Where will aviation take you in 2023?
by AOPA President Mark Baker
Published in Midwest Flyer Magazine February/March 2023 Digital Issue
Leave it to a children’s book to show us the way. After all, Dr. Seuss’s popular work about the importance of seizing new opportunities, keeping an open mind, and trying out new things speaks to all of us aviators. We are adventurers, seekers, explorers. I hope each one of us can live up to these descriptors in the year ahead.
What does 2023 hold in store for me and the team at AOPA? I may not have a crystal ball, but if I did, it would show a lot of flying. That should come as no great surprise. It’s been that way for me since I got my certificate in my early days, and it hasn’t been much different since. My year will be spent continuing to pursue this great passion we share for aviation, and making sure that each one of you has the freedom to fly.
I was recently asked if I still have a bucket list of destinations. My answer was “sort of.” I’m fortunate that I have crossed off a lot of my list, but there’s always a little room for more.
In a career that has taken me to so many different places—figuratively and literally—I have been fortunate to see so much of this great country. In fact, I’m pretty sure that I have visited every American city and town with a population north of 50,000. It’s been a necessary—and welcomed—part of my career, and I have been incredibly thankful that almost all these places are served by one of our 5,000 public-use GA airports. I’ve taken good advantage of that fact.
The coming year may not be as much about flying to brand-new destinations (although there will always be new places to see) as it will be about revisiting favorite destinations and spending more time there—going farther, seeing new things, discovering more wonders. It’s always a goal of mine when I visit a destination to see something I haven’t before (especially from the air—no two aerial views are ever alike). It’s the nature of an explorer.
I am looking forward to visiting the Bahamas again. It’s one of the most spectacular destinations, and the trip there will be made more efficient by the work our Government Affairs team has done to battle cumbersome entry requirements. To see the islands of the Bahamas by air is truly a sight to behold.
Water will be a common theme in 2023, so I’d better put my seaplane skills to the test. I am looking forward to a trip this summer around the Great Lakes. So many wonderful destinations in the upper Midwest. I’m really looking forward to flying up to the top of the Missouri River in Fort Peck, Montana, and visiting the amazing lakes in that beautiful region.
The Northwest will be calling me again in 2023. Seeing my friends in Driggs, Idaho, and visiting airports in Washington and Oregon will be a highlight. I’m also looking forward to an annual pilgrimage to Alaska, where the flying and scenery just can’t be beat. I’m sure I’ll be using both wheels and floats.
Of course, much of my most cherished and anticipated trips will be those to see our members and the general aviation community. There is nothing I enjoy more than meeting with those who enable us to do our important work. I’m looking forward to seeing our friends in Florida at Sun ’n Fun, and of course no year is complete without a fantastic week at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh.
Our events team has another terrific year lined up for 2023 with a refreshed strategy to partner with established airshows. That will allow us to do what we do best—aviation—and allow our partners to do what they do best—put on an airshow.
I’m excited to fly back to Arizona in February for the AOPA Fly-In at the Buckeye Air Fair. The folks put on a tremendous event, and our members will be treated to a first-class experience. What a whirlwind year ahead.
Let me close with some more words from the good doctor, who put it in a way that should be the beacon for all aviators in 2023: You’ll be on your way up! You’ll be seeing great sights! You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.
