EAA vs. AOPA vs. Type club

CharlieD3

CharlieD3

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CharlieD3
Caveat: I am not trying to start an argument. REALLY.

If you had to choose ONE what would you choose and why?

If you had to choose 2…

GA declining, but trying hard to inspire a new generation. I think.

I don't think of EAA as strictly a builder's group, they seem to be advocating for GA as a whole with an older platform to fly in.

I've heard some negatives about AOPA as re: the little guy... The renter, the 2-4 place owner... etc.

I believe in supporting GA I may join both.

But, there are voices here that know more than the voices in my head.

Please let's not make this vindictive... Just your experience, feelings, thoughts..
 
EAA....hands down. They're a much more effective advocate for GA. I support all....and probably will continue, even though I'm not very happy with AOPA.
 
Type would be my choice.

Or seaplanes pilots association
 
EAA and AOPA. If only one, EAA. I also belong to a type club since buying a plane.

Cheers
 
kgruber said:
EAA!!!

AOPA....................no longer after 54 years............no forum/no me.
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That's kind of a nonsensical answer. Why were you an AOPA member for 30 years before the internet if the closing of the forum is why you left?
 
mryan75 said:
That's kind of a nonsensical answer. Why were you an AOPA member for 30 years before the internet if the closing of the forum is why you left?
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I'll answer that one as a 10 year AOPA member who is strongly considering not renewing after the forum shutdown: Its the straw the broke the camels back. Membership costs have been going up and attention to the smaller plane crowd has been going down. Maybe if the forum had been shutdown honestly rather than the security / the Hangar is the better platform excuse.

I joined EAA a few years back and plan to keep that membership.
 
Can anyone link me how much effort/money AOPA/EAA has put towards fighting the FAA in court, things like ADSB and most of the entire medical branch comes to mind.

We need a gun owners of America, but for aviation

I don’t care about a forum, hat or silly get together, I want to see lawsuits and winning.
 
EAA, ie Sean Elliot, is in DC regularly.......I see him in the lunch room often. I don't see the AOPA folks in DC much....and I know many of them from my home field....FDK.
 
EAA, care for the little guy and best on advocacy...A decade ago AOPA had twice the members of EAA, now they have almost the same number of members. While AOPA continues to decline year after year for continually increasing dues and losing touch with their base (elitists), EAA continues to grow due to reasonable dues and stronger advocacy for non turbines. I've been a member of both orgs for over 25 years but don't intend to renew with AOPA.
 
The AOPA directly and deliberately lied to me in order to get a PAC donation. I’m still a member, but will never send another dime in donations, and I might not renew next time.

Pick one? EAA 8 days a week.
 
1) type club = most useful to me. The Twin Cessna Flyer is great with very knowledgeable/helpful members.

2) EAA. Let’s me park at OSH during AirVenture

3) AOPA. They fight for GA, their insurance has always done me right, I like their magazine...when I have time to read it.
 
EAA - no stunts like a wine club
 
EAA, type club, AOPA. in that order if your looking to prioritize dollars. Sadly AOPA keeps loosing sight of its light plane GA user base.
 
Do you play golf? Do you love it? If so do you have only one or two clubs in your bag? Or a full set? Do you ski race? Only got one set of skis?

A pilot might spend more on a set of Tempest spark plugs than on joining all three.
I think of AOPA as the larger organization both in terms of numbers and scope. representing and lobbying for gen aviation. Its like the entre for a meal. I think of EAA as the appetizer or dessert. more of the fun side and more flavor. And especially if you have an unusual plane, be it T-6 or Cirrus the type clubs can be vital.
I am the three above, plus CAF.
 
Checkout_my_Six said:
EAA, ie Sean Elliot, is in DC regularly.......I see him in the lunch room often. I don't see the AOPA folks in DC much....and I know many of them from my home field....FDK.
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Well that answers that question.

EAA wins
 
AOPA membership is about $45. EAA is a$40. Its a drop in the bucket compared to flying costs. I am not heavily involved in either organization too much, but I know that they both support GA, so I am member of both. Its just not worth my time to be arguing who does it better, in order to save $45.
 
sarangan said:
AOPA membership is about $45. EAA is a$40. Its a drop in the bucket compared to flying costs. I am not heavily involved in either organization too much, but I know that they both support GA, so I am member of both. Its just not worth my time to be arguing who does it better, in order to save $45.
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I audited my monthly bank statement for recurring charges for magizines I didn’t really read much, a Netflix that seldom had anything new on, roadside that wasn’t needed as I had it with my insurance, etc etc lots of “drop in the bucket” stuff, I could have financed a civic with what it all ended up adding up too.

Beware the drop in the bucket, the chit adds up faster than you’d think.
 
James331 said:
Can anyone link me how much effort/money AOPA/EAA has put towards fighting the FAA in court, things like ADSB ...
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I was not an EAA member when ADSB was legislated. I was an AOPA member and don't remember much, if any push back. Years later, I realized AOPA had abdicated its responsibilities on that one...
 
It would be a hard toss-up between my type club and the EAA. I was finally fed up on AOPA this year. Not renewing. The price keeps going up and they are so out of tune with their membership I can't believe it. It's a pretty good example of how not to run a member-oriented business.
 
I dropped my AOPA membership in 2011, they threaten me several times a year to drop my name from the mailing list. o_O
 
James331 said:
Can anyone link me how much effort/money AOPA/EAA has put towards fighting the FAA in court, things like ADSB and most of the entire medical branch comes to mind.

We need a gun owners of America, but for aviation

I don’t care about a forum, hat or silly get together, I want to see lawsuits and winning.
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I love the ADSB mandate.
 
James331 said:
I audited my monthly bank statement for recurring charges for magizines I didn’t really read much, a Netflix that seldom had anything new on, roadside that wasn’t needed as I had it with my insurance, etc etc lots of “drop in the bucket” stuff, I could have financed a civic with what it all ended up adding up too.

Beware the drop in the bucket, the chit adds up faster than you’d think.
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I did the same, it was like $100. Might not seem like much, but $100 is $100.
 
atbroome said:
I'll answer that one as a 10 year AOPA member who is strongly considering not renewing after the forum shutdown: Its the straw the broke the camels back. Membership costs have been going up and attention to the smaller plane crowd has been going down. Maybe if the forum had been shutdown honestly rather than the security / the Hangar is the better platform excuse.

I joined EAA a few years back and plan to keep that membership.
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You don't apply to the question I asked.
 
sarangan said:
AOPA membership is about $45. EAA is a$40. Its a drop in the bucket compared to flying costs. I am not heavily involved in either organization too much, but I know that they both support GA, so I am member of both. Its just not worth my time to be arguing who does it better, in order to save $45.
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Since when has AOPA been $45? It's currently at $79 "discounted" to $69 for Regular membership.
 
If you own a plane, a type club is a part of its maintenance cost (in my opinion), the knowledge of people who have owned, flown and maintained your model of an airplane for tens of thousands of combined hours will make you a better caretaker and a better operator of your plane.

Also, in my opinion, any GA airplane owner (or club member) who is not a member of EAA is not paying attention. EAA is the reason you have the option to install Dynon D100/D10As and Trutrak autopilots in certified airframes, but they are also the reason you can install G5s and GFC500. EAA paved the way for rules like NORSEE, which allows back up safety equipment like the AV-20 to be installed in certificated aircraft, and they are the ones spearheading MOSAIC which, if passed, will significantly increase the freedom GA aircraft owners have in maintaining their planes.

As for AOPA, they seem to have forgotten that some owners don't have turbines. AOPA is worth it if you are a professional pilot, or training to become one. AOPA did good work in their push for BasicMED, but since then, initiatives that really help smaller GA pilots, like fighting for reasonable FBO fees, for example, seem to have burned out. Some initiatives, like the "Reimagined" trainers that were just old planes with paint jobs, I feel are detrimental to the future of low-cost aviation because, for the first time in my lifetime, we finally have new affordable trainers being built (SLSAs like the RV-12, Sling 2, Kitfox) and this 'advocate' is suggesting the industry spend more money on older planes that will cost more to operate. Having said that, I am still a member, and (if you live in the USA) you should be too because as misguided as some of their initiatives are, there is no denying the US government is for sale and if we want to protect ourselves as pilots we need as many lobbying organizations as possible buying (because private ATC companies, overcharging FBOs and other companies are bidding, I mean lobbying, against us).
 
Pretty much my whole reason for AOPA was the forum. But when yhe price jumped up to $70 I decided i didnt need the forum that bad.
Now i just keep my EAA membership.
 
MarkH said:
If you own a plane, a type club is a part of its maintenance cost (in my opinion), the knowledge of people who have owned, flown and maintained your model of an airplane for tens of thousands of combined hours will make you a better caretaker and a better operator of your plane.

Also, in my opinion, any GA airplane owner (or club member) who is not a member of EAA is not paying attention. EAA is the reason you have the option to install Dynon D100/D10As and Trutrak autopilots in certified airframes, but they are also the reason you can install G5s and GFC500. EAA paved the way for rules like NORSEE, which allows back up safety equipment like the AV-20 to be installed in certificated aircraft, and they are the ones spearheading MOSAIC which, if passed, will significantly increase the freedom GA aircraft owners have in maintaining their planes.

As for AOPA, they seem to have forgotten that some owners don't have turbines. AOPA is worth it if you are a professional pilot, or training to become one. AOPA did good work in their push for BasicMED, but since then, initiatives that really help smaller GA pilots, like fighting for reasonable FBO fees, for example, seem to have burned out. Some initiatives, like the "Reimagined" trainers that were just old planes with paint jobs, I feel are detrimental to the future of low-cost aviation because, for the first time in my lifetime, we finally have new affordable trainers being built (SLSAs like the RV-12, Sling 2, Kitfox) and this 'advocate' is suggesting the industry spend more money on older planes that will cost more to operate. Having said that, I am still a member, and (if you live in the USA) you should be too because as misguided as some of their initiatives are, there is no denying the US government is for sale and if we want to protect ourselves as pilots we need as many lobbying organizations as possible buying (because private ATC companies, overcharging FBOs and other companies are bidding, I mean lobbying, against us).
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AOPA isn’t good for a professional ether.

It was a random senator with a plane who didn’t read notams who made the pilots bill of rights, not the mighty AOPA.



mryan75 said:
I love the ADSB mandate.
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Why?
 
James331 said:
AOPA isn’t good for a professional ether.

It was a random senator with a plane who didn’t read notams who made the pilots bill of rights, not the mighty AOPA.
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I will admit, I didn't clarify that too well. But the AOPA Medications Database, and Pilot Protection services would be the value I am referring too, especially for a low-time pilot working non-union gigs, building time for the airlines. Having someone to call if you have to encounter the FAA is valuable.
 
MarkH said:
I will admit, I didn't clarify that too well. But the AOPA Medications Database, and Pilot Protection services would be the value I am referring too, especially for a low-time pilot working non-union gigs, building time for the airlines. Having someone to call if you have to encounter the FAA is valuable.
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IMO prepaid legal is the law version of gas station sushi, easy to find and cheap, but for a reason.
 
There are other companies that maintain (for no dues) the same database as AOPA. I've found AOPA's inhouse services useless (in my case, WORSE than useless).
 
flyingron said:
There are other companies that maintain (for no dues) the same database as AOPA. I've found AOPA's inhouse services useless (in my case, WORSE than useless).
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Where can I find these better, free databases?
 
MarkH said:
Where can I find these better, free databases?
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Of what?

Airmen or planes, go to the FAA site.

Good insurance companies ask on the forms

Etc

The only use for these groups is to put out a nice mag with fun stories and photos that make me want to fly and, most important, pay off the right government people to ensure my freedom to fly stays intact.

If they don’t have people in DC and OKC all the time making it rain 100s over the right people, I’m not interested in supporting them.

 
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James331 said:
Of what?


The only use for these groups is to put out a nice mag with fun stories and photos that make me want to fly and, most important, pay off the right government people to ensure my freedom to fly stays intact.

If they don’t have people in DC and OKC all the time making it rain 100s over the right people, I’m not interested in supporting them.
Click to expand...

Airport directory, medications database, flying club database?

But that second part, I absolutely agree with.
 
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