A common bond

After getting over the surprise of someone from AOPA unexpectedly knocking on his door, Bob and his wife, Karen, invited me to sit down and visit. I learned Bob is a long-time member of AOPA; he loves the organization he firmly believes is so important for the long-term health of general aviation. He shared a story to illustrate his commitment to keeping AOPA—and general aviation—strong. Years ago, he was a designated pilot examiner (DPE) when the going rate for a private pilot checkride was only $60. To encourage membership in AOPA, he offered to give the checkride for free if the applicant joined AOPA. He asked for nothing in exchange, he simply wanted to do a good deed for GA.

Karen, knowing that Bob is extremely humble about his aviation background, went into Bob’s study and returned with a model of a Cessna L–19 Bird Dog. “Bob served two tours in Vietnam,” she proudly said.

I soon learned Bob’s aviation career started in the U.S. Army. After returning from Vietnam, he wanted to become an air traffic controller but became frustrated with the wait time to get a formal enrollment in the training class and began flying Beechcraft Model 18s and Beechcraft 1900s in commercial operations around St. Louis, Missouri. During this time, he purchased a Piper Cherokee in partnership with another pilot.

Bob later joined the FAA, working at the St. Louis flight standards district office for many years, culminating with a role as a safety inspector. When Bob retired from the FAA, he was presented with a Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, recognizing 50 years of safe flying. After he recounted his numerous aviation accomplishments, Karen stated the obvious: “Aviation has pretty much been Bob’s life.”

“It’s been a lot of fun talking about airplanes,” said Bob. “Thank you for knocking on my door, you made my day.” I felt the same way. It was a real treat for me to hear Bob’s stories and feel his passion.

Around the same time, recent Georgia Institute of Technology graduate Justin Connors became AOPA’s newest member. Justin had just earned a degree in aerospace engineering and was selected for a 10-week internship at AOPA to get hands-on experience in flight operations and aviation maintenance before earning a master’s degree in engineering management. Justin also expressed an interest in learning to fly. “I think in order to be a well-rounded aerospace engineer, I should know what happens to airplanes when they’re off the assembly line,” he said.

With no time to waste, then-AOPA chief flight instructor Mike Filucci hatched an ambitious plan to help Justin earn his sport pilot certificate before his internship ended. Mike knew AOPA had all the knowledge and resources required to speed Justin’s progress—any question Justin had could be quickly answered by AOPA’s Pilot Information Center (PIC) and CFIs on staff. Although Justin’s primary internship responsibility was to assist on aircraft maintenance and work in AOPA’s call center, Mike (and other staff CFIs) regularly squeezed in ground school lessons and flew with Justin in a Van’s RV–12 special light sport airplane on every good weather day throughout the summer.

Justin achieved his first milestone when he soloed five weeks after his flight training began. He passed his sport pilot knowledge exam three weeks later and he took his checkride on the last day of his AOPA internship. He passed! Justin worked hard to earn his sport pilot certificate, having flown 53 hours in a 10-week span, and we could not be happier for one of the world’s newest pilots.

AOPA exists to serve accomplished, passionate members like Bob throughout their aviation career. But we also exist to help make the dream of flight attainable for all those who have a passion for aviation—like Justin. How can we help you achieve your aviation goals? Call us at 800-AOPA-USA and let us know. You can also email or chat with the PIC team at aopa.org/pic.

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