AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2021 - 32

PILOT BRIEFING
YOU CAN FLY |

'Bullish' on aviation
Conference unites GA leaders, inspires participants
B Y D AV I D T U L I S
FLIGHT TRAINING PROFESSIONALS and general aviation leaders attending the virtual
Redbird Migration said the overall appetite for flight training remained strong despite
coronavirus pandemic restrictions and an economic slowdown. Ideas, encouragement,
and support were shared during online presentations, informal coffee breaks, roundtable discussions, and live Q&As. The tenth annual Redbird Migration Flight Training
Experience conference was conducted online because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Redbird COO Charlie Gregoire said the conference's objective " was never really about
teaching people how to fly " but to provide information, perspectives, and technical breakouts that might " spark a thought or an idea " on what a flight training organization could
become. " There is no industry where people are more passionate about what they do. "
" I'm bullish on where this is heading, " said AOPA President Mark Baker during a
State of General Aviation panel during which participants voiced optimism about a robust
domestic flight training environment that is bouncing back after COVID-19 restrictions.
He said " general aviation is doing well " and reiterated a previous observation that lately
the nation's airspace has been filled with " more Cessna 172s " than " Boeing 737 commercial airliners. "
Baker also talked about the AOPA High School Aviation STEM Curriculum initiative
that is opening aviation careers to countless young people. The ninth- through twelfthgrade private pilot or drone pilot pathway is reaching about 8,300 students through 450
classrooms in 218 schools and 38 states, with about 23 percent female participation.
Baker was joined by Women in Aviation International Chief Executive Officer Allison
McKay, who said WAI members were " gobbling up " advances in technology that help
lower aviation costs and increase safety. " If we can lower the price of training, you are
going to get a whole new demographic interested and excited by the prospect of actually
being able to complete their goal. "
EAA Chief Executive Officer Jack Pelton, General Aviation Manufacturers Association
President Pete Bunce, and Helicopter Association International President Jim Viola
joined the discussion led by Redbird Chairman of the Board and former AOPA President
Craig Fuller. They spoke about K-12 STEM education, aviation opportunities for underserved populations, and international training.
EMAIL david.tulis@aopa.org

AOPA's You Can Fly program was created to get more people flying and keep them flying
through four key initiatives: High School STEM curriculum, Flight Training, Flying Clubs,
and Rusty Pilots. The program is funded by donations to the AOPA Foundation.
aopafoundation.org

32 | AOPA PILOT January 2021

youcanfly.aopa.org

AOPA Flight Training
Experience Project
premiers
AOPA's You Can Fly team
paused its in-person Flight
Training Experience Awards
as Redbird Migration became
a virtual event in late October.
AOPA instead sought video
stories that inspire, demonstrate
resilience in the face of challenges, and show how the flight
training community contributes
to aviation and communities at
large. What is typically a friendly
competition among the top U.S.
flight training schools morphed
into a series of tips, techniques,
and perseverance that schools
shared in videos.
More than 80 inspiring videos
were received from schools and
students across the nation.
" We believe it is important to
celebrate the value and significance of the flight training community in this difficult time, " said
Chris Moser, AOPA senior director of flight training education.
" With the project, we will focus
on the community, highlighting
the inspiring stories of the flight
training community, which has
come together in support of
one another to overcome
the obstacles of climate and
economy, and proved resilient in
the face of adversity. "
An inspiring collection of
the videos with the hashtag
#FTEProject was produced that
includes highlights, milestones,
common concerns, and encouragement for fellow flight training
professionals.
aopa.org/fttrainingexperience

http://www.aopafoundation.org http://youcanfly.aopa.org http://www.aopa.org/fttrainingexperience

AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2021