Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

[mailin 0]

Since we fall under the 'pilots' title as canopy operators is anyone here a member of AOPA, and if so, have you found them more helpful than USPA?


Jennifer

Arianna Frances

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

I joined AOPA a couple years back, shortly after I first signed up for flight lessons. I haven't had the chance to finish my flight school yet due to steady decline of the IT market. I'm hoping now that I am out of IT I can finally make it back to school when I apply for school loans.

I've maintained my membership for the very informative Flight Training magazine and to help fund an organization that has done fantastic work on the Hill with their lobbiest. AOPA was key in getting GA back in the air after 9/11 - which in turned allowed skydiving to get back in the air. AOPA continues to be one of the best advocates of private pilots every time the government tries to shut down access to the sky. Also, the information in the "members only" section on their webpage has some great information.

I thought that the insurance offered to pilots would be the best way to cover myself with skydiving as well - but the policy that AOPA sent me specifically listed "have you skydived in the last 2 years or do you plan to in the next 6 months" as a way to void out the coverage.

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[relyon 0]

As ChasingBlueSky mentioned, AOPA is one of the best general aviation advocacy groups out there. Unfortunately they, like the FAA, consider skydivers pilots about as much the state DOT considers a 3 year old with tricycle a driver.

Bob

[freeflyguy 0]

I'm AOPA, and yeah they are a great organization and resource for pilots, and skydivers, in a way, too.

Some thoughts as to why they do their job well. They have over 400,000 active members. By nature of their members and what those members do, they have millions upon millions of dollars at their disposal.

I have seen some say USPA should do as well as them. That is kinda funny. By nature of what skydivers do, they don't have near the money available to them. That and the membership of USPA doesn't compare.

To compare the two organizations is like comparing McDonalds to a kid's curbside lemonade stand.

Not that I'm am so in love with the USPA, and I'm sure they do their bonehead things, but without them, who knows what we would really have today? AOPA cares about planes, not us. But yeah, bu association with those planes they have helped a lot.

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bzzzz

[calphoto 0]

I have been a member of AOPA since the 80's, and have found them very useful a couple of times. I carry life insurance and commercial (pilot's license) legal insurance through them, and stay informed on aviation matters with their great magazine. They are fantastic advocates of flying, and have been known to help the skydiving cause in their defense of general aviation.
I do not know if non-pilots/operators can be members. I don't remember if I had to prove that I had an aircraft or license to qualify.
If you are an AIRPLANE pilot or owner, you should DEFINITELY be a member. DZO's take note. Anyone who operates a plane for whatever reason should be a member and take advantage of their services. Jump pilots especially should be members and carry the legal insurance, considering the risks we go to to dump jumpers.
Not a member of USPA, so I cannot comment on their services.

Hartwood Paracenter - The closest DZ to DC!

[rmsmith 1]

I'm an AOPA member since I believe that aviation activities need all the support they can muster. Freedom isn't free, and the law industry has lowered its standards to outright extortion since many of the industries that they used to suck blood from have moved their operations overseas.

[tombuch 0]

Yup, I'm a member. AOPA is probably the best general aviation advocacy groups by far. They have more members than USPA, and those members are more affluent. The AOPA membership is as passionate about flying as we are about skydiving, and we get major bang for their buck from AOPA.

Some of the best things about AOPA are; their lobbying effort on behalf of all general aviation pilots (including jump pilots); the training they offer through special seminars, on-line programs, and the Air Safety Foundation; the communication offered through the monthly magazine; the advancement of GA through recruitment of new student pilots and the efforts of Flight Training Magazine.

AOPA is a key organization for the future of general aviation and that includes skydiving. While some of the objectives of AOPA and USPA are different, many are shared, and USPA has a solid relationship with AOPA to help advance our cause as skydivers. In fact, I've recently been in touch with AOPA about a key GPS issue that matters to all skydivers, and they are keen to focus resources to help us out where our interest as skydivers overlap with pilot issues.

Membership is not limited to pilots and costs just $39.00 per year, well worth it for AOPA Pilot Magazine alone, but worth so much more with the additional services and support the organization offers. Check out the AOPA web site at http://www.aopa.org, and check out the membership application at https://www.aopa.org/join/join.cfm?type=domestic

Tom Buchanan
Instructor (AFF, SL, IAD, Tandem)
Commercial Pilot (IAMSEL,G)
Author JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Tom Buchanan
Instructor Emeritus
Comm Pilot MSEL,G
Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

[peek 21]

Just like USPA, AOPA is an organization that I would never consider NOT being a member of.

Because of its size, and because skydiving is tied so closely to General Aviation, AOPA probably does more to help us than USPA does (in strictly aviation issues).

(Of course there is no one other than USPA to help with strictly skydiving issues.)

It also does not try to be a trade organization by representing FBO's or flight schools, so it can concentrate on its main purpose-representing individual pilots.

(For those of you with some time on your hands, Google for "general aviation coalition".)