Aviation Organizations Assignment

My current career path will likely consist of time spent as a CFI building time, and then on to the regional airlines to start working towards a career in either the major airlines or to gain enough experience to get a jump start into corporate aviation. I am currently a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) on the national level. These two organizations are focused on General Aviation (GA) and in many ways they represent two sides of the same coin. They each focus on advocating causes that benefit the GA community. Many of these issues do not necessarily affect me right now, such as the fight to abolish or minimize the 3^rd class medical, but forty years in my future that just might come in handy. One item that both groups oppose that does affect me is the idea of GA user fees, luckily with AOPA and EAA support the issue has never gained any real traction. Flight training would become much more expensive with a $100 per flight fee imposed by the government. The two groups do have important distinctions as well. AOPA has their Air Safety Institute that organizes various seminars around the country, open to the public, where various aviation topics are discussed in order to help keep pilots up to speed and flying safely. The EAA on the other hand focuses on more specific aviation niches like homebuilt aircraft and warbirds, as well as holding their annual Airventure event in Oshkosh, WI. I find both organizations to be a useful way to keep tabs on the GA community.

Once I reach the regional airlines I will be joining the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). This organization is the pilots union that helps negotiate contracts and lobbies the government to advocate on behalf of airline pilots. A current topic of debate is the alleged unfair subsidies that Persian Gulf airlines have been receiving. ALPA has partnered with the three US flag carriers and a number of other unions to try and force the US government to level the playing field so that US airlines, and subsequently US pilots, are able to thrive in the global economy. ALPA has also taken the stance with the pilot shortage that the problem is low pay at the regional airlines. We are just beginning to see this argument come to fruition with the recent announcement that Endeavor (a Delta subsidiary) is offering pilots $80,000 over 4 years to work for them.

References:

About EAA. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2015, from https://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/about-eaa

Air Safety Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2015, from http://www.aopa.org/Pilot-Resources/Air-Safety-Institute

Alpa About ALPA Who We Are. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2015, from http://www.alpa.org/AboutALPA/WhoWeAre/tabid/2030/Default.aspx

Endeavor Air Announces $80,000 Pilot Retention Program | Coastflight. (2015, January 29). Retrieved April 13, 2015, from http://iflycoast.com/endeavor-air-retention-program/

Mission and History of AOPA. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2015, from http://www.aopa.org/About-AOPA/Governance/Mission-and-History-of-AOPA

Partnership for Open and Fair Skies. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2015, from http://www.openandfairskies.com/