So do I need a new AOPA hat?

Well, mine is about 18 years old or so. It's getting a bit stained. I guess I could use a new one. But I'm still a member, so they aren't offering me anything,
 
AOPA has hats?
 
Ghery said:
Well, mine is about 18 years old or so. It's getting a bit stained. I guess I could use a new one. But I'm still a member, so they aren't offering me anything,
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I'm still a member, too. This was the renewal offer.
 
I have way too many hats. And way too many shirts. But I never turn down a free one.
 
wsuffa said:
I'm still a member, too. This was the renewal offer.
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Maybe that's my problem - I'm on automatic renewal, so I don't get the offers.

On the other hand, the only real value of another AOPA hat rather than the huge collection of other hats I've accumulated is its lack of a button on top to get in the way of a headset.
 
FTFY!

Ghery said:
Maybe that's my problem - I'm on automatic renewal, so I don't get the offers.

On the other hand, the only real value of another AOPA hat rather than the huge collection of other hats I've accumulated is its lack of a squatchee on top to get in the way of a headset.
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I keep getting AOPA hats... but then realized that they keep sending me renewals and I double paid one year so I'm a member until 2021. So I am skipping a renewal this year and won't get my annual hat.

On the flip side, I am a member of EAA and with Airventure a no-go, knick-knacks & tshirts were cheap on the EAA site. I bought myself a hat and T-shirt for the non-EAA Airventure event. :pIMG_4141.jpeg
 
How about an AOA hat?

So, I searched for AOA hat and look what popped up: More accurately, K POPped up.

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Just received my free hat offer ,if I renew early.
 
If they would reduce the dozens of re-up letters and free hats, they could reduce the yearly dues....I suggested an on line magazine to save postage costs….no responce.
 
rtk11 said:
When I first joined POA, folks mentioned something to me about you and Asian girls... :p
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I like all girls, to a flaw. I'll probably get banned again for saying that.
 
I am on auto renew, I don’t get jack
 
I had an AOPA hat years ago when I joined, wore it all the time. I figured it let folks know I was a pilot; thus, I was a cut-above, a super-human, a man's man. Wearing that hat would give me prima nocta or carte blanche to steal girlfriends and wives.... Which I didn't do since I was a happily-married (i.e., scared of my wife) man.

However, in my deepest and starkest moments of clarity, I knew most folks had zero idea what "AOPA' stood for, much less gave a rat's ass.
 
The only swag I ever got from AOPA after years of membership was a sheet of return address labels. They were nice labels, I'd like some more. I wouldn't mind a hat or a shirt either.
 
I'm doing an experiment now to see how far AOPA will go to get a renewal. I've been a member since 1993, and let my auto renew lapse with an expired CC (yeah, actually amazing it didn't renew, since a lot of auto-renews manage to ignore expired cards).

First was the very lame, cheap truckers cap. Next up was the $5 flashlight. The latest is a renewal at $59 instead of $79. Any bets on how far they'll go to keep an active pilot who was a member for 25+ years? I really am not seeing the value at this point. AOPA has over $100M in reported investment assests. In 2018, Mark Baker was compensated about $1.4M, and the Exec VP/General Counsel was paid about $600K. This is for an organization with less than 300,000 members (calculated by taking the total membership revenue/$79). The total executive-level compensation was $4.3M. So, about $15 of your membership dues goes directly to nine specific executives. Nice gig if you can get it, I guess.

To put this in perspective, in 2020, AOPA awarded about $1,000,000 in flight training scholarships to 123 individuals. Given their financials, they could easily quadruple that number and maybe have a real impact on some lives and the health of GA. Funding scholarships for A&Ps would also be a very good thing.
 
Member since 8/1/1992. Will not be renewing at the end of August. The organization is out of touch and corrupt. I've got better uses for the $80.
 
Held out for the hat, then a headset bag, sweet messenger bag one year, now back to stickers. Prolly won’t be renewing mine either, since they did away with the red board.
The only reason I kept mine was to be able to fly in the community plane ride day at my home drone. They cover the insurance but you have to be a member to fly
 
Outside of the blanket 'we lobby for general aviation' I have no idea what they do other than spam people and give out cheap hats, headset bags, etc.. the indirect and anecdotal stories I've heard about their legal services are that they're basically useless

Their biggest claims to fame are a false narrative about how evil FBOs are and basicmed, plus a handful of stuff they leach onto and take credit for. SMO is vanishing and airports close daily, the government doesn't care about a handful of ga lobbyists. Money talks, and money comes in numbers.. the more people who fly the more 'rights' we'll have. The one hour of flying $80 in avgas gets me is worth for our hobby than a free hat and worthless drug and alcohol legal services I'll never need

If you want to support GA join EAA, fly often, get other people interested in flying, advocate for our hobby at the grass roots level.
 
EAA works hard and I feel their management is more in touch. A couple of years ago I had an issue with Vintage and got phone calls back from Pelton's office to my inquiries (maybe not Jack himself, but at least someone with a clue working with him). I also got calls from several board members including Connie Bowlin (head of warbirds) and Michael Goulian (head of the IAF) in response to my inquiry. Trying to communicate with AOPA is an exercise in futility (and I went to college with one of their senior guys and am close friends with the head of the ASI, another Navion guy).
 
Jeff Oslick said:
I'm doing an experiment now to see how far AOPA will go to get a renewal. I've been a member since 1993, and let my auto renew lapse with an expired CC (yeah, actually amazing it didn't renew, since a lot of auto-renews manage to ignore expired cards).

First was the very lame, cheap truckers cap. Next up was the $5 flashlight. The latest is a renewal at $59 instead of $79. Any bets on how far they'll go to keep an active pilot who was a member for 25+ years?
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I'm finding that same set of offers repeats, endlessly. I dropped a few months ago, partly over their deceit in shutting down the red board, partly because I thought joining EAA was a better use of my funds.

Several times a week, I get offers at $79, at $59, with a hat, or with a flashlight, or with a headset bag. If they haven't yet hit all combinations of price/swag, they've come close. But I haven't seen anything outside of that list. And based on 15 years experience, I don't think they plan to actually send any of the incentives.
 
I'm considering dropping the auto-renew option just for the fun of seeing what they offer me to rejoin next year. I've only been a member for about 20 years.
 
denverpilot said:
They’re up to the headset bag with me. Demand better. LOL
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Got my "time to renew" email today with the promise that a paper copy was on the way. Over the years I've gotten a small flight bag, a blanket, flashlight, and yes - a few hats. Last year I was promised an anniversary hat by someone on the phone but never got it. So I'm gonna take your advice and "demand better." Who knows I might threaten to leave and rejoin the EAA ... :dunno:
 
They have been bugging me since May. For reasons I don’t understand I was on auto-renew which clearly wasn’t what I wanted. And you can’t get off online - you have to call and then listen to some sales pitch about why if you don’t leave auto-renewal on, you are going to cause the the immediate collapse of GA in America and screw every GA pilot. Today, I got my “last” e-mail reminder with $10 off and a hat. If I act fast, I get to keep my member number. Yippee!!
 
The answer to the question is -- yes!

Next one you can simply allow your head swell to fit
 
I shutoff autorenew and I don't need the stinking hat that bad. I just told AOPA to stop pestering me with any more attempts to get me to renew.
 
I let my membership expire about 7 years ago. I only have to throw out their renewal offers once or twice a year now.
 
The Red board was a shadow of its former self, but still had its charms. They closed it on a false pretext, basically lied to their members. Left a bad taste in my mouth. I won't be renewing any time soon.
 
Today's offer was a powerbank charger and some free workshop things. That might do it....
 
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