Hey AOPA!!!

[trafficinsight]

Since you asked: Because of my Father in law's position within his company, he has some very good contacts just about everywhere (locally - city, county, part of the state, a few of the Washington gentlemen).

I not only was able to write to elected officials, I had lunch/meeting with two of them. This was all prior to this phone call.

I know where my local politicians stand...if they are voted out of office, I should have the ability to meet with their replacements over lunch/golf and get the information I need.

That's good, you have much better contacts and opportunities than most people do. I wrote letters myself. But the person on the other end of the phone doesn't know that, and not everyone can go play golf with their representatives.

So, no...I didn't refuse to do anything. I merely wanted to know what this organization was going to do to help. That's why I was a member. Now that I know their main focus is having their members write letters, I don't feel the need to waste (lack of a better term) $40 a year.

What do I expect AOPA to do? More than tell me to do something I've already done. Instead of spending the $40 on Jet-A for the CJ or new CDs on runway incursions or 50 pounds of junk mail every week, maybe they could spend some of that money lobbying in Washington.

50 pounds of junk mail every week? That's a little bit of an exaggeration don't you think? The last letter I got from AOPA was my yearly membership kit... other than that I get the occasional advertisement for life insurance and other benefit offers, and the yearly offer for the Air Safety Foundation Christmas cards... which I absolutely love, so I order them. Now if I could get jiffy lube to stop sending me coupons for oil changes every other day THAT would be something... I only own one car... how many 30$ oil changes do I need in a week?

It seems like you think the "runway incursion" CD's are a "waste of money" because they don't do anything to help fight user fees... I really don't understand where you're coming from there... AOPA exists for more than just user fees. Some of your money is absolutely going to lobbying, but as I said before, a few lobbyists mean nothing if the membership doesn't back them up... so their main focus SHOULD be to get the membership out there and get involved. I've been a member of AOPA for a long time now and what I see is a well organized, professionally managed group that finds a cause, gathers the resources they need, and gets behind it. I've never been dissatisfied with it.

How many airports would be closed right now without the Airport Support Network volunteers?

There's only so much I (or any one of us) can do over a 40 minute lunch or 3 hour round of golf that's going to make a politician understand how important this is to his constituents...myself included. We need help, that's why we have these organizations.

-mini

Sounds like you're doing plenty, I commend you for that, and I bet you're getting through more than you think.

 

[Big Tex]

I'm sticking with EAA, though, as they are more grass rootsy, and more down to earth. I like that they support the young eagles program.

Many Texas pilots that I know of share the opinion that over the recent few years, the EAA seems to me to have become more bent on commercialized self-glorification as their primary focus, and their promotion of grass-roots aviation has taken a back seat. There are a many pilots here in Texas that are not too happy with EAA due to cancelation of the 2008 EAA Texas Fly-in known as SWRFI. It also doesnt sound too "grass roots" when EAA headquarters decided to cease branding regional fly-ins as EAA events. I guess now the EAA expects all Non-pilots to fly to Oshkosh every year.

 

[BrianNC]

I very rarely get mail from them. I subscribe for the magazine and I enjoy it. Some of you guys are too up tight.

 

[E6BAV8R]

Take my $39.00 and do something useful instead of bombarding me with 1,000 lbs of JUNK MAIL EVERY WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't mind supporting GA and AOPA but enough with the damn mail. Use that money and actually pay some lobbyists or bribe some senators or whatever you do to protect GA, instead of spending millions of dollars mailing crap to people that already support the cause.

Couldn't agree more. Unless its the magazine I throw everything else away without even looking at it.

 

[minitour]

Sounds like you're doing plenty, I commend you for that, and I bet you're getting through more than you think.

A little...it helps that they all know that I vote.

It's amazing how much they kiss your @$$ when they know you're actually a voter.

Talk with your votes people....it's the only way to make a difference.

-mini

 

[GaTechKid]

AOPA is a good organization with the vital purpose of promoting general aviation. I, for one, don't want to see the world's most vibrant aviation community suffocated to a marginal activity like it is in the rest of the world, so I don't let something like one King School's phone call or an ATP ad get my panties in a twist. To each his own though.