AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2015 - 4

PRESIDENT'S POSITION

Coming home

BY MARK BAKER
AOPA President and CEO

Meeting new-and old-friends at AOPA Fly-Ins

AOPA PRESIDENT

Mark Baker is an
active pilot and
multiple aircraft
owner.

4 | AOPA PILOT August 2015

IT SEEMS FITTING that right on the heels of our AOPA
Homecoming Fly-In, I'm getting the chance to bring
a fly-in home. This month, for the first time, we'll host
an AOPA Fly-In in my home town of Minneapolis,
and I couldn't be more excited (see "Pilot Briefing:
Fly-Ins," starting on page 61).
But before I tell you more about what's coming up,
let me give you a little background on the AOPA FlyIns so far.
As many of you know, this is just the second year
of AOPA hosting fly-in events at airports all across
the country. We started it in 2014 as a way to get out
and meet our members where they fly and celebrate
AOPA's seventy-fifth anniversary. We thought we
might get a few hundred people to come out and
spend a day with us enjoying aircraft, camaraderie,
and old-fashioned fun. But we were overwhelmed
by the response. During the course of our first year
fly-ins, we met more than 16,000 attendees, parked
almost 3,000 airplanes-and served 1,400 pounds of
pancake batter and 50 gallons of syrup. Our Rusty
Pilots program, which was launched alongside the
AOPA Fly-Ins, helped 803 pilots return to active
flying status.
When we started down this path, we thought
it might be just a one-time thing-maybe we'd do
it again when AOPA turns 100. But with so much
enthusiasm for the idea-and more than 40 airports
formally asking us to hold an event at their field-we
knew we had to build on the grassroots enthusiasm
we had discovered.
So far this year we've hosted two events-
one in Salinas, California, and the other at AOPA
headquarters in Frederick, Maryland. And once
again, we've been amazed by the great response, not
only in terms of the number of people and airplanes
that have showed up, but also in terms of the great
feedback we've received from people who come.
Between the two fly-ins held this year, we've already
had some 6,200 attendees flying more than 600
airplanes join us.
On August 22, we'll be at Anoka County-Blaine
Airport-a great airport and one I know well. There's
something special about being able to share AOPA
with the hometown crowd. And this fly-in is going
to incorporate some of my favorite things that we
haven't done before.

If you read this column regularly, you read about
my favorite airplane-a Piper PA-18 Super Cub on
amphibious floats ("President's Position: Cub Effect,"
March 2015 AOPA Pilot). For the first time, we'll
incorporate a seaplane base into an AOPA Fly-In.
On Friday night, August 21, we'll host a fun evening
social event at Surfside Seaplane Base. With dinner,
live music, lots of pilots, and, of course, seaplanes, it
promises to be a great evening. Surfiside also has a
grass strip, which brings that wonderful backcountry
feel to an airport so close to the big city.
Saturday morning, we'll start off with a traditional
pancake breakfast to get everyone fueled for a full
day of fun and learning. We'll have a wide assortment
of great seminars, ranging from the serious to the
downright funny. We'll also offer a Rusty Pilots
seminar, so if you've been out of the cockpit for a
while or know someone who has, join us and take this
first step to getting back into flying. You can register
on AOPA.org to take part in this free course. And
when it's done you can get a signoff for the ground
portion of your flight review.
We'll also have dozens of exhibitors so you can
see the latest in everything from pilot gear and apps
to avionics and airplanes. There'll be a busy aircraft
display so you can see some impressive aircraft,
including classics, Experimentals, and new models.
Lunch will be provided by a selection of gourmet
food trucks, so there's something for everyone. And
you'll definitely want to join me for the free ice cream
social sponsored by Sporty's Pilot Shop that follows
my Pilot Town Hall update on the big issues affecting
GA, including third class medical reform, FAA
reauthorization, the ADS-B mandate, and more.
Every fly-in is great, but this one really is
something special to me. I look forward to greeting
some old friends and meeting many, many new ones.
Of course, I know not everyone can get to
Minnesota this month, but there are a couple more
chances to catch an AOPA Fly-In in 2015. If I don't
catch you in the land of 10,000 lakes, I hope we'll get
a chance to meet September 26 at Colorado Springs
Municipal Airport in Colorado, or October 10 at
Tullahoma Regional Airport in Tennessee. Can't wait
to see you there!
AOPA
EMAIL mark@aopa.org
http://www.AOPA.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2015
