Is AOPA worth it?

MooneyDriver78

MooneyDriver78

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Tom
Ignoring the advocacy/magazine, what about the services they provide?
Have you used the sponsored insurance, finance, or title services?
TIA
 
teejayevans said:
Ignoring the advocacy/magazine, what about the services they provide?
Have you used the sponsored insurance, finance, or title services?
TIA
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I got my insurance through them and it was 30% cheaper than the other two quotes plus used their title search which was quick, cheap and painless.

Worth it for me!
 
I like their flight planner web app and FlyQ mobile apps, free to members.
 
It's always a good idea to support the lobby that supports your interests.
 
teejayevans said:
Ignoring the advocacy/magazine, what about the services they provide?
Have you used the sponsored insurance, finance, or title services?
TIA
Click to expand...

I've been an AOPA member since about 1979 I believe. I ask myself each year if it's still worth it and relevant. I keep renewing .. but almost talk myself out of it each year. I've never liked their website .. you have to sign on twice. I've been pee'd off ever since they took the chat off line and shut down their forum for a while. Since I've been in the experimental arena for a few years now .. EAA is far more relevant for me. Other than their advocacy for GA I don't know of any other benefit I get from them.

RT
 
The benefit of supporting my interests is worth my membership plus my donations every year. It's a very small price to pay to help keep places to land still open and GA still running. Any of us who can afford to fly an airplane can afford to be a member and then some. If you don't donate the help advocate. Everyone one on this form should have two feet in the door with AOPA! ...and I'm a helo guy for god sakes!
 
Got my airplane loan via BOA through AOPA, title insurance, and owners insurance, and when I was renting I got my renters insurance with them. As for their advocacy I am not sure they have our best interests in mind, but lobby groups seem to have a different agenda from the rank and file members as opposed to the big donors. Their education modules are useful as well. I have not used their flight planning programs, but their airport information is useful as well. I get both of their magazines(in print and electronic) but in truth much of the information in those magazines is covered just as well elsewhere.
 
I'm an AOPA airport rep. Also a member of eaa. I believe in supporting the major organizations that support us. I think AOPA does a lot of good for us,however I think I get to much mail from them soliciting funds .
 
I'm a member, but don't use the insurance or legal.

Which brings up the point, I wish they would stop spending more than my membership fee on mail solicitations back to me for their services.
 
I've been an AOPA member for most of the last 35 years and have never regretted a dollar spent. They provide wealth of information resources for their members and I think they are a positive force for general aviation overall. I completely ignore the nitpicking that goes on about this or that with their organization. The good far outweighs anything else. Join.
 
RogerT said:
I've been an AOPA member since about 1979 I believe. I ask myself each year if it's still worth it and relevant. I keep renewing .. but almost talk myself out of it each year. I've never liked their website .. you have to sign on twice. I've been pee'd off ever since they took the chat off line and shut down their forum for a while. Since I've been in the experimental arena for a few years now .. EAA is far more relevant for me. Other than their advocacy for GA I don't know of any other benefit I get from them.

RT
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+1........... My feelings exactly.......

And I am the AOPA ASN rep for the Jackson Hole Airport...:mad2:
 
teejayevans said:
Ignoring the advocacy/magazine, what about the services they provide?
Have you used the sponsored insurance, finance, or title services?
TIA
Click to expand...

Absolutly not. If it were up to AOPA sport pilot would NOT have been approved. They lobbied against it.

Any of their services don't mean **** if you can't fly. They advocated against pilots being able to fly under SP.
 
I've been an AOPA member for most of the last 35 years and have never regretted a dollar spent. They provide wealth of information resources for their members and I think they are a positive force for general aviation overall. I completely ignore the nitpicking that goes on about this or that with their organization. The good far outweighs anything else. Join.
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My sentiments too.
 
+1:yes:

I've been a member since 1989, I don't use any of the optional services, but I too feel like it's money well spent. $45.00 or whatever it is now, is really nothing in the fog rand scheme of my aviation spending, 7 gallons of 100LL? About a half hour in the 182, or 8 gallons of JetA, that will taxi to the end of the runway and maybe the run up in the Conquest :dunno:

LDJones said:
I've been an AOPA member for most of the last 35 years and have never regretted a dollar spent. They provide wealth of information resources for their members and I think they are a positive force for general aviation overall. I completely ignore the nitpicking that goes on about this or that with their organization. The good far outweighs anything else. Join.
Click to expand...
 
Geico266 said:
Absolutly not. If it were up to AOPA sport pilot would NOT have been approved. They lobbied against it.

Any of their services don't mean **** if you can't fly. They advocated against pilots being able to fly under SP.
Click to expand...

Since when did you heard that AOPA is against Sport Pilot and LSAs? I always thought they advocate FOR sport pilots and LSAs.
 
I dropped my membership in disgust at the greed and lavish living of the insiders. Also because of the opaque and member-hostile governance.

I am cautiously optimistic though about Baker. His initial moves indicate that some adult supervision may have arrived. I am waiting to see what he does with the cash hoard and if he can pry open the doors to the board room.

Most of the positives cited are valid but the only vote we have is with our checkbooks.
 
airdale said:
I dropped my membership in disgust at the greed and lavish living of the insiders. Also because of the opaque and member-hostile governance.

I am cautiously optimistic though about Baker. His initial moves indicate that some adult supervision may have arrived. I am waiting to see what he does with the cash hoard and if he can pry open the doors to the board room.

Most of the positives cited are valid but the only vote we have is with our checkbooks.
Click to expand...

If you wait for the perfect advocacy group to come along, your checkbook will stay in your pocket forever.
 
teejayevans said:
Ignoring the advocacy/magazine, what about the services they provide?
Have you used the sponsored insurance, finance, or title services?
TIA
Click to expand...

Is AOPA worth it? nope.

When I was a member, the "services" provided weren't worth it. Always found insurance cheaper from someone else. Their lobbying did nothing to prevent the flawed ADS-B from be forced on everyone.
 
Rigged4Flight said:
If you wait for the perfect advocacy group to come along, your checkbook will stay in your pocket forever.
Click to expand...

Hopefully you aren't so delusional that you think AOPA's advocacy is anything close to perfect.
 
Bob Noel said:
Hopefully you aren't so delusional that you think AOPA's advocacy is anything close to perfect.
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My point was that they aren't perfect, but that shouldn't be the criteria for joining/supporting them.
 
I have my aircraft insurance through them and when it came time to renew I couldn't find anything better so I kept it with them.

They also did the title search and transfer when I bought my plane. No complaints.
 
N918KT said:
Since when did you heard that AOPA is against Sport Pilot and LSAs? I always thought they advocate FOR sport pilots and LSAs.
Click to expand...


Not when the rules were being written 12 years ago. They tried to block it every way they could saying the recreational rating was good enough, no need for new airplane class to protect old spam cans. EAA won out, and now they are on the band wagon.

If you want GA advocacy join EAA.
 
I've been an AOPA member since i got back into flying. I obtained renters insurance for me, paid for my sons membership for him, and got him renters insurance. Used their medical and legal services. Even saved $10 when i had to take the ppl written. Good bang for the buck. No regrets.
 
I used legal services this year. Got a lawyer on the phone within 10 minutes, who researched my question and called me back 2 hours later. No hassles whatsoever and I think was a good bargain.
 
Not worth it to me. Had to use the legal services once and the value received was less than zero. Dropped them for several reasons the least not having been previously mentioned.
 
I too am a red board refugee.. but still belong to AOPA. Magazine often finds the garbage can fairly quickly compared to the EAA mag.... which rarely does.

The legal plan is excellent... I've used it both for reviewing purchase contracts as well as in dealings with the NTSB/FAA. Also used their title service/escrow... painless.
 
I joined AOPA back when they were the only game in town for online flight planning and weather. Now even the free services do it better. I've used the title search once, haven't used any other services. I dropped it.
 
The political portion aside, I don't mind paying the dues for the ASF/Accident Analysis/etc. portions of their website. Most of that is open to the public, but it isn't free for them to make.
 
I'm new to flying, but like the American Motorcyclist Association for motorcyclist, AOPA is all we have as an advocate.

AMA went through some issue about 7 years ago and is righting the ship, I hope AOPA does too. I think they will.

Lynn
 
RogerT said:
I've been an AOPA member since about 1979 I believe. I ask myself each year if it's still worth it and relevant. I keep renewing .. but almost talk myself out of it each year. I've never liked their website .. you have to sign on twice. I've been pee'd off ever since they took the chat off line and shut down their forum for a while. Since I've been in the experimental arena for a few years now .. EAA is far more relevant for me. Other than their advocacy for GA I don't know of any other benefit I get from them.

RT
Click to expand...

I only sign on once....what are you doing differently?

Bob Gardner
 
I see AOPA as a MUST...the money I spend on the membership and legal plans is budget dust...

EAA is something I should look into just be support ANYONE who is a GA advocate...
 
LDJones said:
I've been an AOPA member for most of the last 35 years and have never regretted a dollar spent. They provide wealth of information resources for their members and I think they are a positive force for general aviation overall. I completely ignore the nitpicking that goes on about this or that with their organization. The good far outweighs anything else. Join.
Click to expand...


DITO FOR ME
 
LDJones said:
I say join both. There aren't many voices out there for GA. Support what little we do have.
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Agreed... I have been a AOPA member for 30 years and I am a EAA Lifetime member.....

AOPA has gotten so big that changing the top end is difficult, but they still have a presence on the hill... As for the EAA. when Rod took over and started to drive it into the ground, a group of us mobilized and quickly had him outed.... I Love small orgs where common sense can right a ship that is taking on water...:yes:
 
I spoke with a AOPA guy at Reno.

Long and short, they do good things, but they ain't hurting for money.

I'm not a member, though I had insurance through them then switched to AVEMCO as they were cheaper and more direct.

Don't really need the title search as I can read the FAA CD myself, I've heard some hit or miss info about their legal services.

I support what they do, I just don't give them any money.

*** Side note, if you remove your address from the airmans database you don't get all the crap from them in the mail.
 
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