AOPA

Newly installed AOPA President Mark Baker said Wednesday that the key to pilot recruitment and retention is protecting access to airports. All things in aviation start with an airport. Weve got to make that accessible and fun, Baker told AVweb in an extended interview on Wednesday, which is available in todays podcast. He added that […]

In this exclusive AVweb podcast, AOPA’s newly installed president, Mark Baker, says the association will adopt an airport-centric means of promoting aviation and will concentrate on a regional strategy to reach the membership. Baker also told AVweb that all of the association’s activities – from fund raising to member support to starting new business lines […]

AOPAs surprise announcement that its abandoning the annual fall Summit show came as quite a surprise, although anyone whos been paying attention could have seen it coming eventually. From my point of view, its a welcome development and newly installed AOPA president Mark Baker deserves some props for making a decisive move barely days into […]

When I heard that Mark Baker was tapped as the new AOPA president, my first thought was…could he be the son of that other Baker, the one whose name almost always appeared appended to the word colorful? But no, no apparent relation. By now, you will have perused Bakers resume and formed your own opinions. […]

AOPA is expanding its presence in the aircraft finance market with a new service for its members. The AOPA Finance Company is a brokerage that brings together borrowers and lenders to make getting money for airplanes and upgrades easier. Adam Meredith, who is heading up the new company, said in an interview with AVweb that […]

Every year for EAA AirVenture, the FAA sends a batch of controllers to handle all the extra traffic at the Oshkosh tower, but this year, the FAA is asking EAA to chip in to cover their costs. The FAA wants to collect enough to cover the controllers’ travel expenses, per diems, and overtime. EAA is […]

With the busy summer flying season upon us, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta on Tuesday met with leaders from EAA, AOPA, GAMA, NBAA and others in the general aviation community to discuss actions to enhance safety and reduce accidents. The GA fatal accident rate has remained flat over the past five years, Huerta noted. “We cannot […]

Comments have closed on the FCC’s proposal to phase out 121.5 MHz ELTs but a group of senators has made it a political issue. Five members of the Senate GA Caucus, led by Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., have written the head of the FCC, Julius Genachowski, urging him to drop the plan. The senators argue […]

Although some pilots think closing towers at small general aviation airports may negatively impact flight safety and convenience, nearly half of them — about 45 percent — say they support the closings anyway and not even one in five believes the towers should remain open. And by overwhelming margins, AVweb readers told us that the […]

Current AOPA President and CEO Craig Fuller announced in February that he would resign as soon as a suitable replacement could be found and AOPA chairman Bill Trimble has now described the kind of individual the association is seeking. In an open letter to AOPA members, Trimble said the candidate “must be a passionate outgoing […]