us as pilots and aviation
enthusiasts, and for those who will follow us.
One of our initiatives is building a flying club network designed to offer affordable access to aircraft,
a sense of camaraderie, and the support of the flying
community-three things we know get people flying
and keep them flying. We introduced AOPA's Guide to
Starting a Flying Club-a comprehensive free guide to
launching a new club. We launched the AOPA Rusty
Pilots Program to help pilots who've been away for a
while get back into flying. And we're looking at ways to
make GA airports more welcoming so nonpilots can discover flying and the role it plays in their communities.
We're working hard in the states and in the nation's
capital to keep taxes and fees in check, and to make sure
that regulations reflect the reality and the needs of general aviation flying. We work closely with GA supporters
in Congress to make sure that legislation helps our community and doesn't harm it. We keep an eye on a whole
range of federal agencies to ensure GA is being treated
fairly-and we take action when it's not, as in recent
warrantless stops and searches of GA aircraft and pilots.
The AOPA Foundation and Air Safety Institute are
deeply engaged in making flying safer through research,
education, training, and more. With the financial support of the foundation, ASI reaches tens of thousands of
pilots with life-saving tools and information.
On the lighter side, we're keeping the fun in aviation with our new AOPA Fly-Ins, including an October
4 homecoming at our Frederick, Maryland, headquarters to celebrate our first 75 years. I hope to see you in
Frederick or at an AOPA Fly-In in your area. Together
we can enjoy all that aviation has to offer, celebrate our
association's impressive history, and lay the groundwork
for an even brighter future.
AOPA
EMAIL mark@aopa.org

AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2014

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