AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2015 - 66

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION

TOP STATE ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES IN 2015

* 530 bills in 50 states and Puerto Rico
* Cuts to sales and use taxes
* Cuts to fuel taxes
* Marking meteorological evaluation towers
* Limiting liability for aviation use of private property

In addition to Rusty Pilots, the You Can Fly umbrella includes
outreach to teens, pilot groups, flying clubs, and more. We've hired
a handful of AOPA Ambassadors to carry the You Can Fly message
and test innovative ways to reach more pilots and enthusiasts (see
page 38). The goal is to offer a variety of fun, educational, community building, and money-saving opportunities that make it easier
for people to start flying and keep flying.
If I had my way, every pilot in America would have
access to a flying club-the place where everyone, regardless of income or time, can get into the sky-so this year we're
expanding our commitment to clubs with new kinds of support, from specialized financing and insurance to webinars
and newsletters. Flying clubs are great hubs for aviation activity, offer affordable access to aircraft, and provide the kind of
support and sense of community-which you told us was an

AOPA GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

important factor in your enjoyment of flying-that help make
flying so much fun. That's why in 2015 we're actively building
our network of more than 600 clubs and offering improvements
to our online Flying Club Finder, which will make it easier than
ever to find, start, grow, or connect with a club near you.
For those who want to get started in flying or expand their
aviation horizons, we're creating new ways to pay for training.

AOPA's influence
What it is and why it matters
BY J I M C O O N , AO PA S E N I O R V I C E P R E S I D E N T O F G O V E R N M E N T A F FA I R S A N D A D V O C A C Y

IT IS AN HONOR and a privilege to advocate for you in the halls of Congress and
in state legislatures all across the nation.
Our advocacy team works hard every day
for you and our general aviation community. As an AOPA member, you're part of
an organization that has tremendous
influence. In fact, when you think about
it, the impact we have is astonishing.
When you compare our 350,000
AOPA members to some other advocacy groups that count their members
in the millions, we're small by comparison. And there are dozens of hot-button
issues facing Congress every single
day-spending and deficits, health care,
66 | AOPA PILOT May 2015

immigration, national defense, and
many more-that would make our general aviation issues all too easy to ignore.
Yet day after day and year after year,
literally hundreds of senators and representatives have stepped forward to help
protect general aviation. They've joined
the GA caucuses. They've sponsored and
supported legislation. They've helped
us strike down anti-GA regulatory proposals in dozens of federal agencies. Any
day of the week, members of Congress
are willing to take our calls, sit down
with us to discuss our concerns, and
help us protect the precious freedoms
and privileges we enjoy as aviators.

When our legislative team meets
with a member of Congress, he or she
knows we are speaking not for ourselves,
but for thousands of pilots in their home
state or Congressional district. What's
more, members of Congress know that
AOPA members like you aren't just runof-the-mill voters. They know that many
are activists and leaders in their respective communities. But there is another
reason why AOPA has such an effective presence in Washington, D.C., and
that's the strength of our AOPA Political
Action Committee (PAC).
PAC is a term that's thrown around
a lot, and most of us have only a general

AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2015