In an open letter over the weekend, AOPA Board of Trustees Chairman Jim Hauslein said the decision to begin a search for new executive leadership was intended to position the organization for future needs and maintain its advocacy role. The organization removed its former President and CEO, Darren Pleasance, last Wednesday.
AOPA Open Letter
The letter shared over the weekend stated the board is seeking a senior executive who can expand membership, support pilot training, maintain access to airspace and airports, and strengthen engagement with regulators and policymakers.
It acknowledged that the transition has prompted strong reactions, though it did not provide further insight into why Pleasance was removed from his role. This point in particular has drawn heated criticism from many members concerned with transparency. Pleasance remains with AOPA for the time being in an advisory role.
Pleasance Addresses Industry
In a Friday social media video, Pleasance said he had been receiving support and messages from across the aviation community and expressed appreciation for the response.
“I want to say how appreciative I am of the enormous support,” Pleasance said. He added that he was “overwhelmed with how much support I’m seeing across the entire industry.”
Pleasance also referred to AOPA staff, saying they are working through the transition and asked viewers to “have compassion for what they’re going through right now.”
Pleasance addressed rumors involving newly appointed trustee Dale Klapmeier, stating in the video that he had “no reason to believe” Klapmeier had an outsized role in recent events and noting Klapmeier’s history in general aviation. Klapmeir, CEO of Cirrus, was appointed to the board last week, just days before Pleasance’s departure.
“I personally have no reason to believe that Dale has anything but the best of intentions for AOPA and for the industry,” Pleasance said in the video.
What a CF!
From my viewpoint, the GA aviation community is agog over Darren Pleasance’s displacement from his AOPA CEO position. I am disappointed that AVweb’s story omits mention of the widespread pushback to the AOPA Board’s narrative. AVweb is increasingly alone among my aviation news sources, not providing candid coverage of this event. The AOPA Board’s diplomatic downplay to their reversal of several key contentious points posited in their initial release is newsworthy in my opinion.
If any of you think this board of trustees composed largely of private equity and hedge fund guys on indefinite terms does not reflect the interests of real GA pilots and owners, call or email AOPA today and direct them to withdraw your proxy vote until the CEO is reinstated and board reforms including term limits are implemented.