A website intended to be a base for those seeking reform of AOPA was pulled down by one of its founders after he received a phone call and letter from AOPA’s new general counsel. The site went live three days ago and we reported on it the following day. Peter Bowers, the former owner of WACO Aircraft and a recent vice president at AOPA, said the lawyer, Fernando Campoamor Sanchez, advised him by phone that it’s AOPA’s position that Bowers’ involvement with SaveAOPA.org violates disparagement provisions in the separation agreement Bowers signed when he left his AOPA job in November. Sanchez then followed up with a seven-page letter outlining AOPA’s legal arguments and the request that the site be pulled down. We asked AOPA for comment after office hours on Wednesday and did not hear back in time for publication.
Bowers told AvBrief that he helped create the site as a way to help the organization going into the future but he doesn’t personally want to commit the resources to fight AOPA in court. Clicking on the link now takes you to a blank page with the following message:
“Sunshine is the best disinfectant. Unfortunately the flight to save AOPA is just not worth the legal costs for us – we would much rather send our money to worthy organizations like the TheRAF.org and EAA.org“
Bowers said the domain saveaopa.org is now available but, for legal reasons, it doesn’t come with the dozen or so pages of content describing the current state of affairs at the organization, which has been in the spotlight following the sudden departure of CEO Darren Pleasance in early February. The discussion of Pleasance’s fate led to examination of the structure and makeup of AOPA’s board of trustees and bylaws, which confer all the power to nominate new members to the chair. Bowers had hoped that the website would name AOPA members who would collect proxy votes from other members and take them to the board’s annual meeting in Frederick, Maryland, on May 12.
Bowers, who sold WACO in 2021, joined AOPA’s senior management in 2025 to help promote the AOPA Foundation and later to lead the organization’s special projects division. He said he had philosophical differences with some at the organization over its fiscal realities and ways to address them and he voluntarily left the association last November. He signed a separation agreement as part of that departure. He declined to describe it in detail for legal reasons. He said he helped establish the group in good faith to try and fix what he believed were serious issues of governance and operations. At first, those behind the site stayed anonymous out of fear of retribution, but Bowers and another founder went public with their involvement on Wednesday.
AOPA now has two general counsels. It’s not clear when Sanchez was hired, but his name first appeared on the masthead of AOPA Pilot magazine in the March issue. Former Acting General Counsel Jared Allen, who has filled that role for about a year, is now listed as a permanent general counsel on the masthead of the magazine. According to Judicial Nomination Commission website, Sanchez came to AOPA after a stint as counsel to the Inspector General at the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority. He also served as litigation counsel at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, where he handled complex civil litigation matters. Before that he was an assistant district attorney in Washington, D.C., where he prosecuted violent crime, drug, and national security cases. He is also a pilot and aircraft owner, possibly of a Mooney.
They’re really working hard to destroy whatever reputation they have left, huh?
AOPA seems intent on doubling down on corruption.
To paraphrase Shakespeare: “Me thinks they doth protest too much!”
Well. This certainly makes AOPA seem like they’re listening to the membership and working towards reform, eh? What a ham-handed bunch running that outfit. Should make for some interesting discussion at the annual member meeting in May.
If I was staff, I’d sure be polishing up a statement of training and qualifications and seeing that it got circulated. Actions like this, following recent bad press, doesn’t portend greatness in the near future.
Same ole,same ole at AOPA. JOIN EAA!
Who would have thunk…
Years ago, AOPA membership was highly recommended by the older generation of pilots. Has something changed?
Realistically, no. Without polling the members, I would bet cash money that ~ 90% of AOPA’s current membership is blissfully unaware about almost everything going on within the association. They could not tell Darren or Bowers or just about anyone from a hole in a tree-stump.
Those who do, are likely split between those who think that AOPA will weather this storm and must be kept alive as is, and those who refuse to cancel their memberships as to:
1. Not be seen as a enemy of the association
2. Not being viewed as someone who jumps ship, rather than “fighting the good fight”.
Last but not least, its very convenient to just pay a membership fee and then lean back, trusting that “someone’s gonna do something”.
Members speaking up or asking questions will be ignored or get useless lip service about how a group of unelected individuals is much better suited to solve the issues, than a bunch of confused members. A members job is in essence to pay up and shut up. AOPA has a lot of reach and even more money and they will destroy anything and anyone who becomes a “nuisance”.
AOPA is in damage control mode and most focussed on stifling and prohibiting open dialog that is not directly controlled by them. Hence the lawyers issue threats for legal repercussions for anyone involved in dragging stuff out and into the daylight. Been on that horse with multiple associations in the US, Canada and Europe.
Just like we see here on AVbrief – a very large majority of the audience (membership) remains uninvolved, has no opinion or knowledge to share and some even run around promoting a AI driven publication which no longer has a heart and soul – because that’s what they have always done.
I had company owners declining to advertise on my Seaplanemagazine due to news coverage that was less than charming for associations and I have been offered jobs I could only have if I agreed to stop being vocal/ critical of certain association games. Thats reality.
One of the first things I asked Russ when he started covering this Pleasance catastrophy, was if he had already received certain legal pointers from those who get paid to shut people up. Just covering it affects ad revenue and causes trouble for a publisher.
Its not the first time that an association enters into a staredown contest with its own members and former employees.
The real issue for the “regular gal or guy” is how to actually get involved and make a difference. We all have busy lives and join groups like AOPA for information and advocacy to protect our rights. And to encourage that next generation! For the most part AOPA has accomplished those goals. But change is needed. We “OLD” people are ageing out and if we can’t encourage the next generation of pilots to join us in the sky, none of this will matter. Again the real issue is how do regular people cause that change to happen. I personally thought the SaveAOPA was a great idea!
I suppose someone else could pick up the saveaopa domain and rebuild the site.
Gary, the site is sharing news and developments of more encouraging tone as of today.
https://www.saveaopa.org/
First, theRAF.org and EAA.org are not disinterested parties. They stand to gain members if AOPA goes away.
We need AOPA’s clout as a foil against lobbyists and others whose interests exclude GA. We need their expertise in D.C. to work with the FAA, NASA and especially Congress. No other organization has the competence, contacts and connections that AOPA has built over the years. AOPA is truly the elephant in the room, and well-known in the halls of Congress and in D.C. in general.
I have always thought AOPA as a class act. Everything they do is done right. The magazines, websites such as the online FIRC, the prompt customer care, medical advice, the pilot experts, the whole smash. They hire high-rent aviation experts who have retired from government, bringing enormous expertise to our cause.
Yes, a long time ago the AOPA founders, I guess, made a “deal with the devil” to let vendors use AOPA as a way to reach pilots. To my mind, that has worked very well. We like to see new stuff, and the revenue funds many AOPA products and services.
Let’s not throw out the baby with the bath water. Without AOPA, the powers that be will crush GA out of existence. You can count on it.
I guess it’s going to be hard to get the facts if everyone is afraid to speak because of lawyers.
I just changed my AOPA account renewal from “automatic” to “manual”. I don’t think I will be renewing it anytime soon.
I did that a coulpe weeks ago, but was still intending to renew for another year (my renewal comes up next month). But now it seems they have been systematically closing off all viable avenues toward reform, so I don’t see any pressing desire to renew next month. If that means I’m jumping ship instead of trying to save it…so be it.
I am grateful to AOPA for all they have done in the past, but the firing of Pleasance, and the completely obvious attempt to gaslight the membership about it, crossed a red line for me. I cancelled my renewal and my proxy and, based on the old-boys-club board’s reactions to the controversy so far, I don’t think I’ll be changing my mind.
AOPA has become a toy of the rich fat cats who populate and control its board and the entire organization. Their membership has been dropping for years; Pleasance tried to make them relevant again, but the board didn’t like it and kicked him to the curb. It’s all very sad.
Going after the SaveAOPA people instead of taking their critiques as thoughtful advice just confirms that leaving is the right thing to do
Dialogue? Naw! Respectful exchange of ideas amongst the brethren ? Naw! If all else fails, or in this case nothing actually accomplished to fail…litigate!
History repeats itself. No pun intended. 😉
Sounds like they fired their expensive PR firm, because this reeks of terrible PR (even if they may technically be in the right with regard to the anti-disparaging separation terms).
Pride, Wrath, Envy, Greed – that about sums it up. As I understand it, it was more about some executives who were embarrassed and looked for any way to pull the site down. Obviously not good chess players, as this move will have more consequences than expected..
Yes, a “thinking man” would have asked for partnership and gathered real-world input for the Board to act upon.
This is the last straw. I’m out. An organization that will not tolerate discussion but takes my money and claims they will represent me as they see fit and spend money I give them to repress dialog is not one I’m interested in being part of. This will also cost them the $300K I left them in my will, which will now be changed.
Change that bequeathment to a 3 letter organization in your town, Jim.
Um… let’s just say I know enough to know I don’t want to do that… 😉
But on the other hand, there were no actions taken against a member group that was not unlike the one referenced in this article… members expressed their concerns and were not penalized for it. And there was recognition of serious problems and a regime change, not denials and suppression.
That was quite a while ago; things seem much better since. I plan on a gift myself. JP seems to be the ‘magic’ elixir that’s making things good?
In Y50.
You might want to make sure about things before you make your decision. It may or may not make a difference to you but as with any entity, business, or organization it’s worth doing some checking before committing.
I’m gonna ask Russ to send you my email address … I’d like to communicate in private.
Very good point. I’ll bet some more cash money that there are hundreds of members who have pledged to the foundation and have simply forgotten about it.
Dirty, dirty dirty stuff on the way to the surface and I am sure the glorious decisionmakers won’t enjoy the bubbling – nor the stink.
The firing of Pleasance was bad enough. Now, by using threats of litigation against a well meaning former VP for speaking out about it, that clinches it for me. I did the right thing not renewing my long time AOPA membership some years ago. Once again, my ‘sixth sense’ served me well. The declining number of membership likewise shows me that others feel the same way. These actions by AOPA offer a clear insight into what’s going on internally and it’s nothing I want to be involved with, sadly. At this point, I’d say the situation is devolving into an existential question if positive steps aren’t taken pronto. Hmmm … maybe they could lure Phil Boyer out of retirement?
the industry really needs an organization like the AOPA. the real trick is to keep it relevant to the membership. they need to have a system that works to find out what is important to the membership
the government needs a watchdog to keep things from getting too far out and the AOPA should be that watch dog
things like the fighting against ADSB being used for billing when you land at a publicly funded airport are appropriate things this organization should be focused on.
perhaps an annual survey of the members to help find out what is important.
when they let us know something and we write our congressman it is amazing how much can happen.
I agree that there needs to be an organization like AOPA. While EAA does a great job, its function is primarily to support the Experimental segment of aviation, so while it has a good deal of overlap with AOPA (BasicMed and Young Eagles serve both the Experimental segment as well as the rest of GA), there are some things that EAA simply can’t do (nor should it, lest it draw resources away from its primary mission).
Unfortunately, nearly every action AOPA has taken since firing Pleasance has shown it to be an organization more concerned with what its BOD thinks than the membership at large. I feel like AOPA is going the way of the NRA; specifically, the corruption and scandals within the BOD and leadership team.
Perhaps it is time to start a new organization from scratch.
It seems to be the trend today that when two parties disagree publicly, the larger of the two parties proceeds immediately to a threat of litigation. There is only ONE truth, and apparently it belongs to whoever has the bigger bank account.
the AOPA should require that a substantial portion of the board should be compromised of a cross section of pilots. where is the aspiring student pilot? a person working his way up to being an airline pilot? a recreational pilot with a 182 or cub?
these types of members do no not have the $$ to attend meetings so I would be in favor of paying for their expenses.
lets get a cross section of the pilot community on the board not just people that are well enough off to afford the time and expense of being on the board.
And right there I think is the primary issue. With a leader like Pleasance and a board make up off a cross section of aviation with a heavy emphasis on GA and mandatory election cycles, AOPA would return to its true roots and serve its membership.
Wait … WAIT! You mean you’d cut out the TBM and Vision Jet drivers? Geesh
Worth noting that I’d bet a lot of folks here don’t know … some years ago, I noticed I was getting AOPA Pilot mags filled with high end iron yet noticed some of my buddies were receiving a different mag for the same month. So I called up to moan and found out they looked at my ratings and decided I should be receiving the “high end” magazine version. I told ’em I did not want that. So they already are ‘catering’ depending upon their perceived aviation interest for you.
I wonder how much Sanchez is getting paid?
It would be interesting to have an article written about why people left AOPA to see what it was for them and if there are any themes. For me it was their rolling over along with the FAA on the Santa Monica airport debacle where, despite firm standing since the airport was to exist ‘into perpetuity”, they folded like a house of cards in a jolly fashion claiming a positive outcome through delaying the closure until 2028. That was a watershed moment for me revealing they want to give the appearance of advocacy but when it becomes difficult (think cash outlay), yet be a real and valiant fight, they run. The appearance of advocacy is the lure and cover for all the other business they participate in being insurance, legal services, advertising, and so on.
Don’t forget, get your
Arrogant
Operation
Please
Abandon
t-shirt in time for AirVenture.
Certainly a tone-deaf message from the Association, but it wouldn’t suprise me if that was part of the reason the site was put up to begin with; to see what kind of response came from AOPA.
AOPA’s charter is to promote General Aviation, and to date they (we) have done a better than fair job of that, maybe in spite of itself but I would tend to think not. I’m still not sure why Pleasence was fired, but I’d venture a guess it was because the board wanted him inside the beltway and not out hustling memberships and he (Pleasence) saw his job differently. And it is very possible that he was hired with the primary focus to go out and meet the membership, but events changed that focus and he said I was hired to do this and not that so you’ll need to find someone else. We’ll never know.
I think what AOPA needs is a restructuring of the board, but I don’t know if we need to change the total focus. Maybe several “at large” board members selected from the membership. I’m not ready to cancel my membership just yet, AOPA has done enough good for me I owe it a chance to right the ship.
I do think AOPA needs to survive with a board restructuring. EAA does a good job and I’m a member of both. I’ve benefited greatly from AOPA’s legal services and medical assistance programs and no one else has a replacement for that. We can’t afford to lose the advocacy that AOPA provides on government issues and a voice for GA on Capitol Hill.
Tangentially related: I fear the technical expertise of AOPA’s media output is now suspect. Example: In the first four minutes of this video, the narrator gives the microphone to someone from Otto Aviation. That person then says they are the first-ever company to use laminar flow airfoil, and that it makes a five-fold decrease in wind resistance. And THEN, theAOPA narrator says Otto recently retired the Celera 500 test plane after many successful flights. If you remember back to 2020, Otto claimed that the Celera 500 would take eight passengers at speeds 50 to 100 knots faster than the best of today’s single engine turboprops, on an ordinary piston engine (maybe 350hp — I don’t remember exactly). And the “airplane” they showed was obviously unflyable.
It’s unsettling that AOPA would fall for that chicanery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pie6HfqHl88
Fwark. used to laugh at the old guys I met when I first started working in the industry who would moan. “It’s over!!” regarding the demise of the GA that they knew in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. For most of my life I have been very upbeat about GA, things were different, but better in other ways from the Postwar era. Since COVID, I am not so sure….
What a mess the General Aviation industry has become. Constant organizational bickering, increasingly unaffordable for entry level owners, unsustainable costs of ownership if any major repairs are required for even the least complicated of airplanes. I am now the old head, retired, and now heard to mumble, “…it’s over…”.
My grandfather and dad were members of AOPA. My Dad gave me a membership to AOPA on the day I earned my Private Pilot’s license, now 50 years ago. AOPA, like many organizations, began to unravel, or at least change in personality, post 9/11. Somehow, AOPA survived many other political and cultural changes over many, many decades. AOPA really feels like an organization in decline, slowly being whittled down to something unrecognizable from the longstanding organization many of us felt pride strong pride in membership. Is it over for AOPA? I hope not, but it sure seems like the initial slide of organizational failure justifies me to think that…. it’s over.
I didn’t know Barbara Streisand was running AOPA now.
Can some one share details about the AOPA Annual Meeting (? in Frederick, Maryland, on ? May 12) – I could not find the link to venue, registration, agenda, lodging etc. on the AOPA web site (whether by search or at the events list or home).
The good old nda. Protecting creeps thieves, rapists and now AOPA
That’s a quote!
do you know if they are reading this blog? someone should make sure they are reading the comments. if they don’t they are really clueless.
Its pretty safe to assume that brass and rank at AOPA is loosely following the coverage and is perhaps somewhat sporadically briefed on comments. Lawyers ARE definitely following the coverage and comments to find potential disparagement, libel and defamation faults to litigate. Remember that the utmost goal here is to stare this issue down and to squelch open discourse where able.
does anyone know how and how much the board of directors and the director are compensated?
Not paid directly, but reimbursed for personal, private, (Jet fuel, parking, etc), commercial travel to and from board events, AOPA Jet travel to and from board or aopa events and all expenses related to such events. Noted in current bylaws.
Number of thoughts about this issue:
Point 5 & 6 appear to cancel each other. Influence on the association is neither possible from within – nor from the outside on a regular member level.
Any sort or ruckus happening now is a temporary glitch, negligable and not much more than a storm in a water glass. They’ll give out free memberships to Nancy and her dog to cushion the effect on paper and the net loss in memberships is almost gone.
The bacon is brought in by advertisers and business partners. It would be sensible to see which revenue streams are the highest and this is where the most power is held. Sad, but true. In most aviation associations, members are not the bread and butter revenue generators.
Equally point 2 & 7 are killing each other. AOPA brass may acknowledge a unfortunate string of events leading to Darrens firing and subsequent outfall within a small portion of the membership – however the decision was made to stare members down and to litigate. There is simply no way for anyone to back down and admit a mistake.
NDA’s are very powerful toys. Darren can get a job anywhere he turns and I am sure the friends behind the paused Save AOPA site will not starve to death. If the net outfall is really 2% we are talking about some 6000 people.
Note that no other aviation media outlet is reporting investigatively on this topic. Every editor, EIC or publisher is walking a tiny rope in even picking this up – as it can affect ad- revenue and end in lawsuits.
Most of the “storm” is likely in verticals and discussion groups, emails and verbal. By the time AI robots pick this up and (if able) condense it down to factual and verifiable information, there will be a new sunshine superstar CEO in Frederick and all will be singing Kumbaya around the virtual bonfire.
What nobody talks about is that this is another display of weakness for our community and our actual enemies ARE paying attention.
My AOPA story is here: https://github.com/b-spatz/Whiteboard/blob/main/aopa.md
Deleted
A visit to the Saveaopa dot org website will sound a bit more encouraging this morning.