AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2015 - 6

PRESIDENT'S POSITION

Let the good times roll

BY MARK BAKER
AOPA President and CEO

Reaching members across the nation

AOPA President
MARK BAKER led
AOPA's launch of
the association's
regional fly-ins
as a way to meet
members where
they fly.

6 | AOPA PILOT December 2015

THE NUMBERS ARE BIG. More than 4,000 airplanes.
Close to 30,000 people. A dozen locations nationwide.
And we're just getting started.
I'm talking about the AOPA Fly-Ins we launched last
year. With two fly-in seasons behind us, we continue to
be amazed by the enthusiasm our members around the
country are showing for these gatherings. At our last
fly-in of 2015 in Tullahoma, Tennessee, I met an AOPA
member who has been to every one of our events. Ed
Loxterkamp has traveled coast to coast to take part in
AOPA Fly-Ins, and in Tullahoma he shared his journey
with his fellow members, displaying a giant map of his
travels alongside his airplane.
Of course, not everyone can come to every fly-in, but
we've been impressed by how many fly-in participants
have told us they'd always wanted to come to an AOPA
event-but never were able to make it until we brought a
fly-in to them. And that's exactly what we hoped would
happen when we started our fly-ins in 2014.
Even so, we never dreamed we'd meet so many people so quickly. And we never thought people would be so
happy to welcome us to their airports and communities.
We've been overwhelmed by the number of
volunteers who have signed up to help with the
sometimes dirty work of setting up and cleaning up-
more than 300 hardy folks in some locations. And we've
been surprised by how far people have been willing to
travel to take part. At our last fly-in alone, people from at
least 31 states and Canada preregistered to participate.
With so many members asking when we'll be in
their neighborhoods, and so many airports willing to
host an AOPA Fly-In, we couldn't wait to announce our
locations for 2016. So here they are:
May 21, Michael J. Smith Field (MRH) in Beaufort,
North Carolina
August 20, Bremerton National Airport (PWT) in
Bremerton, Washington
September 17, W.K. Kellogg Airport (BTL) in Battle
Creek, Michigan
October 1, Ernest A. Love Field (PRC) in Prescott,
Arizona (see "2016 Fly-Ins Announced," p. 55).
Some of you may be surprised that AOPA headquarters
in Frederick, Maryland, is not on the list. As much as we
love welcoming all of our members home, we wanted to
reach out to other folks in the mid-Atlantic region, too.
So for 2016, we'll visit North Carolina's beautiful coast
and welcome members who might not be able to make

it all the way to Maryland. But don't worry, we know our
members love the AOPA Homecoming events, and we'll
bring them back in the future. And members are always
welcome to stop by to visit AOPA and the Frederick area.
It's worth noting that all of our 2016 locations are
new, and three are in states we haven't visited before.
In past years we've held events in California, Colorado,
Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota,
Tennessee, Texas, and Washington.
Now that we've got some experience hosting these
events, we'll be taking the best of our past AOPA FlyIns and introducing some new, fun experiences that
get started Friday night before the fly-in. At each 2016
location, we'll host a Friday night Barnstormers Party,
where members can mingle over food and entertainment.
In the past, these gatherings have included everything
from barbecue to baked potatoes, and music to movies.
For those who want to make a weekend of it, all 2016
locations will offer free on-field camping. Come early
and pitch a tent under (or next to) the wing to spend the
weekend in the company of fellow outdoor enthusiasts.
Each fly-in will officially kick off Saturday morning
with an old-fashioned pancake breakfast cooked by
AOPA staff and local volunteers. It's a great way to fuel
up for a day full of airplanes, seminars, and exhibits.
Every AOPA Fly-In will feature a variety of seminars
from top experts on topics such as decision making,
traveling with your airplane, and making the most of
the latest software and apps. There will also be dozens
of exhibits, ranging from the latest in airframes and
avionics to software, simulators, and pilot gear.
For those who've been out of the air for a while, each
AOPA Fly-In will offer a Rusty Pilots seminar that can
earn you a sign-off for the ground portion of the flight
review. And we'll have a special You Can Fly area where
you can learn about flying clubs, Reimagined Aircraft,
AOPA's high school education initiative, and more.
And of course, I will be at every AOPA Fly-In to host
a Pilot Town Hall that will bring you up to date on all
your association's work.
It's never too soon to start making plans to join us.
You can find more details on AOPA.org (www.aopa.
org/fly-ins). Preregistration will begin early in the new
year, so don't wait to sign up. I can't wait to see you at
one-or all-of our 2016 events!
AOPA
EMAIL mark@aopa.org

http://www.AOPA.org http://www.aopa.org/fly-ins http://www.aopa.org/fly-ins

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