Talk me out of renewing my AOPA membership

Pinecone said:
Realize that the AMEs were probably lobbying to prevent Basic Med.
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AMEs may or may not have been lobbying that, but the AMA certain fought it tooth and nail. In fact, the EAA/AOPA-backed NPRM to relax the medical requirement that got through the FAA was scuttled at the DOT level by the AMA.
 
Nice to see Dick McSpadden (Jr.) on the salary list. Heard him talk on a number of subjects including being the AOPA proponent on basic med. (And besides he was Thunderbird One back in the day). He's the only one I'd give a plug nickel to. Their supposed IT effort is a freaking joke.
 
I haven't gone searching for it but it really does seem like they are making a huge push to reach a younger audience. Just the videos I see popping into my youtube suggestions, almost all seem to be youth oriented. Younger hosts using lingo like "send me a DM" and just generally having a more relaxed feel, videos framed in portrait mode, etc....
 
Because young people have so much disposable income to put into flying.

There is a demographic that reliably responds to suggestions about flight training. But they must not be targeted under any circumstances.
 
Brad W said:
I haven't gone searching for it but it really does seem like they are making a huge push to reach a younger audience.
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Nah, it's always been that way. We're all just getting further and further away from "younger".
 
OneCharlieTango said:
Because young people have so much disposable income to put into flying.

There is a demographic that reliably responds to suggestions about flight training. But they must not be targeted under any circumstances.
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They spend far more on far less
 
FrankBravo said:
AOPA does NOT spend any money on litigation
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Bullpoop.

AOPA has been directly involved as a party to many federal litigations and spent money coming in as an amicus on others. Usually, the FAA or NTSB is the target, but they also sued the state of Michigan to stop a requirement for schools to conduct background checks on instructors.
 
flyingron said:
Bullpoop.

AOPA has been directly involved as a party to many federal litigations and spent money coming in as an amicus on others. Usually, the FAA or NTSB is the target, but they also sued the state of Michigan to stop a requirement for schools to conduct background checks on instructors.
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I don’t recall any litigation to stop ADSB or now the attempts to ban 100LL
 
FrankBravo said:
I don’t recall any litigation to stop ADSB or now the attempts to ban 100LL
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Possibly not, but that doesn't change the fact that you're statement is blatantly false.

Let's see what they did work on:

Several actions with regard Richards-Gebaur v. FAA to try to keep an airport open.
Amicus on the Santa Monica trying to close their airport.
Attempt to stop the redesign of the Phoenix class B
Filed an amicus to allow pilots to reclaim their legal fees on baseless FAA enforcement.
Filed an amicus to a pilot pretty much guilty as sin on an illegal 135 operation, but arguing that the proper process wasn't followed.
Amicus on Bob Hoover.
Amicus on Warbird Adventures
Amicus on a protest to restrict biz jets from a certain small airport
Miegs Closure suit
Attempt to block Michigan from requiring background checks for flight schools.



They also got sued by the estate of a pilot over some Avemco claim.
 
flyingron said:
Possibly not, but that doesn't change the fact that you're statement is blatantly false.

Let's see what they did work on:

Several actions with regard Richards-Gebaur v. FAA to try to keep an airport open.
Amicus on the Santa Monica trying to close their airport.
Attempt to stop the redesign of the Phoenix class B
Filed an amicus to allow pilots to reclaim their legal fees on baseless FAA enforcement.
Filed an amicus to a pilot pretty much guilty as sin on an illegal 135 operation, but arguing that the proper process wasn't followed.
Amicus on Bob Hoover.
Amicus on Warbird Adventures
Amicus on a protest to restrict biz jets from a certain small airport
Miegs Closure suit
Attempt to block Michigan from requiring background checks for flight schools.



They also got sued by the estate of a pilot over some Avemco claim.
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Good list. Out of curiosity, in how many of those cases was the AOPA successful?
 
Dawned on me the other day...my AOPA membership has expired.
Back when this thread was running, I cancelled auto-renew. Mostly just to see what would happen. I think I did see two separate email notifications that basically said you NEED our services, I've not seen anything in the old fashioned snail mail.... I get the mail out of the box maybe 99.9% of the time, but there is a slim chance my wife got something and tossed it seeing that it's junk mail
Anyway, no offers for free merch.
Oh well...I'll probably re-new it at some point. In hind site I sure do wish I'd have just signed up for life membership back when I first started...although I probably couldn't afford it back then. At this point it just barely makes sense if at all.....
 
AOPA is like the NRA in that I get incessant mail about renewing WELL before it is due...like 8+ months. I know they are getting serious about me renewing before expiration at the end of this month since I received an unsolicited AOPA tumbler in the mail last week :D.
 
Maybe the NRA and AOPA should combine. Imagine what that would be like.
 
Racerx said:
Perhaps they {AOPA} were supportive. And no doubt more happened behind the scenes that we don't know about. But I think that's on them not conveying that they're behind GAMI. It's not Braly's job to say AOPA is supportive. It's on AOPA to say they support and are pushing the FAA to approve the STC.
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Unfortunately, to be an effective lobbyist, you can't air the details of what conversation went on with which government official.

Swift, GAMI, Shell, Phillips 66, and Lyondell have all been public about the critical assistance that AOPA has contributed to keeping the unleaded avgas effort on track, and to pushing for continued leaded avgas availability in the mean time.

As a retired refinery guy with a job history of blending avgas and working unleaded reformulation issues, I've been offering my consulting services to AOPA. Others have asked for my help, and I've given help when I can. But AOPA's effort seems the most compelling to me, so that's where I spend my time. Yes, AOPA defrays my expenses of doing this work. But one of the reasons they do that is they know I'm dedicated to pushing unleaded to success, and would be doing so on my own, to the extent that I can. Hopefully by working with AOPA we'll all be more effective together.

Paul
 
AOPA and EAA, IMHO, have largely become self-licking ice cream cones.
 
Llewtrah381 said:
AOPA and EAA, IMHO, have largely become self-licking ice cream cones.
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Disagree about EAA, which has helped push through a number of things in recent years and which offers a bunch more benefits than a magazine and an occasional hat.
 
While I agree EAA has fixed a few things, I must admit AirVenture has begun to shift my opinion of them. It used to be a lot more aviation stuff in the hangars, lots more stuff in the hangars, and less expensive. They just seem to live for monetizing the experience - with tons of free volunteer labor. We still go and will continue but it has shifted. Yes, I know - there are fewer vendors out there to come in the first place but in talking with many, it sounds like EAA has jacked up their prices. The FlyMarket used to be a fun diversion but they’ve apparently priced out a lot of players there.

Plus I felt like they monetized the LODA thing and other rally-the-troops issues that would likely have fixed themselves in about the same amount of time. We’re still members because of the AirVenture discount and magazine but they do seem to have shifted to becoming a bigger-overhead organization with less of a “grass roots” feel.
 
Trust me EAA is getting the job done.....they are at the FAA headquarters office regularly. They have their own contractor badges and can freely move about the 10 floor building. Although I've not been there in a few years, when I was, I regularly saw Sean Elliot in the lunch room with his people. I live in Frederick, home of AOPA and know most of the folks....they don't come to Hdqrs like EAA.;)

but....I'm a member of both. They both have their value. IMHO.

George Braley of GAMI claims that Baker of AOPA was key in getting his G100UL fuel STC signed.
 
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What job is EAA getting done? Honest question - I’m not aware
 
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Checkout_my_Six said:
Trust me EAA is getting the job done.....they are at the FAA headquarters office regularly. They have their own contractor badges and can freely move about the 10 floor building. Although I've not been there in a few years, when I was I regularly saw Sean Elliot in the lunch room with his people. I live in Frederick, home of AOPA and know most of the folks....they don't come to Hdqrs like EAA.;)
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This is interesting to hear. I do feel it's worthwhile to be part of a lobbying group. That's the thing that gives me pause about dropping aopa... They seem to have a seat at the table with politicians. Im hoping eaa has a similar relationship, but I really don't know.

The other thing aopa appears to be doing is putting resources into protecting airports on the local level, which is really where the threat is. Im not sure how effective they are at it, but I also don't know if anyone else even trying.
 
Jim K said:
The other thing aopa appears to be doing is putting resources into protecting airports on the local level, which is really where the threat is. Im not sure how effective they are at it, but I also don't know if anyone else even trying.
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From a totally personal perspective at the local level with a nearby airport I'd say they are not doing very well at all ...
 
AOPA started a column communicating what they are doing.....but, it's kind a buried. They need to do a better job at communicating to the members what they are getting for the $80/yr. The magazine is Ok....not as good as EAAs....IMHO.
 
Llewtrah381 said:
While I agree EAA has fixed a few things, I must admit AirVenture has begun to shift my opinion of them. It used to be a lot more aviation stuff in the hangars, lots more stuff in the hangars, and less expensive. They just seem to live for monetizing the experience - with tons of free volunteer labor. We still go and will continue but it has shifted. Yes, I know - there are fewer vendors out there to come in the first place but in talking with many, it sounds like EAA has jacked up their prices. The FlyMarket used to be a fun diversion but they’ve apparently priced out a lot of players there.

Plus I felt like they monetized the LODA thing and other rally-the-troops issues that would likely have fixed themselves in about the same amount of time. We’re still members because of the AirVenture discount and magazine but they do seem to have shifted to becoming a bigger-overhead organization with less of a “grass roots” feel.
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It's been a few years since I've been to Airventure. My first trip there was 2002 I think. Even then I remember wondering as I strolled around what it might have been like maybe 3 decades before. I'm guessing it was a gathering of mostly scratch built homebuilders and very different. Anyway, I could be wrong...as it is with fuzzy memory and altered impressions with experience, and such...but I felt like it was a fair bit different from my 1st visit when I went most recently in 2013...more of a public airshow sort of thing I suppose.
 
just wait till all the famous people die off....and there are no astronauts and Rutans to speak.....o_O

It just isn't the same since Jerry is gone.....:(
 
I contacted AOPA regarding an at risk airport and another that became privately leased. To say their reaction and understanding of the situation was….underwhelming.

Their handling of the Santa Monica airport situation, starting with their lack of knowledge of the evolution of the problem, the finding of the public groups by a dot com who wanted to lease the hangars “because they were cool” for $31M and the eventual outcome of that resulting in the upcoming shutdown of the airport was…pathetic.

Their ambassador program is lame - advocacy is non existent in California. People die and people move on and AOPA doesn’t find out for years.

If George from Gami has something nice to say about them, I respect that…but the passage of ADSB and the ignorance of Garmin’s monopolistic and predatory behavior going unchecked under the auspices of “better services for pilots” was horribly short sighted.

Eaa? I agree that the booths specializing in selling all sorts of things you’d find at the local swap meet isn’t optimal but I see them doing far more work


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I will say....they were no help with hangars at their home field at Frederick MD. About 20 or so folks were evicted from old hangars that were torn down. They were going to help with new hangars....but were not able to manage the project. The word was the plans became too expensive. They gave up....So, locally they are of no help....but they can help on a broader larger scale with lobbying congriss critters.
 
Checkout_my_Six said:
just wait till all the famous people die off....and there are no astronauts and Rutans to speak.....o_O

It just isn't the same since Jerry is gone.....:(
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yeah, my biggest highlights from both conventions were hearing speakers and meeting some of those guys at book signings....Yeager, Anderson, Morgan, Cernan, Hal Shook, & Poberezny.
I think there are new "stars" filling those shoes, but many might just not be names that I know. More modern era pilots, military and otherwise.... folks doing stuff like Mike Patey will have stories to tell. And then of course the youtube stars. My last sun n fun I noticed that none of the speaker forums were much I knew or were interested in, and so my highlights were shaking the hands of some folks I know from youtube....yeah, not quite the same as seeing two WW2 P-51 multi-aces fly P-51's overhead together for old time's sake, then later hearing them swap stories for an hour or two on a small venue stage
 
WDD said:
What job is EAA getting done? Honest question - I’m not aware
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  • Providing countless opportunities for builder education and assistance through local EAA chapters.
  • Running regional aerobatic contests through IAC chapters, and fielding the USA team for international competition.
  • Running the world's largest aviation event.
EAA is a true grassroots organization. 200,000 members, almost 1,000 chapters. Go to any medium to large public GA airport and you'll likely find a chapter hanger. EAA has touched a lot of people over the years.
 
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Ed Haywood said:
  • Providing countless opportunities for builder assistance through local EAA chapters.
  • Running regional aerobatic contests through IAC chapters, and fielding the USA team for international competition.
  • Running the world's largest aviation event.
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...and charging less than half what AOPA charges.
 
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