"You Can Only Rely On The Gov't To Screw Up So Much"

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: Feeling a bit restless after just three months in semi-retirement, former AOPA President Phil Boyer tipped off ANN last week to his next big project: a series of free seminars to inspire the leaders of certain aviation "letter groups" on how to better connect with their membership ranks.

"During my 18 years as the head of AOPA, we saw membership ranks grow almost exponentially," Boyer said in a phone call to ANN from the front porch of his brand-new home, while sipping a cool iced tea and gazing out upon the sweeping vista of a certain Ohio airport. "Much of that gain was due to the pilot community coming together to support the General Aviation Revitalization Act, to defend their industry in the aftermath of 9/11, and again to combat user fees.

"But let's face it -- you can only rely on the government to screw things up so much," Boyer continued. "There's the point when an organization needs to rally the troops outside of a crisis situation, and that responsibility rests at the top."

Regarded by many as one of the most popular aviation leaders of his time, Boyer is in a unique position to offer advice to others. "They tell me I'm a likeable guy," he said. "As long as my wife feels the same way, I'm fine with that. The truth is, we still have some of the best people ever running many of the various organizations that support general aviation, and they do our community valuable service every day.

"But sometimes their messages need a little added 'pop.' A little 'zing.' Perhaps a personal anecdote or, better yet, a self-deprecating joke -- see what I did there before? Like that. And that's where I come in."

In his one-day workshop, 'How To Boyerize Your Organization' ("we originally intended to call it 'Phil Up With Gravitas,' but even I thought that was a little much") Boyer will work with one or several CEOs and other leaders of aviation organizations, "to help them personalize their messages and truly connect with their membership ranks."

Certain details of the syllabus for the one-day seminars were still being ironed out at press time, though Boyer did provide a brief summary of what he hoped to achieve. "I want these guys to loosen up a bit," he said. "Granted, that's a hard thing to do when the government... or the airlines... or a loud group of NIMBYs... is threatening your very way of life and livelihood. But that's when it's most important to show a sense of humor, a way to separate the wheat, from the chaff, from the JetBlue ads lampooning corporate CEOs."

Perhaps most enticing in these difficult economic times, Boyer says he will not charge client groups for his motivational services.

"I'm doing pretty OK in retirement," he said. "As it turns out, a certain meat products company liked the work I did when I ate the 150,000th free hot dog given out by Sporty's a few years back... and the moment I was available, they signed me to a great endorsement deal. Between that and being on the board at Aspen [Avionics] I'm doing OK. So, yes, life is good."

FMI: www.happyphil.org