During a recent interview with Plane + Pilot’s Cayla McLeod in Valdez, Alaska, former AOPA president and CEO Darren Pleasance discussed the issues facing the future of general aviation and the importance of a robust organization to advocate for solutions just months after being removed from leadership.
In one of the first conversations since leaving the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Pleasance talked about his time serving as the organization’s head, pointing to the strenuous role in a seven-day-a-week job for much of the year but adding that it remains a dream job for an aviation enthusiast.
“If you’re all-in on aviation, there’s no better job I don’t think in the world,” Pleasance said. “You get to spend pretty much every waking and sometimes sleeping moment thinking about how you make aviation stronger.”
Pleasance detailed his aviation journey, which began as a teenager helping pilots wash their aircraft and change oil in exchange for a free ride. After flying corporate jets for many years at a private equity group, he parlayed that experience into business-related jobs at Google and Cisco Systems before earning the opportunity to lead AOPA.
When asked about GA’s most pressing problems, Pleasance, in no particular order, said that the transition to unleaded fuel from 100LL being done in a safe and timely manner, the increasing use of ADS-B for nonsafety-related reasons, like fee collection, and the expansion of BasicMed in Canada were chief among hurdles the community faced.
In addition to the interview, Pleasance provided an exclusive letter to Plane + Pilot, where he maintained his support for AOPA and asked members to do the same. The pertinent timing of the letter comes just ahead of the group’s annual member meeting on Tuesday.
Pleasance’s letter reads as follows:
“As most AOPA members know, the AOPA annual meeting is [Tuesday]. I anticipate attendance will be much stronger than in the past, which is great.
As I’ve said in prior posts, I’ve been a member of AOPA for nearly 40 years, and I believe as strongly as ever that the organization’s mission remains critical to ensuring the strength and future of general aviation. What AOPA does remains as important today as it’s ever been.
I feel privileged to have served as CEO and to have worked alongside so many passionate, committed people who share my love of aviation. I’m proud of what we accomplished together and I’m grateful for the relationships built along the way.
As I shared in my recent video, I am not intending to return to AOPA in any role. However, I remain deeply committed to the broader aviation community and look forward to continuing to support it in meaningful ways for years to come
AOPA has a new chairman, Luke Wippler, whom I respect immensely. I believe he keeps AOPA’s long term interests at the forefront of his mind as he works with his fellow board members and AOPA staff to guide the organization forward. The two newest board nominees, Peter Burwell and Ryan Samples, are also very thoughtful, passionate, engaged aviators. Yes, they fly turbine stuff, but they’re also as passionate about, and active in, grassroots flying as I and most AOPA members are. I believe they’ll be great for AOPA.
The mission of AOPA is bigger than any one individual. AOPA’s success depends on a shared commitment to its mission and strong alignment among the board, the staff, the donors, and the members. I encourage members to stay engaged and to support and shape the changes that are being proposed so that AOPA enters this next chapter in its journey stronger than ever.
I believe that more changes are needed than have currently been proposed, but I also know that this is a journey and not all changes can occur simultaneously. I’m confident there will be more to come. I’ve spoken to Luke several times over the past weeks, and I have confidence he will listen to member input and work hard on our behalf to drive the changes members expect. I’ll continue to support AOPA and help Luke and the team in any way I can. I hope all of you will too…”
More information on Tuesday’s AOPA annual meeting can be found here.