AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2025 - 4

PRESIDENT 'S POSITION
A time for
gratitude
It was a very good year
BY MARK BAKER / President and CEO
AOPA Foundation Legacy Society member
FOR THE PAST 11 years, I have shared in this column at this time
of year a reflection on what your association has accomplished
and what our plans and hopes for the future are going into the
new year. It's going to be an exciting year for your new president,
Darren Pleasance; for our growing membership; and for
aviation across the board. But allow me to indulge in my gratitude
for the accomplishments over the past year for one final
time as your president.
It will come as no surprise that one of my proudest
accomplishments as AOPA president has been the launch and
continuing support of the You Can Fly initiative. What started as
a bold concept is now a confirmed reality, and this year's successes
follow on seven years of remarkable growth. From 100,000
students who have used the High School STEM program to more
than 13,000 rusty pilots returning to the air, and from the start
of the 250th flying club to the more than $1.5 million awarded in
scholarships in 2024, even I could not have envisioned what we
have accomplished, and 2024 simply built on our success. I am
extremely proud and grateful for the hard work of a terrific staff
and believe this initiative will continue to grow and strengthen
our pilot community.
You know that the contributions to the AOPA Foundation are
what help fund both the You Can Fly program and the work of
the AOPA Air Safety Institute. Generous donations helped ASI
realize one of the safest years yet in general aviation. I believe
the videos, courses, and webinars that the ASI staff creates
contribute to the remarkable fact that GA accidents have fallen by
half in the past 30 years and GA had its safest fiscal year in 2021.
Because of ASI's efforts, we have better technology, training, and
safety awareness.
You'll read in Kollin Stagnito's kind tribute to me ( " Signing
Off " on p. 50) of my proudest accomplishments over my 11-year
time at the helm of this association, and one of them is the success
of BasicMed. In 2024, more than 80,000 pilots were using or had
qualified to use this medical certification designed to keep pilots
in the air longer and safely. And an FAA study found " no difference
in accident risk between flights conducted by pilots operating
under BasicMed and flights conducted by pilots holding third
class medical certificates. "
4
AOPA PILOT / January 2025
Because I love to fly, I am especially gratified to see more pilots
taking to the sky, more aircraft shipments, and more flight hours
being logged. By all accounts from FAA data, GA flying is trending
upward, and I believe that trend will continue. There was a nearly
8 percent jump in piston aircraft deliveries in 2024 according to
the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. What an exciting
time to be in general aviation!
All this good news also points to an issue that is top of mind for
all of us, and yes, more so for me as I enter retirement-insurance
costs that reflect experience and safety record and not just age.
Expanding medical options for pilots, improving safety trends, and
growing educational offerings are all part of our efforts to let the
insurance industry know that a safe pilot deserves to be an insured
pilot, without penalty for age.
I plan to be flying as much as I can, and I hope
to see you in the sky or at the airport.
Working with the insurance industry is just one of the efforts
your association will be pursuing as 2025 begins. I am grateful
that because of the work of your AOPA staff, Darren will be
prepared to address the safe and smart transition to unleaded
fuel by 2030 as mandated by Congress and that he will inherit
a knowledgeable team ready to help implement MOSIAC-the
modernization of special airworthiness certification. This rule will
allow manufacturers to expand the performance requirements of
the light sport category, thereby increasing the growth and vitality
of recreational aviation.
" Vitality. " I'm feeling good about this word as it describes our
industry, your association, and, quite frankly, my own new world.
I will continue to play an active part of GA, AOPA, and the flying
community. In fact, I plan to be flying as much as I can, and I
hope to see you in the sky or at
the airport.
Darren can call me anytime.
Unless I've gone fishing.
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 2025

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