AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 4

PRESIDENT 'S POSITION
See you soon
Making the most of our freedom to fly
BY MARK BAKER / President and CEO
AOPA Foundation Legacy Society member
A NEW YEAR IS A NEW BEGINNING, filled with possibilities. And
one of the best parts of a fresh start is daydreaming about the
adventures ahead. With thousands of general aviation airports
across the country, there's always somewhere new to go and plenty
of old favorites-and old friends-to revisit. For me, 2024 promises
to be filled with both.
So, what's on my radar for the coming year? For a start, I plan
to be at great aviation events all across the country.
I hope to see many of you in Arizona at the Buckeye Air Fair,
February 16 through 18. I've been to Buckeye a few times, and
the city and people never disappoint. My friend, AOPA member,
and Buckeye Mayor Eric Orsborn, always has a warm welcome
for fellow aviation enthusiasts. And the Air Fair is a really special
event. With two days of airshows and a private viewing pavilion
just for AOPA members, plus seminars, exhibitors, display aircraft,
and activities for the kids, it's a great way to spend a long holiday
weekend enjoying the Southwest sunshine (see " Events, " p. 44).
The event season really heats up (literally) when we head to
Florida for Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo in April. It's another great
place to connect with old friends and make new ones. Be sure to
come to the AOPA tent to renew your membership, visit with our
medical and legal experts, talk to our Pilot Information Center
team, or just say hi.
Late July always brings the granddaddy of aviation events,
EAA AirVenture. I've lost count of my trips to Oshkosh, but I still
discover something new every time. If you're planning a trip to
Wisconsin, make sure to check out our extensive seminar schedule
and join us for an update on all things AOPA at our Pilot Town
Hall. And you can always just stop by our campus to take a break,
sit in the shade, or watch the airshow from our front-row seats
right by the big Brown Arch. I can't think of a better way to spend
a summer afternoon.
I plan to ease into fall with a very different type of fly-in at
what is arguably the best grass strip in America. Come September,
I'll be headed to the Triple Tree Aerodrome in South Carolina
for its annual fly-in. We'll have the AOPA team there, too, with
a cool, shady spot for you and your friends to refresh, relax, and
watch college football. If you've never been to Triple Tree, make
this the year. With its 7,000-foot-long, golf-course-smooth grass
4
AOPA PILOT / January 2024
runway, it's truly a special venue and one you'll want to visit
again and again.
Maybe the most notable flight I'll make this year will begin
and end at AOPA's home airport in Frederick, Maryland. It's
not every day you can fly down the National Mall, right past the
Washington Monument, but that's just what a lucky group of
pilots will be doing May 11 as part of the National Celebration
of General Aviation D.C. Flyover. Spectators on the ground and
online will watch the aircraft fly above the Lincoln Memorial,
down Independence Avenue, and past the Washington
Monument. More than 60 aircraft, tracing the history of general
aviation back to the Golden Age, will be part of the event
showcasing the variety and utility of GA aircraft through the
decades. You'll see everything from a Staggerwing to light jets,
and homebuilts to seaplanes.
While we're celebrating all that GA has done to serve
this country, we'll also be celebrating AOPA's eighty-fifth
anniversary. Stay tuned for more about how we'll mark this
important milestone.
If the D.C. Flyover will be the most notable flight, the most
important flights I make this year may be those in a specially
equipped Beechcraft Baron that we will use to demonstrate highoctane
unleaded fuels as they are authorized. There's no doubt
that we need to move away from leaded aviation fuel, but it's
critical that we do it safely. That's why we'll fly with unleaded
fueling one engine and 100LL fueling the other. We'll be closely
monitoring engine wear and performance throughout to
demonstrate just how well the new fuel works in the real world
(see " One Airplane, Two Fuels, " p. 86).
In between all these happenings, I'm looking forward to a
host of regional airshows and aviation events, type club meetings,
pilot gatherings, and lazy Saturday afternoons spent poking holes
in the sky or splashing down in cool, clear water.
This year, I plan to make the
most of my freedom to fly. I hope
you will too.
Here's to another 12 months
of 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 - January 2024

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