Start planning your flying adventures for the year, including AOPA’s Regional Fly-Ins, which will take you to the Northern Rockies, the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Range, the Midwest, and the Gulf Coast. Registration for all four events opened Feb. 14.
The fly-ins kick off in Missoula, Montana, in June; then head to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in September; and wrap up in Carbondale, Illinois, and Gulf Shores, Alabama, in October.
During the two-day events, participate in hands-on workshops, educational seminars, aircraft displays, exhibit halls, local culture, fly-outs, and more. The early bird workshops run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays during the event and include a tuition fee. Also on Fridays, the exhibit hall, AOPA Village, and aircraft display open at noon, a happy hour runs from 4 to 6 p.m. in the exhibit hall, and the Barnstormers Party presented by Jeppesen runs from 6 to 9 p.m. After a full day of fun and learning on Friday, the fly-ins offer another full slate of activities on Saturday, including a pancake breakfast, free seminars, the exhibit hall and aircraft display, lunch, a Pilot Town Hall with AOPA President and CEO Mark Baker, and an ice cream social.
Fly-outs from the event locations are also being scheduled so that pilots can continue the fun by flying to nearby locations for an additional day or night of activities.
“We’ve designed our fly-ins to offer something for everyone,” Eads said. “You can be as involved as you want, from volunteering to taking in the full two days and fly-outs, or stopping in on Saturday. We want to make sure the time you spend with us is fun, informative, and inspirational.”