AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2008 - (Page 86) AOPAPILOT years Location, location The story behind AOPA headquarters relocations BY THOMAS A. HORNE hen AOPA was formed in 1939, its headquarters was located at 1425 Walnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. That’s where one of AOPA’s founders, C. Townsend Ludington, had his law offices. The fourth floor was where AOPA’s first employee—and future president—Joseph B. “Doc” Hartranft toiled away at efforts designed to attract new AOPA members. AOPA had yet to publish a newsletter or magazine, so Hartranft built his mailing lists surrounded by film cans and boxes of potatoes. Why film and potatoes? Ludington produced a film titled Crime Does Not Pay, so the film reels were stored there. As for the potato storage, Ludington was working on a method of vacuumpacking them. From November 1939 through September 1942, the “AOPA News,” “AOPA Section,” and “AOPA Pilot” inserts in Ziff’s Flying and Popular Aviation then simply Flying (the magazine changed its name three times during the 1940s) were written out of the Chicago office. Once a deal with The Ziff-Davis Publishing Company was signed (see “AOPA’s Big Idea,” page 72), AOPA moved its offices to Chicago, where it was set up at The Transportation BuildAOPA PILOT • 86 • MARCH 2008 W AOPA’s very modern building was constructed adjacent to the Frederick Municipal Airport in Frederick, Maryland in 1983 (top). The Keiser Building in Bethesda, Maryland (above).
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