AOPA named top trade association by 'The Hill'
Washington, D.C.-based publication The Hill named AOPA a top lobbying trade association for the fifth year in a row. Though several commercial aviation groups were also included, AOPA was the only general aviation association that made the list.
According to the article, AOPA and President Mark Baker, along with other top advocates, industries, and unions, were recognized for a “demonstrated ability to wield influence and deliver results on Capitol Hill on behalf of its members seeking a voice in Washington.”
AOPA has seen many victories under Baker’s leadership. In 2016, third class medical reform, known as BasicMed, was passed in Congress and implemented by the FAA in 2017. The reform is a great success with more than 43,000 pilots now flying under the medical qualification.
AOPA has also been active at a number of airports this year with respect to its egregious fixed-base operator pricing and transparency initiative. The association is working with the industry, regulators, and community leaders to ensure that public airports owned by all of us provide fair pricing and access to all aircraft and pilots. As a result of the initiative, many airports have taken steps to improve their business model by adding transient ramp space, adding a second FBO for competition, or reducing the cost of avgas. AOPA calls these “self help” airports and will continue to work on this issue in 2019.
Changes to 14 CFR Part 61 also provided a huge win for GA pilots this year. The rule change would reduce costs to pilots by leveraging advances in avionics, aircraft equipment, flight simulators, and aviation training devices. AOPA worked closely with the agency on the change, which is expected to save the GA community more than $110 million in the next five years.
AOPA has also been influential in efforts to grow the pilot population with its You Can Fly initiative. In 2018, the program helped form 35 new flying clubs, bringing the total since its inception to 100 clubs. Thanks to the Rusty Pilots program, approximately 1,354 pilots returned to flying this year, bringing the total number of pilots returned to active flying to 6,040. And through its high school aviation science, technology, engineering, and math curriculum, an estimated 2,205 ninth grade students at 80 schools across the country are learning about what it takes to pursue a career in aerospace.
