AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2019 - 6

PRESIDENT'S POSITION

Aviation's next
tipping point

BY MARK BAKER
President and CEO

Things are looking up

MARK BAKER

is an active GA
pilot who has been
an AOPA member
since his 20s.

6 | AOPA PILOT January 2019

WE REMEMBER MAJOR EVENTS that affect our lives not as
continuous narratives, but rather through a series of specific memories that come together to tell a bigger story.
These remembered moments of inflection, which can be
good or bad, carry a broader meaning that embodies hard
work, emotional connection, and accomplishment or loss.
And we often tend to look nostalgically on the past, but
view the future with some trepidation.
General aviation is no different.
Like all great stories, general aviation has had its ups
and downs-from the early barnstorming days to stagnancy following the Great Recession and the September
11 terrorist attacks. Sure, days past are fondly remembered as an era of cheap avgas and explosive growth in
the pilot population, but I believe we are on the cusp of
the next golden age of aviation.
And no matter what you consider your favorite aviation era, AOPA has been there through it all. This year
marks the eightieth anniversary of our great organization-an important milestone as we've worked for
decades to protect and advance the freedom to fly.
I've spent nearly a lifetime around this addicting and
thrilling world of aviation, and yes, I'll admit that some
things aren't like they used to be. Our industry is not
without its challenges.
Obstacles-from regulations to an aging pilot population-have defined our industry for some time. But
despite those hurdles, we've hit a tipping point. Today
we are flying more hours more safely; more people are
learning to fly; and we are making progress on ensuring the places we want to fly are more accessible. These
metrics come together to tell a story of an industry
regaining strength.
Pilots can give themselves a pat on the back for an
increase in flight hours. According to the FAA, fixedwing piston GA pilots in 2017 flew 35,364 more hours
compared to the previous year-the third year in a row
this key indicator has seen gains. And flight hours for all
of GA increased for the fourth year in a row. Although
the gains may seem small, it's significant that they are
gains as opposed to declines, and that they are occurring over multiple consecutive years.
Not only have pilots been racking up more flight
hours, but they have been flying more safely as well. Ten
years ago, the industry came together with the government and set out to reduce the GA fatal accident rate

per 100,000 flight hours by 10 percent-no more than
one fatal accident per 100,000 flight hours. And having
just beat that goal, GA is safer than ever, and our industry-leading AOPA Air Safety Institute will continue to
produce free content, host seminars, and work with other
groups to give pilots the resources they need to fly safer.
With an explosive demand for aviation jobs, we've
also seen an uptick in the number of students starting
flight training following years of decline. In 2017, 38,401
people started flight training according to the FAA, an
increase of 1,689 from the previous year.
As an organization, AOPA is doing its part to introduce younger generations to aviation through our You
Can Fly program, which is funded by donations to the
AOPA Foundation. One major focus of You Can Fly is
the AOPA high school aviation-based science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curriculum, which
is already in more than 80 schools and reaching almost
2,000 students across the country. These students are
learning about aviation and gaining skills that can lead
them to fulfilling and exciting careers in an industry we
all love to be in or around.
Protecting the freedom to fly also means ensuring
pilots have reasonable access to airports they want to
visit and are not being taken advantage of. For almost
two years AOPA has worked to understand and fight
the effect of egregious and often unknown fees on
airport access. Recently, five other major aviation associations-including the National Air Transportation
Association which represents FBOs, joined AOPA
in calling on FBOs-to clearly communicate all fees
online. Pilots should be able to easily determine what
they should expect to pay when they land, especially
at publicly funded airports, and this industrywide call
for transparency will bring with it more accountability and encourage pilots to visit places where they may
have hesitated previously because of unknown costs.
Regardless of whether you think we are entering the next golden age of aviation, I think we can all
agree that things are looking up, and opportunities for
young people are growing by the day. And through it
all, AOPA has and will continue to work every day to
make flying more accessible and safer for today's, and
tomorrow's, pilots.
AOPA
EMAIL mark@aopa.org

AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2019