AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2023 - 64

" We finished 2022
with optimism
and grace learned
from two years
of unprecedented
change in this
country. We look
forward with that
same mindset.
Onward and
upward. There are
blue skies ahead. "
-Mark Baker
the number of students using the curriculum); we've
returned nearly 12,000 rusty pilots to the air; there
are now more than 220 active AOPA-supported flying
clubs across the country; and we've awarded millions
of dollars in scholarships as well as identified the
top schools and CFIs in the country (according to
students and participants) for the tenth year in our
Flight Training Experience Awards. Six flight schools
and six CFIs were selected as the 2023 regional
winners and 32 flight schools and 65 instructors
earned distinguished awards. One flight school (In
the Pattern Flight School with locations in Texas)
and one flight instructor (the University of Dubuque's
Senior CFI Bryan Gutraj) were recognized as the
nation's best at Redbird
Migration, a flight
training conference
at the EAA Education
Center in Oshkosh.
Last, but certainly
Did you know?
$498,000
The AOPA Foundation
received a $498,000
grant from the FAA to
build on its You Can Fly
High School curriculum
in March 2023.
1 of 23
not least, is the most vital
work we do for aviation
safety. Also supported by
the AOPA Foundation is
the AOPA Air Safety
Institute, which is
almost like the responsible
big brother in our
family. ASI is a microcosm
of AOPA itself; it
has the same leadership
and staff structure
as AOPA, with member
response, communications,
education, and
research departments
dedicated to the number
one responsibility of this association: safety.
Through its dedicated analysis, research, and work,
ASI examines the causes of accidents and responsibly
works to find cures. It's an innovative group, led
by a former U.S. Air Force Thunderbird pilot, AOPA
Senior Vice President Richard McSpadden, who provides
analysis through columns and videos and who
led one of our more innovative programs in 2022-
the study of upset recovery through spin training and
awareness using a donated Extra 300L, which was
auctioned at Sun 'n Fun this year after providing many
months of training, experiences, and information.
julie.walker@aopa.org
aopa.org
aopafoundation.org
AOPA is among 23
organizations and
schools that divided
among them $10
million in FAA grants
awarded to educate
the next generation of
aviation professionals. The FAA awards
these grants through its congressionally
funded Aviation Workforce Development
Grants, which help students prepare to
become pilots, aerospace engineers, or
drone operators and support the related
professional development of teachers.
70%
70 percent of
recent high school
graduates who
used the You Can
Fly curriculum
report they are
actively pursuing
an aviation career.
64
AOPA PILOT / June 2023
$
http://www.aopa.org http://www.aopafoundation.org
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2023

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