Originally Posted by
thorn bird
AOPA's weakness in the past could be attributed to the apathy of the owners and pilots in Australia who, it would seem, prefer to sit on the fence and bleat, rather than mount the barricades and fight.
Sorry, but I disagree.
Going back around 20 years, AOPA did have some political influence albeit small. The Temora 'Bush Picnic' fly-in where the Deputy Prime Minister, Tim and Transport Minister, John attended was impressive. But then AOPA descended into a squabbling farce with impressive egos wanting the top job. So after Dick, there was Boyd, Bill, Chris and then Marjorie. I finally realised that my annual membership would be better spent on Coopers Pale Ale and dropped out. (Others clearly did too.)
I admire Ben's current enthusiasm but he's gone very quiet on PPRuNe lately. Perhaps the politicians and CASA aren't intimidated by his AOPA CEO role?