AOPA, NBAA, ALPA, and the boys.

     (1) There are many organizations that have been established over the years that provide benefits to members of the aviation world.  Some of the most famous ones are the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) for general aviation.  Others exist for aircraft mechanics, airline pilots, and business aviation departments too.  Just about anybody with an aviation career can find an organization that provides its members with something beneficial and exciting, even if sometimes its for a fee.  As a pilot, the AOPA and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) are two that I think will be important for me to belong to as a corporate aviator.

     (2) The mission of AOPA is to protect the freedom of the American people to participate in aviation.  They do this by:

• advocating on behalf of our members,
• educating pilots, nonpilots, and policy makers alike,
• supporting activities that ensure the long-term health of General Aviation,
• fighting to keep General Aviation accessible to all, and
• securing sufficient resources to ensure our success (AOPA, n.d.)

     The NBAA's mission is "to foster an environment that allows business aviation to thrive in the United States and around the world" (NBAA, n.d.).  The Association represents more than 10,000 companies and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, the world's largest civil aviation trade show (NBAA, n.d.).  

     (3).  AOPA uses information that has been compiled since 1939 to educate pilots (or non-pilots) about aircraft, safety, and how to get into flying.  They are always lobbying against restrictions on the general aviation community that make it more expensive or more restrictive on people that want to get started.  They've lobbied for radio frequencies, to stop president Nixon from "raiding" the aviation trust fund, and to prevent restrictions on general aviation flying during the oil embargo of the 1970's (AOPA, n.d.).  

     NBAA realized a need for representing a united business aircraft front in all matters where organized action became necessary to improve aircraft, equipment, and service; and furthering the cause of safety and economy of business aircraft operations (NBAA, n.d.).  They use information gathered from the companies they represent and their aviation departments to promote development of safer and more efficient technology.  Their yearly conference puts these new ideas on display for the business world to see.  There is a huge sum of money wrapped up in the research and development for the jets and their equipment, but the NBAA promotes this innovation by demonstrating the profitability that can be purchased through proper utilization of an aviation department for businesses.  

     (4) AOPA is a strong organization that is important to become a part of because it's mission is the centralized idea for all aviation enthusiasts from the bottom to the top.  Without somebody to represent the community, the government could provide undisputed arguments to apply extra taxes to aviation fuel, provide manufacturers with even more costly policies for manufacturing aircraft, and they could further limit the number or type of people that are allowed to become pilots to a degree that would cost the industry dearly.  The big airlines, that the government has no problem bailing out of bankruptcy, wouldn't have even remotely enough pilots to keep up with the demand of the flying public if it weren't for general aviation giving pilots the opportunity to train and fly in small, civil aircraft.  They government has no problem attempting to stop general aviation during times of oil crisis though, despite general aviation having 98% of all aircraft and only using 8.6% of civil aviation fuels (while 91.4% is used by the airlines) (AOPA, n.d.).

    

     NBAA does a great job bringing businesses into the world of aviation.  It's a difficult decision for a company to make because the price of creating and running a flight department is astronomical compared to most companies regular day to day operations.  That being said, the stress relieved by avoiding part 121 operation airports and schedules has provided immeasurable profits for companies that can move their executives all over the country on their own time.  People have the ability to show up to meetings in California rested and prepared from New York, and return the same day or the next day while traveling in extreme comfort.  These operations, though, are hard to maintain.  Many corporate pilots have been woke up by phone calls from the company saying the flight department is too expensive, and they are no longer employed.  It is important to be a member of the NBAA because they provide companies with resources to attempt to prevent things like this from happening.  In fact, they offer over 100 products and services to member companies including heavily discounted or free advertising and links to their websites from the NBAA website.  They also keep tabs on the industry, fight for regulatory actions that make sense for safety and the economy, and even for the environment.  The information they have keeps their members up to date on issues that could cause disaster industry wide, potentially, and they keep them informed on ways to make their voices heard.  They even have assessments for pilots and other department members to provide feedback on the living environment and the monetary compensation they're getting so they can make decisions as to whether or not their own departments should be changed, which is a huge reason to be a member for myself when just getting started in a few years.

References:

About NBAA. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2015, from https://www.nbaa.org/about/

Mission and History of AOPA. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2015, from
     http://www.aopa.org/AboutAOPA/Governance/Mission-and-History-of-AOPA