An AOPA Once Again

SkyHog

SkyHog

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
Messages
18,433
Location
Castle Rock, CO
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Everything Offends Me
Its been a few years. I totally disagreed with the way AOPA had been doing things for a long time. Phil Boyer was a cancer to AOPA, IMHO, as he was stale and had become ineffective in fighting the government to the point where he didn't even try anymore.

Craig Fuller, on the other hand, seems to be ready for the fight. The tipping point for me was seeing the fight being brought back up to restore Meigs Field (on the homepage of AOPA's website). That is the kind of talk I want from an organization I support.

So I'm back. But I'm ready to pull the plug if they start mailing me notices to join their organization now that I'm a member. That waste of money will not be tolerated.
 
You'll just love the latest TSA poster where they portray anyone who takes pictures of planes as a terrorist. AOPA and TSA are partners in this program.

SIGH!

I am thinking of dropping my AOPA membership again.
 
seriously considered it but ended up renewing.

I'll be surprised if the new talk about meigs ends up being much more than that.
 
tonycondon said:
seriously considered it but ended up renewing.

.
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I might too. I am in three aviation orgs, AOPA, EAA, and SSA. I don't glide but I enjoy their discussions the most. I learn more from them too. But that is probably because I am not interested in building or dropping a half million on a new all glass cockpit aircraft.
 
SkyHog said:
But I'm ready to pull the plug if they start mailing me notices to join their organization now that I'm a member. That waste of money will not be tolerated.
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Your going to have to pull the plug.The amount of crap they send is insane
 
ScottM said:
You'll just love the latest TSA poster where they portray anyone who takes pictures of planes as a terrorist. AOPA and TSA are partners in this program.

SIGH!

I am thinking of dropping my AOPA membership again.
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I don't really think you can blame the AOPA for TSA's stupid posters...

TSA.jpg
 
SkyHog said:
But I'm ready to pull the plug if they start mailing me notices to join their organization now that I'm a member. That waste of money will not be tolerated.
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Those mailings are just ridiculous, I think i got on all their mailing lists, some multiple times. For a while I got an average of 2-3 mailings a week from them. Every month i got a couple of those flimsy temporary membership cards along with a letter asking me join. And I have no less than 3 current real membership cards. I'm not even sure if I'm a member or not. A few months ago I got two identical copies of their magazine.

They keep asking me to donate money, but given the money they waste constantly mailing me junk, i don't think so. I just don't believe it will be well spent. One day I'm just going to call them up and offer to "donate" the money they'll save by taking me off their mailing lists.
 
I yelled at the aopa presence on Twitter for all the junk mail I get. That same day they looked up my account and stopped sending me the junk.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
I don't really think you can blame the AOPA for TSA's stupid posters...
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http://www.aopa.org/airportwatch/

AOPA has partnered with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to develop a nationwide Airport Watch Program that uses the more than 600,000 pilots as eyes and ears for observing and reporting suspicious activity. The Airport Watch Program includes warning signs for airports, informational literature, and a training video to teach pilots and airport employees how to enhance security at their airports.
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Yeah, I can.
 
ScottM said:
http://www.aopa.org/airportwatch/

Yeah, I can.
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I can't. Airport Watch is one of AOPA's best programs and I'm very thankful that AOPA had the political genius to develop it.

First, it gives the impression that AOPA is working with the TSA on improving security. It's a "yes, look, all of our members are actively involved with improving security, so **** up" kind of program. It's always a good thing to look like you're collaborating.

And if something were to happen, AOPA could use Airport Watch as an example of them having tried to do something rather than not having anything to show. Lastly, Airport Watch does deflect some other onerous programs that the TSA would put in its place if Airport Watch didn't exist. In that sense, it covers some areas and makes it more difficult for the TSA to justify putting additional measures in place.

And best of all - Airport Watch does all this with minimal impact. I can't remember ever having to do anything because of Airport Watch. Genius, really.

-Felix
 
I'm a member. I've been a member since I took my first lesson. My main complaint is that AOPA isn't more selective in choosing partners.

Partner w/ BoA? Really? A company that could care less about ethical business practices. A company that will screw everyone in everyway it can. And AOPA says they're looking out for their membership? Really? What's that all about?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
 
I too am a member since I started flying. For me, the best things from AOPA are the online Flight Planner and Airport Information links....and I file flight plans directly to the FAA from the site. I have used the planner for every X-C flight I have flown, download and print out the navlogs and the charts, cross check the WX, and if I need more info I hoof over to ADDS and Airnav. I don't get involved in the political stuff.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
AOPA's Airport Watch had nothing to do with the sign in question in this thread.
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I am not sure how you can make that conclusion when both the AOPA Airport watch and the silly TSA sigh state to call the same GA-SECURE phone number. It is the same program from all that I can see. On top of that AOPA has said that they are working with TSA to develop this program and signs.

Either AOPA took part in the development of this silly TSA poster or they dropped that ball and were nowhere to be found when TSA did it. Just like when AOPA dropped the ball on the FCC ELT fiasco of a couple of months ago, I think the AOPA airport watch is them taking credit for something but not actually participating with TSA.

At this point AOPA should have come out and stated something about the new silly TSA signs. But I have not seen anything from them yet. Is that because they are disengaged from the whole issue or that they do not care anymore?

AOPA has seemingly given up on the silly TFR situation, perhaps this is yet another issue that they want to give up on.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
I don't really think you can blame the AOPA for TSA's stupid posters...

TSA.jpg
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Version 2.0

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This is not any less correct than the what the original asks you to do. Think about the stupidity that the TSA is displaying in this misguided attempt to make people rat out their fellow citizens for doing legal things.
 

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What the hell. That little kid one is even stupider....
 
jesse said:
What the hell. That little kid one is even stupider....
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Greg Bockelman said:
^^^^^^^

Yeah, it is.
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The little kid one is photo shopped.

One of the guys on the red board was out photographing the 787 when it visited his hope aerodrome. But that picture is exactly what the TSA is saying is suspicious.

The whole 'photographers are suspicious' campaign reeks of stupidity.

I love when kids and adults are standing at the fence taking pictures of me. When I see that I make a special trip over to talk to them and even invite them to see the inside of the plane. One of my friends is real active with Young Eagles and he will hand out a biz card for a Young Eagles ride to kids.
 
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I totally agree.

And we wonder why there is a lack of interest in Aviation.
 
I occasionally take pictures out on the ramp without being confronted by anyone. I took this one standing in full view of everyone including the Secret Service. I wondered if they would say anything, but no.

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I know that some people don't like their airplanes to be photographed, corporate espionage and all. But I don't see the connection between photography and terrorism.
 

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Greg Bockelman said:
I totally agree.

And we wonder why there is a lack of interest in Aviation.
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10 ' high fences and barbed wire is a good deterrent even IF there's a welcome mat at the FBO; which most times there isn't.
When there's kids and/or adults at the fences, I introduce them to YoungEagles.org. For those that are not part of EAA, it is their 7-17 year old intro flight. If I have the time, I'll invite them out to the plane for a look around. Offer the kids and parents a Young Eagles flight.
These posters are, like lots of things in our new society, criminalizing that which used to be common behavior. Hell, how did airliners.net or flightlevel350.com end up with so many photos if not taken from the end of a runway somewhere.
Thanks to the government, the nation is a bunch of scaredicats. More fielddays at airports. More open houses at FBOs. More free rides!
 
KSWF A few years ago, when the UN was in session and almost every country had their delegations fly into this airport. This is the day that the president addressed the General Assembly. Not one person had an issue with me shooting this picture, and I was outside of the fence.
 
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Everskyward said:
I know that some people don't like their airplanes to be photographed, corporate espionage and all. But I don't see the connection between photography and terrorism.
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Obviously you lack the proper level of misguided paranoia to be on the TSA team!:rolleyes2:

Don't let that "shortcoming" bother you though, with proper orientation and training you too can become a pointless thug in the service of homeland security. Ya just gotta develop a fetish for stocking feet and keeping liquids in small containers. It's really very easy since you don't have to learn anything about how to stop actual terrorist threats and you get to pointlessly harass folks all day.
 
Clark1961 said:
Obviously you lack the proper level of misguided paranoia to be on the TSA team!:rolleyes2:
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:rofl:

I can only think of two times when I was confronted about using a camera because of security reasons and they were both outside the country. Once was at the airport in Ciudad Juarez, and the other time was in front of the US Embassy in Quito. The guards who I think were from the Ecuadorian army wanted to confiscate the camera too. I got out of that by showing them my US passport. This was during the first Gulf War. On the other hand the Russians let us take pictures at the airport as long as we didn't include any military personnel.
 
You guys are missing the point of the poster. The problem isn't the camera, it's that he's wearing a hoodie. What does he have to hide?

I bet none of you taking pictures of air force one were wearing hoodies, were you?
 
shenanigans said:
You guys are missing the point of the poster. The problem isn't the camera, it's that he's wearing a hoodie.
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So wearing a hoodie makes one a terrorist? WOW I guess college campus are hotbeds of under cover terrorists. B)

shenanigans said:
What does he have to hide?
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His ears, maybe it is cold outside.

Since when does wearing a hoodie equal terrorist?

Seriously that is about the most twisted, screwball justification for a really bad ad campaign that I have read to date.
 
Just to tie this back to the beginning of the thread, I'll point out that AOPA is raising their membership rates..... for the first time in over 20 years!
 
gprellwitz said:
Just to tie this back to the beginning of the thread, I'll point out that AOPA is raising their membership rates..... for the first time in over 20 years!
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I didn't think it was worth the money at the old rate. I think they are at $45 now? I'd be willing to pay $25 if they stop with the junk mail.
 
shenanigans said:
I didn't think it was worth the money at the old rate. I think they are at $45 now? I'd be willing to pay $25 if they stop with the junk mail.
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Member or not, they still send me junk mail.
 
Bob Noel said:
Member or not, they still send me junk mail.
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Yeah, but as a member, my money would be paying for the junk mail I receive. So basically I'm subsidizing their efforts to annoy me. :incazzato:
I object to them charging me $45 and spending half of that to send me crap I don't want. Charging $25 and not sending me junk sounds like a better plan for everyone except the US postal service.
 
shenanigans said:
Yeah, but as a member, my money would be paying for the junk mail I receive. So basically I'm subsidizing their efforts to annoy me. :incazzato:
I object to them charging me $45 and spending half of that to send me crap I don't want. Charging $25 and not sending me junk sounds like a better plan for everyone except the US postal service.
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It was my understanding that some of the AOPA junkmail, such
as the life insurance offers, are self-funding in that the dues don't
pay for it. The junkmail for life insurance is part of the marketing
expense for the life insurance.
 
I almost didn't renew this year. I did celebrate the day I canceled the credit card. Of course, a month after canceling it I get those dang checks to use for it in the mail. :goofy:
 
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