AOPA has always been my flying association ever since I soloed about ten days before Apollo 11. I soled at age 16 in July 1969 a few weeks before my 17 birthday. I've been an AOPA member since I was a student pilot in 1969. I remember receiving AOPA magazines when there were yellow pages in the first front 5 page sections. Back in those days, the FAA and GA were at odds with each other. The AOPA was continuity battling with the FAA about new regulations and the costs of gasoline. We battled with our rights to fly into airports where only the airlines would land. Those were the days of GA vs. the FAA. Today it's no longer such a battle. The FAA has learned that GA is a force to reckon with and has worked with GA to forge ahead with rules and regulations that benefit GA. Back in the 1960s, the airlines didn't want GA to fly in the same skies with them. Have any of you heard of at "TCA"? Back in the 60s, a TCA was called "terminal controlled airspace". It was the pre-curser to Class-B airspace. Instead of Class D airspace we had and "ATA" or and "Airport Traffic Area" which would change into an instrument controlled area should the weather go below 1000 ft. and 3 miles of visibility. How would you liked to have lived during a time during that transitional period when you had to learn the difference from the old airspace to the new? Well, I did and it's so old I can't even remember If I got it right here.
AOPA has always been my flying association ever since I soloed about ten days before Apollo 11. I soled at age 16 in July 1969 a few weeks before my 17 birthday. I've been an AOPA member since I was a student pilot in 1969. I remember receiving AOPA magazines when there were yellow pages in the first front 5 page sections. Back in those days, the FAA and GA were at odds with each other. The AOPA was continuity battling with the FAA about new regulations and the costs of gasoline. We battled with our rights to fly into airports where only the airlines would land. Those were the days of GA vs. the FAA. Today it's no longer such a battle. The FAA has learned that GA is a force to reckon with and has worked with GA to forge ahead with rules and regulations that benefit GA. Back in the 1960s, the airlines didn't want GA to fly in the same skies with them. Have any of you heard of at "TCA"? Back in the 60s, a TCA was called "terminal controlled airspace". It was the pre-curser to Class-B airspace. Instead of Class D airspace we had and "ATA" or and "Airport Traffic Area" which would change into an instrument controlled area should the weather go below 1000 ft. and 3 miles of visibility. How would you liked to have lived during a time during that transitional period when you had to learn the difference from the old airspace to the new? Well, I did and it's so old I can't even remember If I got it right here.
Such great content here!