AOPA Layoffs - CAPCON Killed

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"Why don't you have a seat?"
 
AOPA's solution to the lack of people interested in flying: Flying clubs. Really? Hopefully, this will lead to something worthwhile.
 
I never like Fuller and I really fell out of favor with AOPA when it started to seem more like a junk mail direct sales company than an organization supporting GA pilots.
 
Why is it a sad day for GA? Fuller wrecked AOPA, expanded into a bunch of garbage that we never should have been paying for. Time to clean house and make the organization what it needs to be

This isn't meant to be confrontational... I'm truly curious.
What do you, and others, think AOPA should be as an organization?
 
The website is now down.... I Agree with you, and I REALLY like wine..


I am a HUGE wino, but the AOPA Wine Club was such a joke.

AOPA is the Ed Hardy of aviation alphabet groups. Fuller did a horrible job, and tried to pimp the name everywhere. Completely diluted the brand and they really accomplished nothing.
 
I am a HUGE wino, but the AOPA Wine Club was such a joke.

AOPA is the Ed Hardy of aviation alphabet groups. Fuller did a horrible job, and tried to pimp the name everywhere. Completely diluted the brand and they really accomplished nothing.

I knew it was over when Circus Circus opened "Club AOPA" with the upscale experience.
 
I knew it was over when Circus Circus opened "Club AOPA" with the upscale experience.
Anything that can be done to dispell the (well I guess it isn't fully a) myth that general aviation is the domain of old white men with big watches and BMWs...
 
Things that were wrong:

- the departure of Phil Boyer. I personally worked with him, he was the REAL deal.
- Fuller and his half interested dissonance
- focusing on the half million dollars and up airplane group .
- staffers pulling seven(or close)figures for writing a couple articles and justifying it as lobbyist entitlement.
- a hell bent damn the torpedoes approach to defending idiots who constantly penetrate the Washington ADIZ.
- junk mail reliance.
- the departure of Phil Boyer, I can't say it enough.
 
AOPA needs to get back to worrying about real general aviation and stop pandering to the corporate aviation types. Their efforts for years now have been focused on carrying corporate aviation's water.

Not that I disagree, but corporate GA supports the FBO network and reliever airports that allow owner flown GA to survive. Cessnas do not buy enough fuel to economically support the country's GA infrastructure, Learjets do.
 
Not that I disagree, but corporate GA supports the FBO network and reliever airports that allow owner flown GA to survive. Cessnas do not buy enough fuel to economically support the country's GA infrastructure, Learjets do.

Learjets don't buy 100LL last time I checked.
 
Learjets don't buy 100LL last time I checked.

True, but I think he means generaly speaking, in terms of bulk purchase and revenue which keeps many FBOs going apart from the service-only mega FBOs such as Signature, Million Air, Atlantic, etc.

The classic "mom and pop" FBOs, the ones that do flight training and rental as well as maybe fuel and are at smaller airports; if these are what you're referring to in your post, then I see your point a little better.
 
True, but I think he means generaly speaking, in terms of bulk purchase and revenue which keeps many FBOs going apart from the service-only mega FBOs such as Signature, Million Air, Atlantic, etc.

The classic "mom and pop" FBOs, the ones that do flight training and rental as well as maybe fuel and are at smaller airports; if these are what you're referring to in your post, then I see your point a little better.

True. GA is GA. While business aviation is GA, they have enough pull in other places. We need an organization that fights for average Joe who has a weekend airplane to use for fun. Or maybe use for a trip or two per year. That's what AOPA should be.
 
I see AOPA fighting for the non 121 side of the fence generally speaking. Part of that includes orgs and individuals with more spending capacity than the average Joe. Though Flight Training magazine does focus on newbie type flyers, I think they do have good articles for average Joe pilots on things like partnerships/ ownership, and knowledge refreshment. I like their online courses and other resources. Plus things like Airport Support Network and keeping abreast of the law as it intersects with GA.

Just as individuals lose their way, so do organizations. I am pulling for AOPA to right the ship and move forward. I do see what you are saying about the average Joe type flying, and maybe we will see something like a collaborative with the EAA. AOPA's effort at flying clubs seems like a decent idea, and something meant for average income folks, too.
 
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