AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2023 - 4

PRESIDENT 'S POSITION
Passing it on
Giving rides and giving thanks
BY MARK BAKER / President and CEO
AOPA Foundation Legacy Society member
JULY WEATHER may be a faint memory for most of us, but my
mind keeps wandering back to our favorite middle-of-thesummer
holiday.
Every Fourth of July for the past, well, many years, I have kept
up a tradition of taking kids up for an airplane ride, many for the
first time. Those days in Minnesota and northern Wisconsin are
among the most vivid images of my long
flying life. I've taken hundreds of kids,
grandkids, nephews, and their friends and
neighbors aloft-even the kids of those I
gave rides to long ago. Brings me back to
when I got my first rides.
This past Fourth of July, I gave rides
to a bunch of kids in my Cessna 185. What
a day that was!
So why am I recalling this summertime
fun while some of us already have
snow on the ground, and many of us are
vigorously incorporating cabin heat?
Because it's how I have tried to give back
to general aviation and our community,
and this season is all about giving back
and giving thanks.
There is a lot to be thankful for, and
if you'll allow me a moment of grandfatherly
brag, there's someone very special
joining me in giving thanks. The amazing
drawing on this page was created by my
granddaughter Evelyn. Evelyn gives thanks for the airplane rides
she has enjoyed with her cousins. And what an amazing portrait
of me, wouldn't you say!
Evelyn's words couldn't ring truer, and we can all learn a lesson
from this precious child.
We all should feel blessed that we have been given an opportunity
to pursue a unique passion and one that can best be
experienced here in this great country of ours. I am grateful that
I have been able to give so many young people a taste of our freedom
(and excitement!) to fly. Some have even taken this passion
to a professional level. I have one nephew who is now flying for
Delta, and a neighbor who's now flying for Sun Country. Isn't that
4
AOPA PILOT / November 2023
one of the goals of taking someone new up for an airplane ride-
to inspire them to become part of our community and earn their
pilot certificate, and more?
Pilots are a benevolent group, and we try to give back to something
that has given all of us so much. I know so much was given
to me-and I am appreciative of that every day.
I'm also extremely grateful this season
to the people I am lucky enough to call
my colleagues. Our team at AOPA makes
my job and life that much easier. While
people may thank me for protecting our
freedom to fly-and introducing them to
this wonderful passion we all share-the
thanks should be given to those I stand
shoulder to shoulder with every day.
Aviation is a team sport, and I am thankful
for having the best team around.
A big part of the full AOPA team-and
folks to whom I and all of general aviation
owes a debt of gratitude-are the donors
who support the AOPA Foundation, and
in turn the important programs it sustains.
These include our You Can Fly initiative
and the Air Safety Institute. These programs
work to spark a passion for aviation
and broaden and sustain the pilot population-and
keep us safe. During this year
alone 20,000 students are part of our You
Can Fly High School Initiative in more than 500 schools across
the country. Since the program began, more than 60 percent of
our total 65,000 program graduates say they are pursuing an aviation
career. That is music to my ears, and again, thanks to those
benevolent supporters for helping to make it happen.
As you read this, I am sure that many are making plans to spend
the upcoming holiday season with
friends and family. I wish you and
yours a great holiday with lots of
cheer and laughter and, of course,
blue skies.
mark@aopa.org
MARK BAKER is a
commercial pilot with
single- and multiengine
land and seaplane ratings
and a rotorcraft rating.
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2023
