A website has been established as a clearinghouse for information about AOPA’s issues and to collect proxies for use in voting at the May 12 annual meeting. The group behind the movement, saveaopa.org, is now looking for volunteers to join a “list of noble proxy candidates” who will attend the meeting and cast votes on behalf of other members who are not able to attend. It’s asking that members hold off on reassigning their proxies until the candidates are in place.
The website includes the latest publicly available financial data and appeals to rank-and-file members to help change the organization’s course and start turning it around. “In our assessment, AOPA was once the undisputed leader in general aviation advocacy, boasting over 400,000 members at its peak and driving meaningful regulatory victories,” the site says on its homepage. “Today, we believe it’s a shadow of its former self—losing members, running persistent deficits, and falling behind competitors like the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in innovation and member engagement.”
The site has a call to action outlining what members can do to help effect the changes it believes are necessary, including posting on forums and contacting AOPA directly. What isn’t available on the site are the names of its creators or their relationships to AOPA. AvBrief has spoken with the principal organizer of the initiative and can confirm he/she is a well-known business figure in aviation. The founders explain the anonymity this way:
“The creators and leadership team of SaveAOPA.org are currently maintaining confidentiality to protect their employment status and professional relationships within the aviation industry. Many of our team members work in aviation-related fields or have business relationships that could be jeopardized by publicly advocating for AOPA reform. This decision reflects the unfortunate reality that speaking out about organizational failures can carry professional risks, even when criticism is constructive and fact-based. Our team includes current and former AOPA members, aviation professionals, pilots, aircraft owners, and industry veterans who share a deep commitment to reforming AOPA and securing the future of general aviation.“
This disclaimer should tell the whole nasty story, folks…:
“Many of our team members work in aviation-related fields or have business relationships that could be jeopardized by publicly advocating for AOPA reform.This decision reflects the unfortunate reality that speaking out about organizational failures can carry professional risks, even when criticism is constructive and fact-based.”
I looked at the SaveAOPA website from the previous article on the subject. I thought it was well organized / written, had a good tactic and seemed to genuinely care about the subject. They even have a “Buy Us Some Coffee” link … seeking financial donations to help them with costs. Anyone who thinks that AOPA should keep on with its Mission oughta take a look and maybe kick in. Methinks the current Board has to be getting the message?
My dear Larry, you know as well as I do – that people who hide in ambiguity to prevent severe damage from speaking truth to power – have a hard start in this society of ours. Its a funny society we have!
I can speak to several instances where being honest and very clear about associations and their games have caused extreme damage. Both, professionally and financially.
The large majority of our colleagues cheers when someone does it, but the very fewest will take a stand for the shot messenger.
I doubt it. These folks are mostly rich folks with ties to the investment world and likely care more about how much AOPA’s investments earn than they do about the members. That is why Darren rubbed them so raw. The only thing that will get their attention is voting them out and that is REALLY hard to do given how their predecessors have structured the bylaws to make this essentially impossible.
Thanks for publicizing this. I am retired so AOPA can’t jeopardize my job. I signed up for updates and hope this movement gains traction. I plan to let my membership lapse in July if nothing meaningful changes at the upcoming annual meeting.
When this story broke I cancelled my 40-year AOPA membership and rescinded my proxy. Knowing that a large number of my EAA chapter members belong to both organizations, I just posted a brief synopsis of the AOPA situation to our chapter listserver, pointing to SaveAOPA. They are just getting started, and I felt like they could use a cup of coffee, too.
I’d like to know who is behind the great and powerful Oz. It’s just a website asking for money without seeing behind the curtain.
Yeah, agree Aaron – sorry to those starting this website, but anonymity is not a way for many of us to judge whether we think this is a better option or not. Gotta open up.
Curiously, as of now (2026-03-18 23:11Z) what I see at https://www.saveaopa.org/ is a blank page with the words, “”Sunlight is the best disinfectant.”, “URL available for cheap.” and an email address.
The AOPA lawyers act swiftly !
All association lawyers act swiftly.
Unfortunately the flight to save AOPA is just not worth the legal costs for us – would much rather send our money to worthy organizations like the TheRAF.org andEAA.org
We are working on this story and will have something up tonight.