News & Information You’ll Want To Know In Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota & South Dakota
by Bryan Budds
Manager, AOPA Great Lakes Region
Late last year, AOPA President Mark Baker renewed the association’s commitment to reaching members in their backyards in part by reinventing AOPA’s national convention into a series of regional events with the same focus on aviation education, the latest products and services, and interacting with AOPA one-on-one – but with a local flavor specifically tailored to local pilots and aviation enthusiasts. After months of discussions with airports, local associations, pilots, and many others, AOPA has selected Indiana’s Indianapolis Regional Airport (MQJ) as the host of the 2014 Great Lakes Regional Event to be held on May 31, 2014. Be sure to mark you calendar to attend!
Some of the hot topics that may be discussed include several items AOPA’s regional team is engaged in locally in the Great Lakes Region right now.
For instance, in Ohio, AOPA continues to work with airport operators, local associations, the Ohio Department of Transportation, and state lawmakers to ensure the state’s airport system remains adequately funded while mitigating the already high cumulative tax burden at the 100LL pump. Also in Ohio, AOPA continues to serve on the Ohio Department of Transportation Airports Focus Study Project Advisory Committee, which is expecting to release its final report on the status of Ohio’s airports and their future funding needs and priorities, shortly.
Similarly, AOPA continues to serve on Minnesota’s newly re-established Minnesota Aviation Advisory Committee with the intent of increasing communication between all aspects of the state’s aviation community and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) Office of Aeronautics.
Michigan has also revitalized its General Aviation Subcommittee that operates subordinately to the Michigan Aeronautics Commission. The committee has made great strides in strengthening not only communication between Michigan’s pilots and the commission, but also in terms of illustrating general aviation’s importance to the state and increasing the pilot population.
These are just a few items AOPA is working on for you locally. Keep an eye on twitter.com/aopagreatlakes for up-to-the-minute updates on all things AOPA in the Great Lakes!
