Nation's Two Largest GA Organizations Explore More Collaboration "For The Good Of GA"

EAA President and CEO Rod Hightower and members of his leadership team spent two days this week at AOPA's Frederick, MD, headquarters meeting with President and CEO Craig L. Fuller and his leadership team. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss ways the two organizations can work collaboratively to promote GA, and protect our freedom to fly. It was Hightower's first visit to Frederick.

During the two days of meetings, the leadership teams shared broad overviews of what each association and their members are doing to support GA and talked about how the two groups might collaborate to enhance those efforts.

"Here at AOPA, our theme for 2011 is 'Rally GA,' so it's important that we look for ways the two largest general aviation organizations can work together on behalf of GA,"  said Fuller. "We've spent the last two days looking at our individual programs and initiatives to see where they align and how we can make them work better for our members and all pilots."

Hightower concurred, adding, "EAA's grassroots chapter system gives us great access at the community level, and AOPA's members have shown their willingness time and again to stand up and support GA. Our two organizations work diligently to defend our members' interests, but is there any better 'sales pitch' for GA than a pilot sharing his love of flight?"

This week's meeting is part of the two associations' ongoing collaboration to support a combined membership of more than half a million, and promote and protect general aviation.

FMI: www.eaa.org, www.aopa.org