Business View Magazine | March 2018

25 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 ayear,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 inmanystates nationwide. Another Foundation-supportedprogram is AOPA’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 safetyinformation for general aviation,”Baker states.“And general aviation has gotten better everyyear for the last 8 to 10years,reaching a newhighwatermark in 2017,as ranked bythe 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.”