AOPA President, Craig L. Fuller, recently announced that annual membership fees were increasing to $45. Within hours, posts at twitter and other social networking sites were appearing with talk of cancellations because of the slight increase. AOPA has not raised it's fees in over 20 years. They have spun off and begun charging fees for services that may have been free previously; however, it provides people who have specific needs to pay for additional services that they may require. It saved money overall as AOPA did not need to pay to offer services for members that did not require them. This allowed rates to stay where they were for all this time.
General Aviation is now facing some of it's toughest battles. Calls for airport closures, user fees, restrictions on operations in and around airports keep growing, almost on a daily basis. The public's perception of general aviation is becoming more and more negative. Politicians have begun to notice this as well, and as we all know all to well, to politicians, pleasing the masses equals votes, sometimes to the detriment of others. AOPA has been an amazingly strong voice since it's founding in 1939. It is the organization that has ensured that general aviation pilots enjoy more flying rights and freedoms than almost any other country.
Advocacy organizations are an extremely vital part of ensuring our rights and freedoms in this country. Without them, politicians and the majority of the populace would be able to trample all over rights in all their forms. No matter your viewpoint on it, the NRA, for example, shows the strength of numbers when it comes to fighting restrictions and laws that attempt to limit our rights. The NRA, however, has the benefit of having a constitutional amendment to support their stand. The AOPA does not have that luxury. There is no constitutional right for us to fly, or basis in the founding of this country that guarantees the freedoms pilot's enjoy currently. The AOPA simply has the membership base behind them, hundreds of thousands strong. The ensure we maintain the privileges and freedoms of flight that we enjoy today.
This is NOT the time to weaken that base, this is NOT the time to show cracks and splits in that support for our freedom and privilege to fly. Continue to support the AOPA. It's MUCH more than just a source for aviation weather, flight planning or great magazines. It's the only option we have to ensure the future of aviation in this country continues as it is now. Without the AOPA, it's guaranteed that it would be impossible to organize people to support the fight against the closure of an airport most pilots may have never heard of in the middle of some state somewhere, or the implementation of user fees, that the big airlines support, on the little guys.
As Fuller wrote in his statement, '...as I look to the future I am committed to increasing the value AOPA offers you. Together we will strengthen the general aviation community, protect airports, grow the pilot population, and strongly advocate for the needs of GA at all levels of government.' He goes on to further state, 'My commitment to you is that we will continue to use your dues wisely to provide the representation, services, publications, and tools that matter most to you. We will also continue to look to the future, getting out ahead of the challenges we know will come and creating new opportunities for general aviation to thrive. Together we will protect our freedom to fly and ensure that general aviation will be here for generations of pilots to come.'
Support the AOPA, if you're a pilot renew your membership and encourage others to join, if your an aviation enthusiast, please join as well, membership is not restricted to only pilots or airplane owners. The AOPA also offers an initial membership to student pilots as well.
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