In 1938, general aviation's early advocates began to stir. Slowly at first, when Philadelphia attorney and pilot Alfred L. Wolf sent a letter to Aeronca President Carl Friedlander about an article Friedlander wrote in a trade newsletter, American Aviation Daily. Friedlander said that an organization should be formed to represent the interests of private airplane manufacturers. Wolf said the same thing about general aviation pilots: "I think the private pilots would need a professional organization shortly. Certainly their flight interests must be represented by a better lobby or they will be overshadowed by the airlines at all the capitols." Wolf's reference to a "better" lobbying organization alludes to the disorganized state of general aviation at the time, called "miscellaneous aviation" in those days. Enthusiasts had their choice of joining several organizations, such as the Private Fliers Association and the Sportsman Pilots Association, but neither showed any real interest in advancing initiatives on behalf of their members-or the general aviation community at large. P H OT O G R A P H Y B Y C H R I S R O S E A N D F R O M A O PA A R C H I V E S www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 51http://www.aopa.org/pilot