AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2018 - 6

PRESIDENT'S POSITION

More than flying

BY MARK BAKER
President and CEO

Giving thanks for a committed community of pilots
IN ERNEST HEMINGWAY'S The Sun Also Rises, one of
the characters was asked how he went bankrupt and
responded, "gradually, then suddenly." That's also how
winter arrives in my native Minnesota, and with cold
winter air from the north comes the conclusion of
another summer season of flying.
And while many pilots like myself are beginning to
think about when to make the transition from floats
and tires to skis, we are also getting ready to gather
with family and friends for Thanksgiving. The holiday gives us an annual opportunity to take stock of the
past year and offer our gratitude to those who helped
us along the way.
Nothing we do would be possible without our
members, and your dues are going a long way to pre-

Each accomplishment we achieve together
reinforces my passion for aviation and our
great community of pilots.

MARK BAKER

has more than
10,000 hours in
decades of flying.

serving and promoting the freedom to fly. I know many
of you share a deep commitment to the future of aviation, which is why we have seen such an incredible
outpouring of support in the form of contributions to
the AOPA Foundation.
Thanks to this year's You Can Fly Challenge by the Ray
Foundation, the AOPA Foundation raised more than $3.6
million from 3,800 generous donors. We are so grateful
for supporters who believe in what we do and understand
how important it is to fuel the future of general aviation.
Both the AOPA Air Safety Institute and You Can
Fly operate because of donations made to the AOPA
Foundation. The money raised will continue to support growing initiatives and programming such as the
AOPA High School Aviation STEM Curriculum that
is educating more than 2,000 ninth-graders across the
country. You Can Fly is on track to exceed 2017's goal
of 30 new flying clubs for the year. And at our Santa
Fe Fly-In this September, we recognized the 5,000th
graduate of the Rusty Pilots program getting back into
the air; we are already closing in on 6,000 since the
program's inception.
The AOPA Air Safety Institute has played a significant role in helping to make GA safer than ever.

6 | AOPA PILOT November 2018

We've experienced another record-setting year, seeing a decrease in the overall and fatal accident rates.
The twenty-seventh Joseph T. Nall Report showed that
the overall accident rate has decreased even with a
3.6-percent increase in flight activity, and the number of fatal accidents decreased by 4 percent. So,
we're flying more and safer, something I know we're
all thankful for.
I am also thankful for all the pilots who are saving money and avoiding red tape thanks to third
class medical reform. In the past year and a half
more than 40,000 pilots have gone airborne under
BasicMed. According to projections by the Office of
Aviation Policy and Plans, BasicMed will save pilots
an estimated $67.7 million through 2026 because of
reduced medical certification costs. BasicMed has
given the power back to the pilots so they can determine their own fitness to fly with the help of their
personal physician. Third class medical reform took
years to pass, and all the effort has paid off. For that
I am thankful.
We also wouldn't be where we are today without
the more than 200,000 members and supporters who
contacted Congress to oppose the so-called privatization of air traffic control. The airlines came closer than
ever before to taking over ATC, but thanks to your calls
and letters, we were able to stop it.
Looking back at all the achievements we've shared
throughout my past five years with AOPA, none of it
would have been possible without the dedication of
our staff in Washington, D.C.; Frederick, Maryland; and
across the country. I am fortunate to work with the
best in the business and appreciate every member of
every team. Our staff is so passionate about the work
we do and that makes my job that much easier. And for
that I am thankful.
As the saying goes, "If you find a job you love, you'll
never work a day in your life." I am fortunate to work
in an industry that I've been passionate about for a
long time. Being able to wake up every day and make
a positive impact on the way people fly is something
that makes me truly grateful. Each accomplishment
we achieve together reinforces my passion for aviation and our great community of pilots-and for that I
am thankful.
AOPA
EMAIL mark@aopa.org

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2018

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