General Aviation Serves America

I have just returned from a great General Aviation Serves America event in Charlotte, N.C., and I want to tell you about it because I believe it’s a good indicator of what we have accomplished so far—both on Capitol Hill and within our own GA community.

If you’ve been following the campaign, you know I’ve been traveling around the country, meeting with pilots, aircraft owners and operators, FBO personnel, airport managers, and others to share the General Aviation Serves America message and seek support for our ongoing outreach efforts. When I first began to make these stops, few people had heard much about the campaign. The gatherings were small, and in many ways, I was starting from scratch, educating people about the issues facing GA and focusing on the fundamental principles of the campaign.

But now the momentum is picking up, and I am having a very different experience when I meet with new groups around the country.

In Charlotte, the event was hosted by Bob Wilson, owner of Wilson Air Center at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, and organized by the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), the association that represents FBOs and other GA businesses. NATA is also a critical partner in our General Aviation Serves America outreach efforts.

Some 250 people attended and Bob, well-known for his hospitality and customer service, put on a very impressive event. More than a dozen members of the local EAA chapter volunteered their time to help shepherd guests and provide information, and contributed a beautiful RV-7 to the aircraft display. Naturally, we also brought the AOPA Let’s Go Flying Sweepstakes Cirrus to be displayed alongside such diverse offerings as business jets, trainers, and turboprops of varying sizes and makes.

It was great to see so many different segments of the aviation community coming together in one place for one purpose—to help protect and promote our freedom to fly. The diversity of the audience and the aircraft, and the active involvement of members of NATA and EAA along with AOPA was a great show of strength and unity.

And at this event, many in the audience were already familiar with the campaign and its goals—great evidence that our message is being heard. They listened attentively as NATA President Jim Coyne and I talked about the issues of greatest concern and the importance of spreading the General Aviation Serves America message beyond Capitol Hill.

To me, the audience interest and knowledge, the variety of participants, and involvement of so many groups shows just how far we’ve come since we launched this campaign a few short months ago. We’re building momentum behind our message, now it’s up to all of us to keep it growing.