AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2017 - 69

of each area's geography. Count on each
agenda to "take you to new places in your
aviation experience," Eads said, adding
that attendees can look forward to learning
about the fine points of mountain flying,
over-water flying, or other topics that will
sharpen skills or build pilots' confidence.
The exhibits and vendors will open
on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. The food,
music, and fun of the Barnstormers Party
concludes the day. Aircraft camping services will also be expanded.
"We are expanding the event with
two goals in mind," said Eads. "To deepen
pilot skills, enhancing their confidence,
and to deepen friendships-both new and
old."

HOW THE AOPA TEAM
PICKS LOCATIONS
10 steps to an AOPA Fly-In selection

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In Chino, California, event
staff did not offer aircraft
camping because they heard
there could be tarantulas.
EXPERIENCE MORE

Saturday of the fly-in will closely resemble
what has taken place-and been so successful-during the past three years. Those
hardy campers will wake to coffee brewing and sausage frying as AOPA staff and a
cadre of local volunteers prepare a pancake
breakfast-for a few hundred of their closest friends. Breakfast is served starting at 8
a.m. and attendees will be entertained and
enlightened as they enjoy their food and
friends. AOPA President Mark Baker will
welcome everyone to start the day right.
In another tent, pilots who have been out

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AOPA seeks potential airports. A request for proposals (RFP) is published on the AOPA website with detailed criteria on what it takes to
host a fly-in, what AOPA is looking for in a good airport partner, and
what information AOPA will need to consider the airfield.
Local airports submit proposals. More than 85 airports from 33
states have submitted a proposal to host an AOPA Fly-In since 2015.
Proposals include airport capacity, parking and facility use recommendations, community involvement and sponsorship commitments,
and nearby attractions and accommodations.
An AOPA selection committee reviews proposals. A selection
team consisting of staff from multiple AOPA divisions reviews proposals and discusses the potential of each region and airport.
Key criteria are evaluated. The most important criteria AOPA considers when reviewing airport proposals are, in this order, physical
capacity to handle more than 500 aircraft and 1,000 automobiles; the
enthusiasm and preparedness of airport and community leadership;
and the geographic positioning of the airfield in relation to the bigger
picture of AOPA's goals to move the fly-ins throughout the country.
Strategic considerations focus AOPA toward leading candidates.
Looking at a two- to three-year time horizon, the selection committee considers what proposals best serve the larger agenda of
meeting members in new locations.
Phone interviews are conducted with airports. For airports that
are of particular interest for the coming year, the AOPA outreach
and events staff conduct phone interviews and conference calls
with airport and community leadership.
A short list of leading airports is developed. Airports are further
narrowed down to those with strongest potential for the coming year; other airports are placed into a pool of potential sites for
future events, looking two to three years out.
Site visits are conducted. AOPA outreach and flight operations
staff visit the final contenders for a thorough onsite exploration of
the airport's potential, meet with community leaders, and develop
rough-draft event plans.
Final review of potentials leads to decision. The site selection
team makes final recommendations based on reports from the site
visits; AOPA senior management commits to final selection.
Airports and AOPA enter into formal agreements. Details are
ironed out to secure the commitment to host a fly-in, dates are
selected and committed to, and plans are made to
announce and publicize the next year's fly-ins.
www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 69

http://www.aopa.org/pilot

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2017