by Bill Blake Published in Midwest Flyer – August/September 2019 issue The Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In, held each year in Lakeland, Florida, was blessed with good weather the week of…
Tag: Bill Blake
A Flight Back To Another Era
by Bill Blake Published in Midwest Flyer – June/July 2018 issue On April 11, 2018, military veteran and crew chief, Sergeant Bill Kelly of Lakeland, Florida, made his first flight…
Why You Should Be An AOPA Foundation Donor
by Bill Blake Published in Midwest Flyer – June/July 2018 issue If you are not an AOPA Foundation donor, you should be. The foundation’s two main programs are the “You…
Florida Fly-Out Attracts Midwest Flyers
Published in Midwest Flyer – April/May 2017 Members of the Florida Aero Club flew to Venice, Florida February 19, 2017 for its monthly fly-out and lunch at Sharky’s On The…
Strengthening The Aviation Community
by Bryan Budds, Manager AOPA Great Lakes Region We all know some of the realities facing general aviation today. Unfortunately, we hear with relative frequency discussions of looming user fees,…
MATA Conference Focused On Fuel, Flight & Future of GA
BROOKLYN CENTER, MINN. – Concerned with rising fuel prices, fuel fees and taxes, fuel supplies, and the future of general aviation, business owners and their employees came together for a…
Major Change To Affect Businesses On Twin Cities Airports
Al Lange, President of the Minnesota Aviation Trades Association (MATA), has confirmed that Gary Schmidt of the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), will meet with members during MATA’s annual conference on Monday, March 19,…
AOPA – More Engaged At Grassroots Level Than Ever Before
As announced at the AOPA Summit in September 2011, AOPA will be committing more resources to working at the regional, state, and local levels to address issues facing the aviation…
Aviation Conferences In The Midwest
by Bill Blake AOPA Great Lakes Regional Representative Recently, the aviation fall conference season ended. For me, that included attending the annual conferences of the National Association of State Aviation…
Michigan Governor Appoints GA Pilots To Aeronautics Commission
by Bill Blake, AOPA Great Lakes Regional Representative Peter Kamaranien of Grand Ledge, Michigan, owner of GrandAir Aviation, Inc. at Abrams Municipal Airport, and J. David VanderVeen of Clarkston, Michigan,…
Signs GA Is Getting Stronger!
I attended the “Michigan Legislative Aviation Day” in early March hosted by the Michigan Business Aviation Association (MBAA), and the Michigan Association of Airport Executives (MAAE). The day started with representatives…
Great Lakes Regional Representative For AOPA Receives Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award
GALENA, ILL. – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has presented AOPA Great Lakes Regional Representative Bill Blake with the “Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award” for completing 50 consecutive years of…