AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - May 2015 - 62

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION

YOU CAN FLY

* New AOPA Ambassadors deliver the message
* Reimagined aircraft demonstrate flying can be
fun and affordable
* Rusty Pilots gets lapsed pilots current
* Flying Club Network gives more people access
to affordable ownership
* Teen outreach efforts include AV8RS membership and
partnership with Boy Scouts of America

But AOPA is also much more than that. Our founders believed in
general aviation-its value, utility, and fun-and they set out to
protect it and preserve it for the future. I, too, am a believer when
it comes to GA and what it can bring to individuals, communities,
and our country. So even while we're always striving to do more
for our members today, we're doing it with an eye to the future.
That's the legacy of our founders, it's why we've been around for
more than 75 years, and it's why we'll be here to serve pilots for
generations to come.
A key theme running through all our efforts, whether we're
talking about advocacy or outreach, is finding ways to get pilots
flying and keep them flying. That means working to create a regulatory environment that supports GA, finding ways to make flying
more affordable, giving pilots the support they need to fly more
often, and getting new people involved in general aviation.
From an advocacy perspective, third class medical reform is
our absolute top priority in 2015, and the Pilots Bill of Rights 2
(PBR2) looks like the vehicle that can get us there. It would allow

AOPA FOUNDATION

pilots to make recreational VFR and IFR flights in aircraft up to
6,000 pounds without the need for a third class medical certificate. And it provides additional protections, particularly for pilots
facing an enforcement action.
I know many of you are in a hurry to see this done and are frustrated by the slow pace of progress. No one is more frustrated than
I am. But we've got strong support for this legislation in Congress
and in the aviation community, and I feel confident we can get
reform this year. In just the first couple of weeks after the legislation was introduced, more than 32,000 AOPA members contacted

Because of you
Supporting the initiative and programs that help GA
BY J A M E S M I N O W, A O PA F O U N D AT I O N E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R
WITH THE RETIREMENT OF BRUCE
LANDSBERG at the end of 2014, I was

honored to be selected to lead the AOPA
Foundation. After 22 successful years
with the organization, Bruce's impact
will be felt for a long time to come, and
in his final year as president of the foundation, Bruce left the organization on a
high note with revenue increases and
more AOPA members than ever before
donating to support our work to preserve the freedom to fly.
In 2014 the AOPA Foundation provided $4.7 million to support programs
62 | AOPA PILOT May 2015

that kept pilots safe through the outstanding educational programs of the
Air Safety Institute, while also investing
in protecting community airports across
the country and in programs to expand
general aviation and get more people in
the air. More than 35,000 members made
contributions to AOPA and the AOPA
Foundation.
Donations to the AOPA Foundation
provided flight-training scholarships
to deserving student pilots. Through
our Giving Back program, 10 aviation charities received grants to help

them provide critical aviation services
to those in need. Your contributions
helped us launch the popular Rusty
Pilots program that reached thousands
of dormant pilots, resulting in hundreds
of them returning to the cockpit.
Donors to the AOPA Foundation
made possible the vast array of Air
Safety Institute programs in 2014,
include live seminars, online courses,
webinars, publications, videos, and
quizzes. ASI's educational offerings are
free for anyone, whether or not they are
members of AOPA, because our donors'

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - May 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - May 2015