AOPA does something right

Jay Honeck

Jay Honeck

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Jun 6, 2008
Messages
11,571
Location
Ingleside, TX
Display Name
Jay Honeck
Home Airfield
KTFP - Ingleside, TX
For years, now, AOPA has sent out free caps as a spiff for renewing your membership. Trouble is, these caps were clearly designed for women and children, with most pilots looking like Alvin the Chipmunk in the danged things.

Well, I got my new AOPA hat today, AND IT FITS MY PUNKIN' HEAD. They are now being made in Vietnam, and are finally being made to fit the adult male noggin.

Yay, AOPA! :D

Sent from my Nexus 7
 
That's not news I want to here. I loved the fit of the old hat and was about to order a new one to replace mine. Bummer.
 
I'd rather AOPA not send out those items. I'd rather they use the money towards their mission. That's part of why I've let my membership lapse.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
I'd rather AOPA not send out those items. I'd rather they use the money towards their mission. That's part of why I've let my membership lapse.
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An AOPA hat is the best advertising that organization has ever bought.
 
Traket92X said:
That's not news I want to here. I loved the fit of the old hat and was about to order a new one to replace mine. Bummer.
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Don't worry -- it's adjustable.

You can always cinch it tighter -- but it was never possible to stretch it! ;)
 
Jay Honeck said:
An AOPA hat is the best advertising that organization has ever bought.
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I doubt that. Even if that was true, I don't wear hats. And I don't know what to do with that little flight bag they send that I don't want.

Between that, the magazine, and the incessant renewal mailings and pleas for more money, they end up spending at least as much as my dues every year. To me, that's a waste of my money. I'd be much happier to give them money and know I will get absolutely nothing from them for the rest of the year. If they put a box in the renewal form for that, I'd renew.
 
There has to be a mass exodus before it can get better. You know my sentiments about the current leadership.
 
This is news to me. I've been a member for decades and only got a hat the first year I joined! I demand restitution!
 
I let mine go too. But I have to agree with Jay about the caps. And even though it's kinda small I still wear mine. Ironically, I had one maybe 10-15 years ago - a nice cloth one - that looked and felt perfect. How I lost it I'll never know.
 
I got a hat from Flying magazine, which I actually really like, but I've never gotten one from AOPA. I think most of my membership dues go to sending me mail requesting that I renew my membership (even though I'm on automatic renewal).
 
upstateny said:
This is news to me. I've been a member for decades and only got a hat the first year I joined! I demand restitution!
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+1

Don't think I received a ballcap since I first joined 10 years ago or so. And I too allowed my membership to lapse last August.
 
wabower said:
Call me next time you're here. I'll give you one of mine. :D
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You could have see us early, early this morning. What was up with the weather? That was the most interesting fog layer I have ever seen.
 
Dunno. I got the paper at 0545, clear as a bell. After sun-up, every time I refilled the coffee cup it was murkier than before, then quickly burned off.
Everskyward said:
You could have see us early, early this morning. What was up with the weather? That was the most interesting fog layer I have ever seen.
Click to expand...
 
wabower said:
Dunno. I got the paper at 0545, clear as a bell. After sun-up, every time I refilled the coffee cup it was murkier than before, then quickly burned off.
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Forecast at KDAL before we took off was good but KADS had a zero degree spread so I was suspicious. When we got the ATIS it was 300/1. Towers and buildings were sticking up out of the fog. The fact that it was sunrise made it look surreal. We did the ILS 33 and saw the runway quite a ways out. I don't think we could have gotten in on 15 because we rolled out into the fog.
 
Jay Honeck said:
For years, now, AOPA has sent out free caps as a spiff for renewing your membership. Trouble is, these caps were clearly designed for women and children, with most pilots looking like Alvin the Chipmunk in the danged things.

Well, I got my new AOPA hat today, AND IT FITS MY PUNKIN' HEAD. They are now being made in Vietnam, and are finally being made to fit the adult male noggin.

Yay, AOPA! :D

Sent from my Nexus 7
Click to expand...

I've never gotten a hat from AOPA. But then again, I don't wear BBall style caps.
Maybe they knew that?
 
Everskyward said:
Forecast at KDAL before we took off was good but KADS had a zero degree spread so I was suspicious. When we got the ATIS it was 300/1. Towers and buildings were sticking up out of the fog. The fact that it was sunrise made it look surreal. We did the ILS 33 and saw the runway quite a ways out. I don't think we could have gotten in on 15 because we rolled out into the fog.
Click to expand...

When you fly the approach to 33, note the FAF is PORTR- look down, there's my house.

---

AOPA has never sent me fool thing. No hat, no bag, no flashlight. I had to go to the tent at OSH to beg a cap, and it was an uggaly one, too.
 
Everskyward said:
I don't think I've ever gotten a hat from them.
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Me neither. They've said they were sending one, never happened. My first year 2008 I think it was, they did send a tie pin, an airport directory and a small flight bag... I thought the flight bag was small and a "token gesture" but these days, it's all I need.

I let my membership lapse until my insurance came due, their insurance folks are top notch and the flight planner was the only one I liked (because it had terrain/profile view which I found handy, until I moved to Georgia).
 
Jay Honeck said:
For years, now, AOPA has sent out free caps as a spiff for renewing your membership. Trouble is, these caps were clearly designed for women and children, with most pilots looking like Alvin the Chipmunk in the danged things.

Well, I got my new AOPA hat today, AND IT FITS MY PUNKIN' HEAD. They are now being made in Vietnam, and are finally being made to fit the adult male noggin.

Yay, AOPA! :D
Click to expand...

Yay!! ??? I guess?

Now that they've sorted out that pesky hat sizing problem, maybe they can do something aviation related?
 
What's first on your list?

\__[Ô]__/;1019698 said:
Yay!! ??? I guess?

Now that they've sorted out that pesky hat sizing problem, maybe they can do something aviation related?
Click to expand...
 
My mistake, I thought your reference to "something aviation-related" might be an indication of specific issues requiring attention.
\__[Ô]__/;1019706 said:
Don't know, but I'm pretty sure my list doesn't include hats.
Click to expand...
 
upstateny said:
This is news to me. I've been a member for decades and only got a hat the first year I joined! I demand restitution!
Click to expand...

I've gotten two. One when I joined and another when I visited AOPA HQ 10-11 years ago.
 
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