AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2021 - 6

PRESIDENT'S POSITION

Back to the basics

BY MARK BAKER
President and CEO

Continuing to focus on what's important-to all of us
BY NOW WE ALL KNOW SOMEONE- a friend, neighbor,
or local business-left overwhelmed by COVID-19
and the effects of the pandemic restrictions and crisis. Aviation has not been immune: Especially on
the commercial side, we have been hit hard with
reduced demand, revenue losses, and furloughs. But
despite the difficulties in ours and related industries, AOPA has remained resilient. For more than
80 years, our organization has managed to survive
wars and recessions, and now, a once-in-a-lifetime
pandemic. Much of this has to do with the generous support of our members.
Like a pendulum on a clock, our membership
has swung back and forth over the years. We've
gained members, lost members, and have had mem-

Building the pilot population is
something we should all root for:
It's how we will ensure that general
aviation exists for generations
to come.

AOPA President
MARK BAKER is a
commercial pilot
with single- and
multiengine land
and seaplane
ratings, and a
rotorcraft rating.

6 | AOPA PILOT January 2021

bers come back to us. Some are just starting on their
flying journey; some have made the lifetime commitment; and others are somewhere in between.
But every member at one point or another joined
because of a shared love of general aviation-it's the
reason AOPA exists today.
I know each of us has a different idea of what
we want out of our organization. Many of you have
been vocal about what AOPA should be focusing
on-whether it's advocacy, diversifying and feeding the pilot pipeline, or providing resources for
pilots. There's no perfect organization tailor-made
for each of us-we aren't all in the same stages of life
or stages of flight. Some of you are student pilots,
others are rusty pilots, and the rest of us fall somewhere in between.
When I first became AOPA president in 2013,
I made sure to heed the advice of any good leader:
to listen. Feedback from members-whether it's

praise, criticism, or suggestions-is an important tool to prioritize our goals for the future. And
although I know I can't please everyone, I want to
assure you we hear your voices.
We've made some significant changes in recent
years. We've focused on new initiatives and added
member benefits, while sunsetting others. We've
embarked on campaigns to bring transparency to
FBO fees and turned our attention toward building
the pilot population with the implementation of our
You Can Fly program. We've changed up our events
and the way we host fly-ins and airshows. All the
while, we've kept in mind who we are representing:
the more than 300,000 who identify as AOPA pilots.
In the past year, we've taken steps to do our part
in diversifying and broadening the pilot population,
especially among younger generations, women, and
people of color. Building the pilot population is
something we should all root for; it's how we will
ensure that general aviation exists for generations
to come. I encourage everyone to support these
efforts and even go the extra mile: invite a nonpilot
on a flight or two.
Several other challenges within the general aviation community also deserve attention. One of the
biggest concerns we've heard from longtime members is the spiking costs of insurance during renewal
periods-in some cases, premium increases from
10 percent to 100 percent, or more. With aging GA
pilots, some insurers are scrutinizing their underwriting criteria and as a result it has been extremely
difficult, if not impossible, for those over age 70
to obtain the coverage they want. AOPA has made
alleviating insurance pressures a priority for members and is working together with AssuredPartners
Aerospace to address this important issue.
As we enter the new year, I am hopeful that the
initiatives on which AOPA focuses will continue
to be a benefit to our membership. While we don't
all prioritize the same things, I encourage you to
remember the basics-why AOPA was founded in
the first place.
Even if we disagree on priorities within the
organization, we all want the same thing: to preserve GA and keep it alive and well.
AOPA
EMAIL mark@aopa.org

AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2021

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