Tips to break into the Pilot Passport top 100 check-ins

I didn’t know it at the time, but a special New Year’s holiday badge with 2,000 extra points pushed me over the edge. I had sweetened my score by posting to social media a photo of nightfall approaching as lights reflected from my Cessna 172’s wing.

A New Year’s Day follow-up flight with a colleague got 2020 off to a solid start. February was rife with extra points for checking in on Groundhog Day and Valentine’s Day. A President’s Day flight to New Jersey’s Cape May County Airport with my daughter on February 17 scored extra points and street cred after we posted a photo and a Flight Deck Diner restaurant review calling out the airport’s good service and hospitality.

During the March Madness Challenge, Pilot Passport participants will receive one entry for each qualifying check-in, plus an additional entry for each qualifying check-in in states hosting National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball tournament venues. Those states include California, Florida, Georgia (site of the Men’s Final Four in Atlanta), Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Texas, and Washington.

The top three participants will win a Sporty's Instrument Rating online and app course from Sporty’s Pilot Shop.

Congratulations to February winners Richard Dove, Sven Seynsche, and Stephen Heesacker, who will each receive a 2020 Bahamas Pilot Guide or Caribbean Pilot Guide print package.

Remember, the whole idea of the AOPA app’s Pilot Passport feature is to motivate pilots to remain active in their pilot community and to share their experience with others. Participants can accomplish that by visiting their local airfield, planning a trip to a distant airport, or visiting aviation-related museums or historical sites.

Here are a few additional tips to help you score extra points and get the most out of your own Pilot Passport check-ins.

• Fly during holidays.
• Fly during special occasions: February featured extra credit for taking to the skies on Valentine’s Day, Groundhog Day, and President’s Day.
• Fly during dates corresponding to historical aviation events including the anniversary of powered flight in December and National Aviation Day in August.
• Attend any (or all!) of AOPA’s three 2020 Fly-Ins: San Marcos, Texas, May 29 and 30; Casper, Wyoming, June 19 and 20; and Rochester, New York, September 11 and 12.
• Visit the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida, March 31 through April 5, and EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 20 through 26.
• Fly to a Class B airport.
• Post a photo to social media using hashtags #FlywithAOPA and #ChasingDestinations.
• Write a brief airport review.
• Visit all the airports within one state to claim 10,000 extra points.
• Drive to the airport and check in if the weather is subpar. There’s a good chance you’ll meet like-minded aviators or learn something new.