Contrast Between EAA and AOPA More Noticeable Than Ever

News/Commentary By ANN/SportPlane Resource Guide Editor John Ylinen, With Some Comments By ANN E-I-C Jim Campbell

ANN's John Ylinen had an interesting Friday... traveling to Frederick to visit AOPA to see what there was to see of the AOPA's Annual Meeting of Members -- and the installation of Mark Baker as the new Boss... where we hope he will prove to be different than the old Boss.

We didn't have high hopes going into this meeting after braving through some of the arrogant Fuller deification and other hype of recent weeks, describing departing President Craig Fuller as an aviation "Statesman" and having the brass to name a number of bloggers as aviation opinion leaders... which we thought hysterical coming from an organization that does not bide with alternative opinions all that politely...

Worse than that, the list they appointed, while containing some decent writers (and a few folks we genuinely respect), was hardly filled with folks who had countered or gone head-to-head with AOPA on anything of substance -- and certainly no one who had opposed d AOPA as aggressively as we would have hoped (and certainly no one who was willing to tell the Emperor that he needed to make a new fashion statement).

So... it was with great interest that I read through John's notes about his experience at the AOPA meeting and the installation of Baker (who still will not make himself available for interview -- imagine that...).

Here with, John's intriguing observations:

I had the opportunity to attend both the AOPA and EAA annual meetings this year. The differences were very stark. There were many similarities in process, but the transparency and 'openness' were very different.

Both organizations followed their bylaws and followed their rules. Both meetings were run by the Chairman with other board members (all volunteers with no compensation) participating. Both meetings' primary purpose was the election of the board members or trustees in AOPA's case.
 
What is different is the participation of the members and access.

The EAA annual meeting is conducted during the largest assembly of their members at AirVenture. This year, to hopefully encourage even more member attendance, the meeting was moved from Saturday to Wednesday. The AOPA meeting, in contrast, was conducted on the first Friday in September at Noon at the HQ. The EAA meeting had (well over) a hundred members in attendance -- not counting the board. AOPA's meeting had a handful of members that were not board members or AOPA employees. One has to wonder why AOPA does not do their meeting at the annual summit, or even at AirVenture, when there are far more members present. Nothing in their bylaws posted on their web site prevents such. The board is free to decide where and when the meeting is conducted.
 
The other item, in contrast, is the election of the board. AOPA has about 12 board members. EAA has over 50. AOPA's board serves until they resign or retire. EAA has revolving board terms -- and also term limits.

EAA can have write-ins, but AOPA candidates have to come from the nominating committee.

EAA has actual competition in elections with more candidates than seats. AOPA's is a formality unless the nominating committee selects more candidates than seats -- with members only being able to vote FOR or AGAINST the candidate.
 
The EAA meeting had actual information presented with President, Treasury and other committee reports. The AOPA meeting had two presentations. One by the President of AOPA and one by the President of AOPA foundation. No treasurer's report was presented or available.
 
EAA had several Q/A sessions, AOPA had none -- except to ask if there were any other new business to discuss. EAA's meeting lasted over 90 minutes, while the AOPA meeting lasted 20 minutes start to finish.
 
I am thankful that we have members of both organizations that are willing to volunteer for these leadership board positions. In AOPA's case, it seems that the board is trying to shield themselves from the members and their feedback. In the case of EAA, they took feedback from the members to heart last year and made drastic changes in the organization this year (ANN E-I-C Note: And, thankfully, more are promised). It could be that the AOPA board, because of by-laws, is not being rejuvenated by new members and adapting to changing needs and feedback from members.

I would recommend that the AOPA board consider being more transparent and accessible by their members (ANN E-I-C Note: A position ANN has advocated for years). They should move the meeting to a date/time/location that would allow for more member participation. The AOPA summit would be a good first choice with AirVenture a good second. The trustees should present reports to the members. I would also recommend the members of AOPA change their bylaws as it pertains to elections. Instituting revolving terms and term limits and having the nomination committee have more candidates than seats, with members being able to write in or add to the candidate list.
 
AOPA and EAA face big challenges over the coming years. We need organizations that adapt and change. AOPA now has a new President and CEO. Hopefully the Trustees of AOPA have developed a very aggressive scorecard for the president to execute. It can not be business as usual and I wish Mr. Baker all the best in moving AOPA forward.

FMI: OK, ANN Readers... What Do YOU Think? YOUR Comments Are Welcome!