• Special Report: 2002 AOPA Open House

    by
    FlightSim.Com Staff
    Published on 06-05-2002 09:00 AM

    AOPA's Annual Fly-in and Open House

    By Louis J Betti - DreamFleet 2000

    If asked for a recipe for fun, I would suggest starting with 800+ pilots and their aircraft, add thousands more friends, family, and aviation enthusiasts, and mix with warm weather on a sunny day at a beautiful airport. That recipe appears to have worked perfectly for AOPA's annual Fly-in and Open House, held June 1, 2002, at Frederick Municipal Airport (FDK), Frederick, Maryland.

    For those of you who may be unfamiliar, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is the world's largest non-profit aviation organization, with almost 400,000 members, and serves the interests of general aviation, both in the United States, and throughout the world, via its affiliated associations in the IAOPA. Yes, AOPA is strictly GA, and their mission, in part, is to keep general aviation" fun, safe and affordable", and I will also add the word "possible".

    After the events of 9-11, even those members who may have taken AOPA for granted quickly came to realize the tremendous power this organization wields on behalf of its members. Without AOPA one can only imagine the draconian restrictions that could have been put in place to keep GA aircraft grounded, possibly long term. AOPA was there to educate, and fight ignorance throughout government, the general public, and even within the FAA. In short order, via unyielding pressure from AOPA president Phil Boyer and his staff, the skies were re-opened to GA, almost to the same extent that they were pre 9-11. With little doubt, a record turnout at their annual Fly-in and Open House was the membership's way of saying thanks to this fine organization.

    Prior to 9-11, I was thinking about going back to flying for real again, and not let my 1500 hours go to waste. Immediately after 9-11 I had all but written off such thoughts. Within weeks, however, upon seeing the action AOPA was taking, and the results they were achieving, I saw it as my duty to return to my "first love", and that I have done; a show of support if you will, and I am most happy that I did. Now, if I could just get my old Piper back!

    Having been a member of AOPA for over 27 years, it was the first time I attended this event, and am I glad I did! Not only was it fun and educational, but I also gained a renewed admiration and respect for AOPA, especially after meeting many of their staff members and touring their impressive facility. It made me very proud to know that I am a part of AOPA, part of a true family.

    You do not need to be a pilot or aircraft owner to join AOPA, and for the very reasonable dues of just $39 per year, I strongly encourage all flight simulation enthusiasts to join, and support AOPA. Among the many services they offer is the monthly AOPA Pilot magazine, which is every bit the equal of any of the other popular aviation magazines. Membership in AOPA is truly an incredible value.

    A visit to the AOPA web site will tell you all you need to know about their history, the various services they offer, and also up to date aviation news. It is a very active site, updated on a daily basis.

    http://www.aopa.org/

    I flew out to Frederick from Caldwell-Essex, New Jersey (CDW) along with my friend, Bruno, in his 1971 Mooney M20E, a fast, well-equipped ship. Although the weather was VFR, we filed IFR, in hopes this would ease the arrival burden a bit. Well, it sort of did! Great credit goes to the controller at Baltimore who handled a heavy load with ease, even then a 1:20 flight still became a 2:00 flight, as we were slowed to 120 knots, asked to do 360s, and vectored in zigzags for spacing. Add to that a good 20 minutes on the ground at CDW waiting for release; it seemed that everyone was going to FDK! We shot the ILS into runway 23 then broke off at the outer marker for a right base for runway 30, overall an enjoyable and challenging flight, into an impeccable airport.

    On the way home, with both of us baked from the unrelenting sun, notice that there would be a 20 minute delay for IFR clearances made the decision to drop the IFR clearance request, and depart VFR an easy one. We made a straight line for CDW, and Bruno was smart, he let me fly, knowing I'd have to deal with the early evening thermals and turbulence. Actually, I volunteered, as I knew Bruno had suffered more from the heat than I did. Hey, Bruno, how's your neck? Boy, it was mighty red last time I saw it!

    For the remainder of this article I will present various photos that I made, along with appropriate descriptions.

    Climbing out of CDW runway 22 and on our way up to 6,000'. Both IFR and VFR traffic was very heavy into Frederick, and at one point a pilot requesting flight following into FDK was met with the controller's reply, "Frederick, now why doesn't that surprise me?" On final to runway 30 at FDK. You can see the approach end of runway 23 to the right, and we broke off the ILS to 23 at the marker, and made a right base to 30. That black hump on the glare shield is the GPS antenna for the "Anywhere Map", which is run off of a Compaq Ipaq PDA, attached to the yoke. Scores of Civil Air Patrol cadets provided efficient and friendly taxi / parking service to the hundreds of arriving aircraft. I do not know how these young people managed to cope with the heat in those fatigues. Fortunately, they were provided with a large tent for shelter and plenty of cold refreshments.
    The "tower" at FDK. Normally the airport is uncontrolled, but for today a temporary tower was in place. A branch of Leesburg AFSS was set up at the AOPA headquarters for ease in checking weather, and filing / amending flight plans. All staff did a wonderful job under, at times, very stressful conditions.    		 Just a small portion of the aircraft that arrived for the fly-in. Almost every make and model of GA aircraft was represented. AOPA's headquarters is located right on the field, and is as impressive inside as it is outside.
    "Well, Bruno, you always wanted a Bonanza!" We were both drawn to this rather interesting home built as soon as we got on the ramp. What is it really? Says it right on the side! I should not need to tell you what this is, or who designed it, except to say that something similar flew around the world non-stop. Bruno asked: "Why do these planes always have their nose on the ground?" My reply: "They serve as very efficient ant eaters also!" The CAF is restoring this Grumman Avenger, which I like to refer to as the "George Bush bomber", as a similar one was flown by the ex-president. They have quite a ways left to go on her, and I can only hope my modest $10 donation to the cause will at least buy a few rivets for her.
    The Avenger's cockpit. No autopilot or FMS here, just real flying! On a hot day like this, and being that the majority of GA aircraft do not have air- conditioning, this Boeing Stearman is what you want to be flying! Talk about doors! Between that large passenger door on the left, and that huge canopy, one might almost think this Diamond Star features ejection seats. It does not, but...
    This one features a parachute for the whole plane! The 310 horsepower Cirrus SR22 is one of the world's most advanced SEL GA aircraft. Don't let the fixed gear fool you, as even some Bonanza pilots wish they could go as fast with their retractable gear!
    Everyone made it a point to hang out in Cirrus Design's air-conditioned trailer at one time or another. Here's a photo of a display showing the Cirrus' state of the art panel, with large MFD in the center. Beech, Piper, Cessna and Mooney have nothing to compete with this aircraft, that is how advanced it is. It is also proving extremely popular, as we spoke with one pilot who ordered his in 1999, and will not be receiving it until near the end of this year. Now, that's a waiting list!    		 For those who get AOPA Pilot magazine, you'll recognize this Socata Trinidad from last month's cover. For the price of that paint job, you could easily buy a used Cessna 150. The Trinidad is indeed a very capable and "sexy" French airplane. As Bruno is French, I could almost hear the airplane calling out to him, "buy me, buy me". In fact, this particular Trinidad is being auctioned off, to support the AOPA Air Safety Foundation. The current high bid is currently $316,000; a bargain when one considers the aircraft is worth about $420,000. Time to bid, Bruno!
    The Socata aircraft also feature some of the nicest instrument panels around, along with a spacious, comfortable interior. Moving to a different era, this beautiful Cessna 195 is a roomy, good-performing classic, that doesn't even need struts to hold up its wings! Of course, when it comes to classics, this beauty takes the top prize, the Beech Staggerwing. In its era, when you needed a "Lear Jet", this is what you would have bought, and make no mistake, a pristine example such as this one will still command hundreds of thousands of dollars if sold.
    Piedmont Hawthorne Aviation displayed a beautiful King Air C-90, which turned out to be one of the coolest paces on the ramp. They popped the over wing exit, and the cross ventilation cooled off the cabin as well as air conditioning. Here, Bruno strikes a pose in the cabin, while I wisely sit next to the open exit, which is just visible at far right. Time to eat, or more like take a long time to eat! This is just part of the lengthy lines we were met with over at the "food court". I was so hot that I had no appetite, and fortunately the line for one stand, and their soft drinks was rather short. However, Bruno spent about 20 minutes on line waiting for his pita sandwich. Overall the reports on the food were good, the staff was friendly, and everyone took it all in their stride. After lunch we made it over to the exhibit tent, where you could easily bankrupt yourself by pulling out your American Express card at the wrong booth!
    The Echo Flight booth was the only one we returned to twice, in order to closely examine their amazing "Flight Cheetah", shown here in optional vertical orientation. This unit does everything except wash the dishes, and I would dare say that its price of $5995 is very reasonable when it comes to these types of systems. Of course, you'll also pay an average of about $500 a year for database updates to it, as in real aviation updates to NAV data are not provided for free. To see what this amazing unit can do, visit their web site: http://www.echoflight.com/    		 Time for some cool air, so we made our way into the hospitable AOPA headquarters for a look around. This was really an open house, as much of the building was open for perusal. As you can see, I came appropriately dressed for the weather with my "Bermuda" outfit. Now, this is too much! We stumbled on to the "Office of the President", which was wide open. We walked in, and were greeted by a member of AOPA staff. "Welcome. I'm sorry but Phil is not in right now, but you're welcome to have a look around". She was chatting with two other pilots, who were seated on Phil Boyer's sofa. "Would you mind if I took a picture of his desk?" I asked. "Go right ahead", she replied, "better yet, why don't you take photos of each of you seated behind it". That offer was too good to resist, and here is the result with Bruno, as "AOPA president for a minute".
    That registration number says it all, the AOPA Citation. In some companies, shareholders might resent seeing the president in a big office with a fancy jet to fly around in, but Phil Boyer and his staff not only do an outstanding job, but they are almost constantly on the run, addressing issues wherever the need arises. For the job Phil and his staff does I would gladly let them double my dues, and if need be, buy a bigger jet! By the way, not to many corporate CEOs fly their own jets, but Phil flies his! You can learn more about Phil Boyer by going here: http://www.aopa.org/prez/ When Phil is not in his other office, you might find him in this one, the cockpit of 4GA. A Cessna of a different kind.
    Bruno checks out a Grand Caravan, while I check out what is under the "hood". Pilatus PC-12. More SEL turbo props, and what I feel is the Pilatus PC-12's most attractive profile angle. One look inside the spacious cabin, and you will understand why many will buy this airplane over certain King Air models.
    Now for something completely different. If it could fly, it was at the AOPA Open House and Fly-in! Need a plane? There were several for sale, such as this lovely Saratoga, my favorite. With anything like this, and as the saying goes, "If you have to ask the price..." I didn't bother, because I knew I couldn't! The spinner of the Staggerwing, shown earlier, provided for an interesting portrait of Bruno and I, along with a bunch of smashed bugs.
    Did they run this Cherokee 180 through "Text-o-Matic"? Bruno needs a new paint job on the Mooney, so we checked out Reese Aircraft, who does some exceptional work. If you are curious, the paint job on this 180 cost $11,000, and take about 3 weeks to accomplish. FS2002 may have "Patty", but AOPA had "Nancy", as in the most-talented aerobatic pilot Nancy Lynn, who can also be seen on the Discovery Wings TV channel. Here, she is standing beside her Extra 300L, chatting with a future aerobatic student and his father. You can visit Nancy's web site here: www.lynnaviation.com/aerobatics/ One of the 825+ aircraft that showed up for the fly-in, and the particular one that brought us to the event, Bruno's 1971 M20E Chaparral. Bruno wanted me to take a shot of her so I could experiment with some new paint schemes for her. Now, if only I could do the paint scheme in Photo Shop, and we could run the Mooney through Text-o-Matic, I could save Bruno a fortune!
    The flags fly in tribute to a truly great organization, as I extend my heartfelt thanks to Phil Boyer, and the dedicated staff of AOPA for providing for a wonderful event, and making Bruno and I feel like a part of the family.
    I want to take a moment to pay my sincere thanks and compliments to AOPA president Phil Boyer, and the entire AOPA staff. Aside from their tireless work in helping to support and promote GA, their hospitality at this event was second to none. This was a prime example of what I mean about being part of a family when you join AOPA. They are a real class act.