AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2019 - 54

AOPA SWEEPSTAKES
After the war, the general aviation pilot
population grew, and AOPA membership
with it. By 1946 there were 20,000 members. Attention turned to new navigation
aids-VORs-that would add significant cost
and weight to small aircraft. AOPA fought
for and won measures to make sure VOR use
was implemented gradually. In the safety
arena, AOPA endorsed the installation of
stall warning indicators on all airplanes
and secured a discounted price for those
members wanting to have the Safe Flight
Instrument Corporation's new electronic
stall warning indicators. What became
today's Malfunction and Defect Reports
were initiated by AOPA in 1948.
By the time general aviation entered
its boom time in the 1950s, AOPA formed
the AOPA Foundation to advance aviation
safety; it would later evolve into today's
AOPA Air Safety Institute. To help prevent
midair collisions in airport traffic patterns,
AOPA proposed using a single frequency
for universal communications-unicom, on
122.8 MHz-so that pilots could inform each
other of their locations.
In March 1958, the first issue of AOPA
Pilot magazine was published, marking the
association's debut as a publisher independent of the 1939 Ziff-Davis agreement.
The 1950s and 1960s were times of
immense growth in airline traffic, leading
to growing conflict with general aviation.
Proposals emerged with the intent to deny
or exclude general aviation aircraft from
larger airports by forming what were initially called High Density Air Traffic Zones,
which ultimately led to today's Class B, C,
and D airspace. AOPA sought, and gained,
concessions favorable to general aviation.
Debate intensified over the best way
to manage increasing air traffic after the
June 30, 1956, midair collision of a United

1956
1957

1958
1989
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2014
2015
2017
2019

Piper Tri-Pacer
Champion Sky-Trac
Champion Tri-Traveler
(Second prize was a
Spartan Sprite boat)
2 Forney Aircoupes
(promotion for Hertz)
Piper Archer
Good as New Cessna 172
Better than New
Cessna 172
First New Cessna 172
First New Cessna 182 Skylane
Ultimate Piper Arrow
Timeless Tri-Pacer
Aero SUV Cessna 206
Millennium Mooney 201
Bonanza V35
Centennial of Flight Waco UPF-7
Win A Twin
Piper Twin Comanche
Commander Countdown
Rockwell Commander 112
Win A Six in '06
Piper Cherokee Six
Catch A Cardinal
Cessna 177B
Get Your Glass Piper Archer
Let's Go Flying
Cirrus SR22
Fun to Fly
Remos GX
Crossover Classic
Cessna 182
Tougher than a Tornado
Aviat Husky
Beechcraft Debonair
Reimagined Cessna 152
Cessna 172
Piper Super Cub

AOPA MILESTONES (below) include head-

quarters moving from Philadelphia to
Chicago; New York City; Washington, D.C.;
and Bethesda, Maryland; before settling
at its current location at the Frederick,
Maryland, Municipal Airport.

Joseph B. "Doc" Hartranft Jr.

Membership
reaches 111,371.
AOPA Pilot carries
first aircraft and
engine directory.
1965

1966

AOPA headquarters
moves to the Air
Rights Building on
Wisconsin Avenue in
Bethesda, Maryland.

AOPA Foundation
becomes AOPA Air
Safety Foundation to
reflect its work.
1967

1968

1969

1970

Membership grows
to 148,000.
54 | AOPA PILOT May 2019

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978
Membership
hits 220,000.
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2019
