"Happy people are our best ambassadors so if you've been an AOPA member for a long time, please tell your friends who aren't members what we are trying to do to make flying easier in Australia. We need membership as political capital to show the regulator and their political masters that we represent a large body of pilots who wish to be heard at the highest level.
That can only come from having a large membership"
Aaron Stephenson, AOPA Australia CEO April 2015
He gets it and notwithstanding the rather dismal effort so far to achieve any significant growth in numbers joining AOPA, the fact remains the day you give up and predict you can't succeed (as Dick Smith plans to announce on Thursday) is the day you are defeated. That's the day its all over.
No team ever pulled off a win by announcing imminent defeat. Champions are those who turn a dire situtaion into a win.
Call it off Dick and how about forgetting this nonsense that GA has no future. It does have a future and it will get brighter the more effort and innovation people are prepared to put in. How about getting behind AOPA, help them set and achieve serious targets for new memberships with a base of circa 20,000 members in say 3-4 years. Invite overseas speakers to highlight the national economic benefits of simpler regulation. Definitely invite media and politicians to these addresses which now sets out a vision for aviation in Australia that is too good to ignore. A vision that attracts revenue from holidaying foreign pilots, reduces unemployment and creates work opportunities and develops commercial enterprises. General aviation has an enormous potential to deliver a massive boost to our economy. There's so much more than just these few ideas.
But it can only start from a positive foundation that is properly presented to those people who need to buy in to this vision - politicians, state and local governments and potential new participants. Once a tipping point is reached you achieve success and regain control of the GA future.
Call it off Dick.