But Thousands Show Up For AOPA Fly-In

More than 3,000 people turned out for the 13th annual AOPA Fly-In and Open House Saturday, despite weather that remained stubbornly IFR.

"The enthusiasm of the general aviation community never ceases to amaze me," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "We were thrilled to see so many pilots and flying enthusiasts drive in when the weather refused to cooperate. It just goes to show how vibrant general aviation really is."

Some 2,700 people drove in for the day, while nearly 120 aircraft came through Saturday's instrument meteorological conditions to attend. Another 45 aircraft came in on Friday to beat the bad weather.

Vendors reported a good volume of traffic in the big tent behind AOPA's headquarters building. AOPA Certified Services partners were especially pleased. "We took dozens of applications for AOPA credit cards, and the AOPA Insurance Agency was doing a brisk business telling pilots about renter's liability insurance," said Debbie Hayden, program director for AOPA's Products and Services Division.

As always, the 14 hours of seminars offered at this year's Fly-In were a big draw. Topics ranged from single-pilot IFR operations, spatial disorientation, and aeronautical decision making, to deciding whether it's better to rent or own an aircraft, to the always-popular hangar-flying session with Rod Machado.

Boyer Warns About Security-Related Airspace Restrictions

Boyer took on the issue of national security and airspace restrictions when he hosted his first-ever Fly-In seminar. Specifically, he talked with pilots about the air defense identification zone (ADIZ) and other restrictions around Washington (DC). He warned the audience that he's been told the ADIZ is not going away.

"Our biggest thing now is to try to work with the agencies to find operational solutions," Boyer said. He outlined several of the proposals that AOPA has laid before the FAA and the TSA and said the agencies have indicated they're at least willing to consider the options.

"During a meeting with the head of the Transportation Security Administration, Adm. James Loy, and other top officials earlier this week, we were told that getting back to the way things were September 10, 2001, will be a long way away," Boyer told the audience. But he also relayed some promising developments from that meeting. "One official told us, 'there were some things done in the wake of 9/11 that need rethinking,'" said Boyer.

Boyer was joined at the seminar by high-ranking officials from the FAA and the Transportation Security Administration. Bruce Johnson and Linda Schuessler, director and deputy director, respectively, of the FAA's Air Traffic Service division; Nancy Kalinowski, deputy director of the Air Traffic Airspace Management Program at the FAA; and Bruce Landry and Michael Morrison from the TSA were in the audience to hear firsthand the concerns on GA pilots' minds.

After-Market Vendors Report Business Good

Vendors attending the Fly-In say that business has been fairly good since the September 11 terrorist attacks, although the market's grown softer since the war with Iraq began. One paint shop operator said that while there's usually a six- to 12-month wait to get an aircraft painted, right now his shop is working about two months out. Other vendors report similar situations, with customers still coming in but at a somewhat slower rate.

That information supports AOPA's position that general aviation, at least that part which supports small, single-engine owners and pilots, is weathering the current soft economy better than the rest of the aviation industry. During a recent speech to the Aero Club of Washington, Boyer noted that wait times to have new avionics installed are running as long as three months, indicating good health among companies that help owners outfit their aircraft. At the same time, new sales of the typical four-seat, single-engine GA aircraft are holding steady, unlike most other sectors of the industry.

AOPA's next major gathering will be in Philadelphia for the annual AOPA Expo, October 30-November 1, 2003. ANN's Jim Campbell is enroute home at the moment and will file additional reports tomorrow.

FMI: www.aopa.org