AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 32

BRIEFING
AOPA NEWS /
NEWS /
New ASI leader
Mike Ginter takes on the AOPA safety arm
MIKE GINTER, a leading general
aviation advocate and retired Naval
aviator, has been tapped to head the
AOPA Air Safety Institute.
" For more than 70 years, the AOPA
Air Safety Institute has delivered lifesaving
information and education to
pilots, and I am honored to be part of
continuing that legacy, " said Ginter. " It's
important to meet pilots where they are
with practical tools and information
they can really use, and no organization
does that better than ASI. "
Since 2018, Ginter has served as
AOPA's vice president of airports and
state advocacy, spearheading efforts
to protect airports, bringing 1,000
new volunteers into the AOPA Airport
Support Network, and helping to successfully resolve more than 700 airport issues
on behalf of AOPA members. Recently, he led the effort to plan and execute the
successful National Celebration of General Aviation Flyover of Washington, D.C.,
which highlighted the history and utility of GA aircraft.
Ginter spent 27 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring with the `rank` of captain. He
accrued more than 5,300 flight hours and 555 carrier landings, completed four
deployments to the Persian Gulf, commanded a jet squadron, and served as
operations officer for the USS John F. Kennedy. In 2003, he led the demonstration
team responsible for showcasing the capabilities of the Lockheed S-3 Viking. That
same year, his squadron won the Chief of Naval Operations Aviation Safety Award.
Throughout his Navy career, Ginter, who earned his private pilot certificate
at 18, continued to fly GA aircraft. He has owned a T-6 Texan and currently owns
a 1972 Beechcraft Bonanza A36 and a Cessna 172, which his wife, Donna, is using
for flight training.
" Mike is an active flyer who understands the real-world challenges GA pilots
face, " said AOPA President and CEO Mark Baker. " His down-to-earth approach to
making every flight safer resonates with pilots of all experience levels. "
The past few years have been among the safest in general aviation's history, and
in his new role as senior vice president of ASI, Ginter is committed to ensuring
that trend continues by expanding the reach of ASI's safety content, delivering
data-driven analysis, and exploring new ways to support pilots. ASI provides
award-winning videos, podcasts, publications, reports, online courses, quizzes,
CFI renewal programs, and more
to help pilots fly safely. ASI's work
is supported by generous donations
to the AOPA Foundation. Ginter
succeeds ASI Senior Vice President
Richard McSpadden who died in
October 2023.
View the video
aopa.org/pilot/
september24
32
AOPA PILOT / September 2024
SQUAWKS
Visit aopa.org for
the rest of the story
Court approves last-minute
Icon sale
With days of cash remaining, Icon
Aircraft was sold during a bankruptcy
proceeding to a new owner that makes
sewing machines.
Pilot sentenced for lying
on medical
A Louisiana pilot who admitted in a
post-conviction plea deal to defrauding
two federal agencies out of disability
benefits over several years was
sentenced June 11 to six months of
home confinement and three years'
probation, along with $850,000 in
fines, $750,000 of which are specifically
related to fraudulent FAA medical
certificate applications.
Florida man faces new
charges
A convicted avionics thief sent to
federal prison more than a decade ago
faces fresh charges from federal prosecutors
after police allegedly caught
him in the act of stealing equipment
from aircraft at an Idaho airport.
AOPA curriculum earns
high praise
Two schools incorporating the AOPA
Foundation High School Aviation STEM
Curriculum into their lesson plans won
the Grand Prize in the twenty-ninth
annual National School Board Association's
Magna Awards program.
aopa.org
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024

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