What benefit if any...

[BCTAv8r]

Brian, you can get a free six-month membership. Students can get a free, six-month membership. All you do is fill out a form and I think the call your flight school to verify with the instructor you list that you do take flight lessons. In that span you will have access to the magazines and the abundant of online resources.

Done tha 4 times already. You don't need any verification, all I needed was different email accounts. But I'm not contributing anything so I wanted to start. I'll wait a little more.

 

[Windchill]

Done tha 4 times already

... come on Brian!

 

[MidlifeFlyer]

Also, AOPA's website has lots of safety-related stuff that I think is restricted to members.

One of the great things about AOPA is that the safety material is =not= restricted to members. Anyone, member or not, can access the AOPA Air Safety Foundation material at www.aopa.org/asf

In addition to the services the organization provides (if you've ever had a serious medical issue, you'll know just how valuable they are), it's the commitment to safety embodied in its charitable ASF arm that has kept me a member and a ASF contributor for years.

 

[Looking4Lower]

I give it a thumbs-up. I've continued to renew my membership and get the magazine even tho I haven't flown GA in over a year. The magazine itself, like many have said, is great. The member's section of the website has some great resources that I have used many times in the past (i.e. outstanding information pages on things like customs procedures, flying in Alaska, handling maintenance issues, etc). You can also search articles from back-issues of AOPA pilot magazine to hunt down old articles. The flight-planner is pretty cool, too.