by Dave Weiman
Something I look forward to attending each year at EAA AirVenture-Oshkosh in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, is the AOPA Foundation supporter appreciation gathering held this year at “The Waters” Yacht Club on Lake Winnebago, July 23, 2024, and the breakfast at the AOPA Pavilion on the EAA grounds at Wittman Regional Airport, July 25, 2024. The gathering is an opportunity to mingle with fellow donors and AOPA staff. The breakfast is an opportunity to meet some of the recipients of the AOPA Foundation’s Flight Training Scholarships, and participants in AOPA’s High School “Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics” (STEM) program.
Dave Weiman Photos
AOPA President and CEO, Mark Baker, was at The Waters and AOPA Pavilion to personally thank donors for their support of the AOPA Foundation.
At the breakfast, AOPA members heard directly from some of the recipients of the scholarships, and instructors and students in AOPA’s High School STEM program. These young people really have their act together… they are excited about their future careers in aviation, and most appreciative of the scholarships.
The scholarship awards are broken down into four categories: AOPA High School Flight Training Scholarships, AOPA Teacher Flight Training Scholarships, AOPA Primary Flight Training Scholarships, and AOPA Advanced Rating Scholarships.
Recipients can use the money for direct flight training expenses to pursue a primary pilot certificate, such as a private, sport, or recreational. They must also complete a flight training milestone, achieving either solo flight or earning a primary pilot certificate, within one year of receiving the scholarship.
Scholarships
Thanks to the generosity of scholarship donors, the AOPA Foundation awarded a total of 249 scholarships in the 2024 scholarship cycle. In the weeks since those funds were awarded, several recipients have already achieved milestones including first lessons, first solo flights, and passing their CFI checkride. So far, almost 70% of the 2023 scholarship recipients have earned their pilot certificates.
To support AOPA’s scholarship recipients in their training, AOPA’s on-staff flight instructors and team members deliver mentoring webinars. During the second quarter, the team hosted three webinars: Common Errors, Check Rides: What to Expect, and AOPA Scholarships and Fund Management.
The AOPA High School Aviation STEM Curriculum is a FREE four-year aviation-based program available at public, private, charter, and parochial schools, as well as high school home school co-op programs. The curriculum is currently in use by over 400 schools in 43 states, with over 16,000 students presently enrolled. The curriculum introduces students to academically rigorous aviation and aerospace STEM concepts aligned to Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS); prepares students for industry certification tests, specifically the FAA private pilot knowledge test and Part 107 sUAS written examination; and leads students through Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways and capstone projects for career success. The STEM programs in Ada, Oklahoma, and Williston, North Dakota, were featured at the breakfast.
The AOPA Foundation is the philanthropic arm of AOPA. Member contributions fund programs that membership dues do not cover, including the “AOPA Air Safety Institute” (ASI) and “You Can Fly.”
You Can Fly is a collection of practical, rigorous, and engaging initiatives developed through real-world experience to support pilots at every stage of their aviation journey.
For more than 60 years, the AOPA Air Safety Institute has been producing free programs to help all pilots fly safer. From groundbreaking online courses and videos, to popular live seminars, ASI is the leader in aviation safety education.
AOPA Air Safety Institute
Mike Ginter has been appointed the new Senior Vice President of the AOPA Air Safety Institute. He transitioned to ASI in mid-June from his previous role as Vice President of Airports and State Advocacy for AOPA. With a track record of leadership success, aircraft ownership, and extensive military aviation experience, Mike is well-positioned to significantly impact ASI’s safety initiatives and outreach efforts.
Total participation in ASI programs in Q2 was 2,262,235, bringing the YTD total up to 3.7 million.
High School STEM Program Success
The AOPA Foundation High School STEM team wrapped up another record-breaking school year for 2023-2024. AOPA’s STEM curriculum was utilized by 22,700 students in 1,000 schools across 47 states and the District of Columbia. The ninth grade Introduction to Aviation course was taught to over 11,000 students, representing that largest cohort to date.
In Q2, the AOPA Foundation High School STEM team held several three-day teacher training workshops in Florence, KY, Louisville, KY, Tulsa, OK, and Salinas, CA. These teacher professional development and curriculum training events were accomplished in cooperation with universities, state workforce development programs, and alternative education programs.
Recruitment for the 2024-2025 school year is well underway. So far, 33% more applications have been received to use the AOPA Foundation STEM curriculum than in the same time period for the 2023-2024 school year.
Rusty Pilots
During the second quarter, more than 1,180 people, including 706 inactive pilots, participated in an AOPA Foundation Rusty Pilots Seminar, webinar, or online course. Of these inactive pilots, 275 have completed their flight reviews and returned to flying after attending a Rusty Pilots presentation.
Since the program’s inception, more than 13,300 pilots have returned to general aviation flying and 53,179 pilots and non-pilots have been served by the initiative.
Flight Training
The AOPA Flight Training team is in the process of re-designing the Flight Training Experience Awards to help more flight instructors and flight schools take part. The team updated the flight school section of AOPA’s website with current resources with the goal of building a trusted hub of information for flight school owners and managers to reference. More than 2,000 flight schools and instructors and 1,100 students are registered to use the AOPA Flight Training Advantage App (AFTA). They have logged nearly 16,000 hours on the platform since its inception. Flight School Business released six short interview videos with experienced flight school owners and managers in the bi-monthly Flight School Business Quick Tips from the Field series.
Three “Don’t Get Rusty” monthly webinars were delivered this quarter to 2,505 live attendees:
•IFR Charts, VFR Magic: How to Use IFR Plates for Safer VFR Night Flying
•De-Terrifying Stalls: How to Get More Confident with Less Lift
•Get to the Choppa! Fun with Learning to Fly Helicopters
Flying Clubs
The Flying Clubs initiative helped seven new nonprofit flying clubs become operational in Q2 of 2024. The initiative has helped start more than 250 flying clubs nationwide.
Cade Hale, Manager of Flying Clubs, attended three aviation days at local airports at each of which he presented FAA WINGS Safety Seminars and Maximum Fun, Minimum Cost Presentations. These presentations had a combined attendance of 109 flying clubs across the events. A presentation on the benefits and pitfalls of experimental aircraft in flying clubs was given to the ADK Flying Club.
The team continues to pursue more than 50 active leads for new clubs, with at least two more new clubs on the immediate horizon.
State of General Aviation Q2
The current number of fatal accidents remains low, falling below estimates in both April and May, setting the stage for one of the industry’s safest years on record. However, since the second week of June, there has been an uptick in accidents, which could be concerning if this trend continues.
While normalizing flight activity will eventually provide a clearer accident rate, expected in 2025, General Aviation is still on track to meet its accident reduction goal. Nonetheless, if the June trends persist through the end of the year, we may experience a slower reduction rate than initially anticipated.
Data Analysis
The ASI team plans to update and modernize its “McSpadden Report” (formerly the Nall Report), including a revision of accident causes to better align with industry standards. The updated report will expand the current live data graphics to cover additional safety areas. Additionally, ASI is exploring a video-based aviation report to replace long-form web-based reports, aiming to reach a broader audience. The first video report is scheduled for release at the end of Q3.
eFIRC and Outreach
ASI renewed 1,633 CFI certificates in the second quarter, bringing the program up to 3,404 renewals YTD – 5 percent above target.
The ASI team delivered nine in-person safety seminar presentations to audiences at the following locations, organizations, and events:
•Boca Raton Pilots Association
•Ocean Reef Club
•Sun ‘n Fun (three seminars)
•Flying Physicians
•American Navion Society
•North Raleigh Pilots Association
In the second quarter of 2024, the ASI team published its weekly ASI Training and Safety Tips, which are published to AOPA’s Instagram every Tuesday, and monthly ASI Safety Tips for both AOPA Pilot and Flight Training magazines. ASI’s quarterly What Went Wrong? article was Thunderstorms and Snapchat.
ASI also released four videos, three podcasts:
•Accident Case Study: Conflict in the Cockpit- It’s July 26, 2021, and the crew’s first time flying together on the Bombardier Challenger 605.
•Taming the Twin parts 1 and 2: Introduction to Multiengine Airplanes and Single-Engine Operations are the first two videos in a five-part collaborative series with Sporty’s.
•Pilot Short Story: Emergency in IMC- Thomas Turner, executive director of the American Bonanza Society Air Safety Foundation, shares lessons learned dealing with partial engine power on an instrument approach in IMC during a training flight.
“THERE I WAS…” Podcasts
•Episode 70: Ferry Flight, Jared Yoshiki, AOPA’s Western Pacific Regional Manager, recounts the story of purchasing his first airplane, and how things went awry while ferrying it home.
•Episode 71: Engine Failure at Night, Greg Duckworth experiences engine failure in his Rutan Long-EZ on a night flight to Grand Strand Airport in Myrtle Beach, SC.
•Episode 72: Laser Strike, Jonathan Fay tells experiences of a laser strike while in the traffic pattern for a night landing, and tracking down the perpetrator.
Industry Leadership
ASI continues to play a key role in several working groups and taskforces of the General Aviation Joint Safety Committee (GAJSC) to help shape safety-related policies and initiatives.
Heading up the AOPA Foundation is Senior Vice President, Elizabeth Tennyson, who has been with AOPA since 1998. The AOPA Foundation’s Donor Relations Manager is Carli Berkheimer, Becky Johnston is Director of Foundation Giving, Samuel Jackson is Senior Manager of Development Marketing & Communications, Katie Pribyl is Vice President of Capital Campaign, Kim Reed is the Administrative Assistant, Peter Bowers is Vice President of Corporate Relations, Morty Lloyd is Major Gift Officer, Agnes Macdonald Hutchins is Director of Gift Administration, Hannah Stoker is Development Coordinator, and Laurie Whitaker is Manager of Development Research.
The AOPA Foundation offers a variety of contribution levels: “Friends of GA” can vary between $1.00 and $999. Contributions to the “Hat in the Ring Society” varies between $1,000 and $9,999. The “President’s Council” requires a gift of $10,000 or more!
The AOPA Foundation’s Donor Relations Manager Carli Berkheimer can be reached at 301.695.2207 or via email at Carli.Stone@aopa.org (www.aopafoundation.org).
Thank you for your support!