AOPA Dues going up again

[Acrodustertoo]

Got a tail number? Should certain destinations be excluded? Don't you think it's more likely that they are meeting members for various events? I don't see many "family vacation" airplanes in their registry.

I think you have answered your own questions.
Is it the members responsibility to pay for ceo, coo jet setting? Is our money being spent wisely ? Did they do what was expected of them for the salary they are receiving? Are they representing all of ga or just the big money?

 

[mscard88]

Believe it or not, I was going to passively exit AOPA in October. I knew the card number they had, and that card was re-issued with a new number some months back. I figured AOPA would strike out in trying to auto renew against the old card. Imagine my surprise when the dues charge appeared on the statement for my new card.

I don't understand how that was possible.

That's weird unless somehow they processed before the new number.

 

[paflyer]

I think you have answered your own questions.
Is it the members responsibility to pay for ceo, coo jet setting? Is our money being spent wisely ? Did they do what was expected of them for the salary they are receiving? Are they representing all of ga or just the big money?

You didn't provide any evidence of malfeasance, just innuendo.

 

[Everskyward]

Believe it or not, I was going to passively exit AOPA in October. I knew the card number they had, and that card was re-issued with a new number some months back. I figured AOPA would strike out in trying to auto renew against the old card. Imagine my surprise when the dues charge appeared on the statement for my new card.

I don't understand how that was possible.

Not sure why that happened either, since I was in the same situation a couple years ago and they sent me an email saying the card had been declined.

 

[cgrab]

My bank switched from MC to Visa and sent out new cards. The auto charges for the MC showed up on my Visa with a note until I changed them to Visa.

 

[SoonerAviator]

And a $2,000 drone! There's some well spent dues money.

So? If they want to take aerial pictures of events and fly-ins, what method is less-costly and safer than using a drone to handle such work? Also, drones have played an increasingly more significant role in generating new regulations and their impacts on airspace, so why not own a drone in order to better understand the threat and nuances of drone ownership. If nothing else, it may help them to make informed opinions and decisions regarding safeguarding GA while not imposing extreme regulation on drone operators.

 

[airdale]

So? If they want to take aerial pictures of events and fly-ins, what method is less-costly and safer than using a drone to handle such work?

Wrong question. The question should be: "Are a few aerial pictures of events and fly-ins worth $2000 to get? Answer: Probably not. They have been getting along quite well without these pictures for over 75 years..

Also, drones have played an increasingly more significant role in generating new regulations and their impacts on airspace, so why not own a drone in order to better understand the threat and nuances of drone ownership. If nothing else, it may help them to make informed opinions and decisions regarding safeguarding GA while not imposing extreme regulation on drone operators.

This, however, may be a good argument for having the drone. It depends on how and by whom it is used

 

[GlennAB1]

What does AOPA membership get ya? Is it like Mensa?

 

[George Mohr]

What does AOPA membership get ya? Is it like Mensa?

I can tell you what I've gotten out of it.

1) a really nice magazine
2) a TON of training materials. I've probably watched/read 20 hours of AOPA created content this past year
3) advocacy. I see no downside to 3rd class medical reform, and lots of upside.
4) fly ins, haven't done them yet, but plan to this year.

 

[NoHeat]

What does AOPA membership get ya? Is it like Mensa?

Good question. Your post prompted me to look at Mensa's page to see.

There are indeed some similarities. For example, benefits at both outfits include discounts on car rental.

There are differences, however. Mensa offers a dating service, while AOPA touts its legal defense office. I'll let you decide which one sounds like more fun.

 

[X3 Skier]

Good question. Your post prompted me to look at Mensa's page to see.

There are differences, however. Mensa offers a dating service, while AOPA touts its legal defense office. I'll let you decide which one sounds like more fun.

One might need to be a member of both.

Cheers

 

[jesse]

Believe it or not, I was going to passively exit AOPA in October. I knew the card number they had, and that card was re-issued with a new number some months back. I figured AOPA would strike out in trying to auto renew against the old card. Imagine my surprise when the dues charge appeared on the statement for my new card.

I don't understand how that was possible.

Not sure why that happened either, since I was in the same situation a couple years ago and they sent me an email saying the card had been declined.

You can thank the brands and your card issuer for that! The brands offer a service to merchants with recurring subscriptions where they will send the merchant (more likely their payment processing partner) the new card number / expiration date if the card is reissued. Very common feature provided with recurring billing payments products.

Visa's offering:
https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/downl...duct-information-fact-sheet-for-merchants.pdf

 

[Acrodustertoo]

I will tell ya this, AOPA has gone from an organization about aircraft owners and pilot to an organization for elite pilots and airplanes.
I am building my plane from scratch, from a set of plans. It will not have a G50000000 glass panel "suite" in it. It will not have a double turbine super-charged hemi in it. just an off the shelf I0-360.
They have abandoned my type long ago. I am still waiting for the article where they put a G1000 glass panel in a hot air balloon! AOPA could care less about the little guy when it comes to their strategies. I don't give a rip about reading their latest PIREP on the latest turbo-prop million dollar machine. Good for them but I am not in the market for one these days. They have screwed the pooch on their third class, the adsb and are no where to be found when a guy lands his amphib on a lake in Minnesota? Good for them that they are greasing the pockets of Gov officials and promoting flight level aircraft but they look at us like a fly on the windscreen.

 

[Radar Contact]

Just received a renewal notice to lock in a $49 annual rate before the dues go up to $69 in 2017. That's what 3 or 4 hikes in the last 5 years?

While it sucks, it's part of life. Property taxes keep going up. Fuel keeps going up (long term). Income taxes increase. FICA cap goes up. etc. etc.

AOPA is by far the largest and most powerful proponent of GA in town (DC....the only town that matters for this). They advocate and fight for GA and there are many battles that may have been lost without them. User fees and more restricted airspace to name a few near and dear to me.

They will get my money. With that said, I understand the frustration.

 

[Bonchie]

I will tell ya this, AOPA has gone from an organization about aircraft owners and pilot to an organization for elite pilots and airplanes.
I am building my plane from scratch, from a set of plans. It will not have a G50000000 glass panel "suite" in it. It will not have a double turbine super-charged hemi in it. just an off the shelf I0-360.
They have abandoned my type long ago. I am still waiting for the article where they put a G1000 glass panel in a hot air balloon! AOPA could care less about the little guy when it comes to their strategies. I don't give a rip about reading their latest PIREP on the latest turbo-prop million dollar machine. Good for them but I am not in the market for one these days. They have screwed the pooch on their third class, the adsb and are no where to be found when a guy lands his amphib on a lake in Minnesota? Good for them that they are greasing the pockets of Gov officials and promoting flight level aircraft but they look at us like a fly on the windscreen.

There's some truth to this.

They'll spend millions to keep an rich/biz jet airport open out in California (which there are about 50 other airports within spitting distance of), but basically just swallowed ADSB while they seem indifferent to the many other initiatives that could help piston drivers. While EAA is working hard to get affordable, new tech certified and into our older (see attainable) airplanes, AOPA just writes articles about it and tells us about the latest 750k Cessna we could buy.

If AOPA really wanted to do something good with their money, their two priorities would be equipment certification and flight training initiatives that actually make sense (not pointless 90k 152s).

 

[RalphInCA]

Talent costs money. And DC area COL is huge. Anyone in a for-profit of the same level would be making just as much, if not more.

I don't know about that. The guys running AOPA are making pretty freaking good money.

 

[Ravioli]

I am building my plane from scratch, from a set of plans. It will not have a G50000000 glass panel "suite" in it.

Tell the truth -- Are you going SkyView, G3X, or GRT?

 

[Acrodustertoo]

Tell the truth -- Are you going SkyView, G3X, or GRT?

I have not even begun to think about that stuff. My single panel(my cockpit will be set up like a christen eagle) will have four steam gauges and maybe a place for an ipad in the middle. That will be about all I need and add in the engine instruments, will be enough to get going.

 

[paflyer]

I don't know about that. The guys running AOPA are making pretty freaking good money.

I repeat: Anyone in a for-profit of the same level would be making just as much, if not more.

 

[SoonerAviator]

I will tell ya this, AOPA has gone from an organization about aircraft owners and pilot to an organization for elite pilots and airplanes.
I am building my plane from scratch, from a set of plans. It will not have a G50000000 glass panel "suite" in it. It will not have a double turbine super-charged hemi in it. just an off the shelf I0-360.
They have abandoned my type long ago. I am still waiting for the article where they put a G1000 glass panel in a hot air balloon! AOPA could care less about the little guy when it comes to their strategies. I don't give a rip about reading their latest PIREP on the latest turbo-prop million dollar machine. Good for them but I am not in the market for one these days. They have screwed the pooch on their third class, the adsb and are no where to be found when a guy lands his amphib on a lake in Minnesota? Good for them that they are greasing the pockets of Gov officials and promoting flight level aircraft but they look at us like a fly on the windscreen.

Sounds like someone hasn't looked at their magazine/recent focuses for a while. One of their top initiatives is spurring flying clubs and assisting with the legal/documentation-side of the contracts in addition to serving as a liaison for getting interested club members aligned with each other. The $90K C150s are a bit silly, but it's not like they are trying to sell everyone an SR22 or Malibu. I've seen plenty of articles and features in the past year about flying Piper Cubs and float planes into back country areas and Alaskan ventures. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure they spent a disproportionate amount of time hobnobbing with the well-to-do and their turbines. However, I don't necessarily equate that with being contrary to GA's interests. I have seen a few features on turbines, but usually, it's about something brand new to the market (like the HondaJet), not a blurb about how "affordable" turbines are.

 

[Acrodustertoo]

Sounds like someone hasn't looked at their magazine/recent focuses for a while. One of their top initiatives is spurring flying clubs and assisting with the legal/documentation-side of the contracts in addition to serving as a liaison for getting interested club members aligned with each other. The $90K C150s are a bit silly, but it's not like they are trying to sell everyone an SR22 or Malibu. I've seen plenty of articles and features in the past year about flying Piper Cubs and float planes into back country areas and Alaskan ventures. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure they spent a disproportionate amount of time hobnobbing with the well-to-do and their turbines. However, I don't necessarily equate that with being contrary to GA's interests. I have seen a few features on turbines, but usually, it's about something brand new to the market (like the HondaJet), not a blurb about how "affordable" turbines are.

Have you priced out the "piper cubs" and "float planes" in their issues? I would expect they are all going to cost 150K and use the word "carbon" in their names

 

[Mason]

Almost every issue seems to have a feature on an affordable aircraft.

 

[SoonerAviator]

Have you priced out the "piper cubs" and "float planes" in their issues? I would expect they are all going to cost 150K and use the word "carbon" in their names

I've also seen some feature articles on normal aircraft, here's a list of the SE piston cover stories for the past year:
Jan 2017 - backcountry airstrip with C180s
Oct 2016 - Glassair Merlin LSA
June 2016 - North American Navion
May 2016 - Air Photography and Aircam Amphibs
March 2016 - C175 in Alaska
February 2016 - de Havilland Chipmunk

Not exactly a list of half-million dollar carbon Cirrus/Cessna models is it?

Those are just the cover stories, and doesn't take into account the other shorter blurbs about piston GA and affordable (using the term loosely) options every month. I just don't buy into the idea that they have transitioned to some turbine-pilot haven. They've done articles on plenty of LSA and experimental models in recent memory. I fully appreciate that you maintain the opinion that the dues aren't worth what your perceived benefit would be, but I just don't think it's all that bad, but certainly no utopia of small GA. As with most things, the truth lies somewhere in between.

 

[Acrodustertoo]

I've also seen some feature articles on normal aircraft, here's a list of the SE piston cover stories for the past year:
Jan 2017 - backcountry airstrip with C180s
Oct 2016 - Glassair Merlin LSA
June 2016 - North American Navion
May 2016 - Air Photography and Aircam Amphibs
March 2016 - C175 in Alaska
February 2016 - de Havilland Chipmunk

Not exactly a list of half-million dollar carbon Cirrus/Cessna models is it?

Those are just the cover stories, and doesn't take into account the other shorter blurbs about piston GA and affordable (using the term loosely) options every month. I just don't buy into the idea that they have transitioned to some turbine-pilot haven. They've done articles on plenty of LSA and experimental models in recent memory. I fully appreciate that you maintain the opinion that the dues aren't worth what your perceived benefit would be, but I just don't think it's all that bad, but certainly no utopia of small GA. As with most things, the truth lies somewhere in between.

I appreciate what you are saying and thank you for your time going over the articles for us. I just think that they have bought into this jet set idea a bit too much. They might come around and remember the little guy but their upper management are not the types flying in piston single trainers so they are selling their advertisers and image as this high society idea. EAA has been going throuhg this for many years now and are starting to remember what their name stands for instead of just being the three letters that sell out for "airventure" every year. Real EAA'ers call it Oshkosh and remember when the flight line was packed full of homebuilt aircraft instead of flashy ford cars and factory planes. The almighty dollar always gets in the way eventually I guess.

 

[mscard88]

FWIW there are two magazine versions, the regular and a 'turbine' version. You elect which issue you want.

 

[paflyer]

I appreciate what you are saying and thank you for your time going over the articles for us. I just think that they have bought into this jet set idea a bit too much. They might come around and remember the little guy but their upper management are not the types flying in piston single trainers so they are selling their advertisers and image as this high society idea. EAA has been going throuhg this for many years now and are starting to remember what their name stands for instead of just being the three letters that sell out for "airventure" every year. Real EAA'ers call it Oshkosh and remember when the flight line was packed full of homebuilt aircraft instead of flashy ford cars and factory planes. The almighty dollar always gets in the way eventually I guess.

Still waiting for evidence of AOPA staffers using company aircraft for boondoggle trips to Vail and Key West...

 

[SoonerAviator]

I appreciate what you are saying and thank you for your time going over the articles for us. I just think that they have bought into this jet set idea a bit too much. They might come around and remember the little guy but their upper management are not the types flying in piston single trainers so they are selling their advertisers and image as this high society idea. EAA has been going throuhg this for many years now and are starting to remember what their name stands for instead of just being the three letters that sell out for "airventure" every year. Real EAA'ers call it Oshkosh and remember when the flight line was packed full of homebuilt aircraft instead of flashy ford cars and factory planes. The almighty dollar always gets in the way eventually I guess.

I can definitely respect that. I agree that EAA "gets" the grass roots GA much better than AOPA. AOPA just appears to have more pull inside the beltway, just by the nature of their age/size/diversity of membership. I think both are likely deserving of their membership dues, at least in terms of value. EAA's value per dollar is arguably more satisfying.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MichiPilot]

One of their top initiatives is spurring flying clubs and assisting with the legal/documentation-side of the contracts in addition to serving as a liaison for getting interested club members aligned with each other.

I agree they hype up the flying club support...but when my flying club needed help all they did was send canned documents that were in no way applicable to our situation...and then stopped responding.

 

[Acrodustertoo]

I agree they hype up the flying club support...but when my flying club needed help all they did was send canned documents that were in no way applicable to our situation...and then stopped responding.

You should have sent pictures of your club members sitting in turbo props and biz jets, they would have been there in a heartbeat

 

[UngaWunga]

Still waiting for evidence of AOPA staffers using company aircraft for boondoggle trips to Vail and Key West...

Still waiting on the evidence that AOPA had anything to do with medical reform or any other positive for GA legislation....

 

[cowman]

I see people complaining about the AOPA a lot and I'll be honest, I'm not terribly familiar with the internal financials of said organization. Well paid executives aren't a surprise in any organization nor is it really surprising, shocking, or irresponsible for an organization that is all about aviation to be doing aviation related activities.

Could they be abusing it a little? Perhaps. Do I find the constant appeals for more donations above and beyond the base membership irritating? You bet. Do I find them to be of value? Well vref has been a handy service for me, I've gotten lots of information from their various publications, medical reform looks to be happening. Is it worth all they rake in? IDK... but the base yearly membership isn't much money at all so I've got no gripe with them. It would be nice to get some more swag... a new set of those cool airplane address labels would be nice, I used the crap out of them..... or dare I say it... a hat?

 

[mscard88]

When I originally joined back in the 70s you got a hat, the airport directory, and the AOPA sticker every time you renewed. Then later a choice of hat or directory plus the AOPA sticker. And then nothing but I don't remember when that was.

 

[Mason]

I got a hat this year.

 

[mscard88]

Got another 4th renewal "last chance" notice today, along with the free hat temptation.

 

[George Mohr]

Just attended a webinar on the AOPA flight planner. Really pretty impressive software which seems to have a few planning features no other planners have that I have come across. There are a couple missing features that they are working on, but so far so good. Add this tool to the list of stuff I consider a benefit of membership.

 

[paflyer]

...is that what they call ad hominem?

Could you please give examples to refute his claim?

Yes, and patently absurd posts are deserving.

Do you think we'd be flying with the freedom we have post 9/11 without AOPA?

 

[StevieTimes]

Yes, and patently absurd posts are deserving.

Do you think we'd be flying with the freedom we have post 9/11 without AOPA?

I'm not saying I agree or disagree, just don't see the need to go for the body when one could easily refute the argument with logic and facts, and maybe provide some useful information.

Whatevs, it's the internet.

 

[mscard88]

Do you think we'd be flying with the freedom we have post 9/11 without AOPA?

Yes I do. Not saying AOPA wasn't helpful, just that we'd still be flying with or without AOPA IMO.

 

[X3 Skier]

Like the mag, got plenty of hats so no need for another one, renew every year.

Cheers

 

[mscard88]

I'd consider subscribing to the mag only but they don't allow that.