aopa

THE AIRCRAFT OWNERS & PILOTS ASSOCIATION aviation STEM (Science,Technology,Engineering,and Mathematics) curriculum.“Our ninth grade STEMcur- riculum is nowbeing tested in 29 high schools,”Baker reports.“Atenth grade curriculumwill roll out in a test phase in the fall of 2018.We also do a high school educators’symposiumonce a year,wherewe bring to- gether educators fromaround the countryand discuss howwe can continue to growthe high school STEM/ Aviation curriculum.”When finallycomplete,theAOPA STEMaviation programwill be the first of its kind, offering students comprehensive four-year aviation studyoptions that are aligned to rigorousmath and science standards used inmany states nationwide. Another Foundation-supported program isAOPA’s “Air Safety Institute,”which produces free programs, reports,online courses,podcasts,live seminars,and videos that cover the spectrumof aviation safety education.“AOPAhas been recognized,worldwide,as the largest purveyor of safety information for general aviation,”Baker states.“And general aviation has gotten better everyyear for the last 8 to 10 years,reaching a newhighwatermark in 2017,as ranked by the number of accidents per hundred thousand hours flown.” Going forward,Baker says thatAOPAwill continue in itsmission to create effective,cost-efficient access to general aviation aircraft,support airports so that they don’t become obsolete or bad neighbors,and support aircraft safety initiatives that save lives andmachines. “Protecting the aviator; protecting the airport; pro- tecting the airplane–those are three things inwhich we playamajor role,”he affirms.“And seeing that the general public continues to be excited byaviation and continues to usewhat has been built in the U.S.,which is unique.You can travel for fun; you can travel for business,anywhere in this country.” “And if you’re an aviator,you need to be amember of AOPA,”he adds.“The value for what you get in terms of protecting your freedom to fly is very significant.” as safe as it can possiblybe.We alsoworkwith CBP– the Customs and Border Patrol-as it relates to border crossing of general aviation aircraft.” On a local level,Baker reports some progress with the small number of general aviation airports where ramp access is controlled byFBOs that charge exces- sive fees,or“egregious pricing,”as he calls it.“We’ve had over a thousand complaints the last fewmonths that affect the owner/operator pilots.The airport sponsor– the city,the community–is responsible tomake sure there is fair,non-discriminatory,and reasonable pric- ing.Andwe’ve seen a number of responses from the airports saying theywill fix this.” Another important part of AOPAis“You Can Fly,”an umbrella program that works tomake flyingmore accessible and affordable.It supports flying clubs; encourages best practices in flight training; gets lapsed or“rusty”pilots back in the air; brings resources and expertise to pilot groups across the country; and helps high school students learnmore about careers in aviation.You Can Fly is funded solelyby theAOPA Foundation,the philanthropic armof AOPA. “The‘You Can Fly’initiative is about creating a path- way for young people from the time theyget inspired to fly,and to create access to Flying Clubs where several peoplemay share one aircraft to keep costs down,”says Baker.“We’ve got over 800 flying clubs in our network,andwe’ve created 30 brand newones last year,alone.” Baker also talks about the need to drive young people into careers in aviation: “Boeing says that in the next 20 years,we’ll need twomillion people as com- mercial airline pilots,maintenance technicians,and cabin crews just to support the airline growth that they see between nowand 2038.So,there’s never been a better time: over 600,000 of those folks will be pilots. It’s a huge opportunity.” As part of that effort,AOPA,with the support of Foundation donors,created the“You Can FlyAcademy,” one part of which is the development of a high school