Business View Magazine | March 2018

24 THE AIRCRAFT OWNERS & PILOTS ASSOCIATION 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 airportswhere 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 supportsflying 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 driveyoung people into careers in aviation:“Boeing says that in the next 20years,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