AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - August 2017 - 16

WAYPOINTS

Playing the long game

BY THOMAS B. HAINES
Editor in Chief

Dodging alligators while paddling into the future

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Chief TOM HAINES
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16 | AOPA PILOT August 2017

MY WIFE IS QUICK TO POINT OUT that I'm not the most
observant critter on the planet. However, over the past
four decades, I have observed that pilots never seem to
lack an opinion about almost anything. One of the more
sporting parts of this job is responding to members who
have spirited opinions on almost any subject. The most frequent subject: All the things wrong with general aviation.
Usually followed by their solution. If only everyone
would [fill in the blank], the problem would be solved. One
example: All they need to do is produce a new fourseat 180-knot airplane for $65,000 and aviation will
snap back to the grand days of 1975.
I'm still waiting for they to show up. Whoever they
are, they sure are missing an opportunity.
In a recent exchange, a member was lamenting the
antiquated business practices of aviation companies
and the restrictions placed upon businesses at airports.
Open the gates to anyone who comes along and prices
will come down, he assured. Those things would help.
However, there's no one thing (or two things) we can do
to stop the 30-year decline in the pilot population or to
revitalize the 45-year-old GA fleet.
However, there are many opportunities to systematically improve the GA environment to keep it vibrant
in the twenty-first century. While working to improve
the near term, AOPA also has its eye on the long game
through investments in the You Can Fly initiatives.
Educating youth and preparing them for careers in
aviation is fundamental to the You Can Fly high school
curriculum project, which is gaining momentum.
Dozens of high schools will test the ninth-grade curriculum this fall. Hundreds of schools have expressed
an interest and will adopt it once it is released nationally.
Meanwhile, tenth-, eleventh-, and twelfth-grade curricula are being developed for rollout in upcoming years.
The You Can Fly Flight School initiative is recognizing flight schools and CFIs who do a good job of getting
and keeping students. The program is also developing
tools and training to help schools and CFIs succeed.
Assuring students have a quality flight training experience can go a long way in turning around the population
decline. Many start training, but too few complete it.
Cost, of course, is the most frequently cited reason
for the decline in aviation. One of the best ways to reduce
costs is to join a flying club, where your hourly operating
rate plummets compared to that of individual ownership.
The side benefit is a much more social flying experience.

Recognizing the importance of a robust flying club
network, You Can Fly is supporting existing clubs and
fostering new ones. The AOPA flying club network supports more than 800 clubs (and there are more than 1,500
clubs in our flying club finder), with AOPA assisting in the
creation of more than a dozen new ones already this year.
When more people fly more often, businesses thrive;
safety improves; airplanes are healthier. To that end, the
You Can Fly Rusty Pilots program is looking to re-engage
with the 500,000 pilots who have not flown in years or
decades. And it's working. Thousands of pilots are flying today who weren't 18 months ago, after they have
completed one of the three-hour Rusty Pilots ground
school courses, usually conveniently conducted at a flight
school. Many sign up for the flight review on the spot.
The You Can Fly initiatives are funded by donors
to the AOPA Foundation, freeing up member dues revenue to tackle shorter-term initiatives that support
day-to-day flying.
One of the most significant recent efforts includes
the implementation of third class medical reform in the
form of BasicMed, which dramatically simplifies getting a medical certificate for many pilots while lowering
costs for them as well. As of this writing, some 10,000
pilots are flying under BasicMed-just since May 1.
Regarding day-to-day costs, members have made it
clear in recent months how fed up they are with egregious FBO fees (see "President's Position: Merger Fever,"
page 6), the rapid increase in fees frequently related to
consolidation in the FBO business. AOPA has reminded
numerous local airport owners of their responsibility to
assure fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory pricing.
The result in several cases has led to efforts to recruit a
competitive FBO on the field or, in some cases, replacing
an existing FBO with one that will charge competitive
rates. There's lots more to come on this issue.
Convincing the FAA to modify its certification policies has led to the approval for installation of numerous
non-TSO'd products in certified airplanes, helping to
lower costs for owners and to modernize the aging fleet.
While none of these tailwinds is a complete solution,
collectively they will begin to make a difference for general aviation today and tomorrow.
AOPA
EMAIL thomas.haines@aopa.org
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AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - August 2017

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