Harrison Ford on behalf of "General Aviation Serves America/AOPA"
A campaign is underway to better educate members of Congress on the importance of General Aviation, or GA for short. Leading this charge is one of the best organizations I’ve ever joined, aviation related or not, AOPA – Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
For years I’ve been displaying a banner on one of my airport websites that says “GA Serving America”, which was an AOPA program. That’s morphed in to this new and larger program, best described by AOPA themselves:
General aviation is being threatened by public pressure, onerous security measures, and the possibility of user fees. It’s time we take a united stand to inform policymakers, the media, and the public of the value of GA. They need to understand that it is vital to keeping America strong.
Today, AOPA is launching an all-out campaign, General Aviation Serves America, to spread the news that this is an industry that helps save lives, brings business to smaller communities, and transports goods and services to areas inaccessible by other modes of transportation.
“It’s time for us to let policymakers, opinion leaders, and the American public know who we are and what we do,” said AOPA President Craig Fuller.
Right out of the gate they have the following two commercials, the first featuring actor/pilot Harrison Ford, the second uses the example of Tangier Island of the importance of General Aviation.
While I’ve been writing aviation and air traffic related articles for years, it was always accompanied by activism and advocacy. Many in aviation are hesitant of speaking out like I have out of fear of retribution, usually in the form of local governments and the threat of revoking leases – which in effect revoke their business and livelihood. On the other hand are the casual observers who believe pilots are nothing more than “rich boys and their toys”.
While the former is troubling on all kinds of levels, the latter is mostly just flat out false. Anyone who’s taken up flying or owned an airplane knows it’s about one of the surest ways to avoid being “rich”. There’s nothing cheap about it, and most of the pilots I know aren’t exactly rolling in money. The love of flight and the freedom it brings are those things you can’t put a price tag on, and often sacrifices are made to accomplish this.
When all else fails and the pilot community has no other option than to speak collectively, it’s good we have an organization like AOPA around who do an excellent job on our behalf.
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