Whats's Happened to Aviation Advertiser

[Squawk7700]

I think Sunfish meant to say they are NOT dead in the water, because obviously they aren’t. What could he possibly know that nobody else does about their health and prosperity as an organisation?

[Wade Wilson]

Originally Posted by OldTimerFlyer

Sorry to drag up an old thread as my first post but I was just Googling Aviation Advertiser having had some recent troubles myself and this came up.

So after trying to contact Aviation Advertiser multiple times to cancel an ad I have resorted to stopping payments with my bank and doing a charge back. I got the notice this morning that it has all been sorted and finally I am free of this scam site. During the past couple of weeks all I have gotten is errors, no returned calls, credit card charges, nothing via Facebook and blanks stares from the AOPA board when I question why they are still promoting this website. It seems to me that AOPA has become some sort of platform for Ben and whatever he wants to do rather than what is best for the industry.

I have done a little research and found that despite AOPA still promoting the website it looks as though the business (Aviation Advertiser) has been deregistered.

Is this the guy we really want running the show at AOPA?

Was kind of looking for some info if the website will be up and running any time soon. Seemed a decent site but just saw this about the company being deregistered so may explain why it isnt up and running. The AOPA connection is an interesting one, they probably should take down that link to aviation classifieds that direct to Aviation Advertiser given they shut shop some time ago.

[Wade Wilson]

Originally Posted by LeadSled

Sunfish,
On the contrary, the membership is steadily increasing, quite a feat, given all the circumstances, and the finances are sound.
Tootle pip!!

The AOPA financials make for an "interesting" read, quite a few anomalies in there.

The purported membership growth they spruik is clearly misleading. Just to expand on what OldTimerFlyer mentioned, the stats are below:

2017 - 2,726 members with income of $137,330
2016 - 2,487 members with income of $149,219
2015 - 2,508 members with income of $154,170

So between 2015 and 2016 there was a decrease in the number of members which jumped in 2017 by 200+ since 2015. The membership income was actually more ($16k) with less members. I am sure nobody in AOPA will give the membership breakup.

It is more than reasonable to conclude that this growth cannot be attributable to actual aircraft owners or pilots. With the purchase of the bus (also in the new latest financials), rebuilding these 2 x 150's etc and the focus on getting young people involved is the focus. Student pilot membership - Free. Young Eagle membership - Free. Handing out free memberships inflates the numbers. Unless someone else can convince me otherwise, these free memberships are included in the member numbers. So this would be the easiest path to stop that declining membership base.

If you look in the financials, the bus was not cheap to buy nor is it cheap to run. Who knows what is going to cost AOPA to restore these 2 "young eagle" Cessna's. This is where the member fees will be going. Do they really want to let them spend the money on doing this?

Profit was down $76k between 2016 and 2017, current assets (cash, receivables etc) was down $120k.

The frequency change of the publication of the magazine was supposed to reduce costs. It did, by $468. It seems the only thing that dropped from 2016 was advertising income by $28k.

Rent has gone up for them 31% since 2016. Wages are up.

I guess this is just the tip of the iceberg. So what I read from this is - sure, membership is up and I agree with fostering and promoting junior pilots but not at the cost of an overall organisation and the detriment of the paying members. Buying buses, planes and running around the country takes both time and money. This time and money detracts from the actual point of AOPA - advocacy and services for aircraft owners and pilots. If we don’t start making it easier, cheaper and less restrictive for existing pilots there is no future for the student pilots and young eagles. But is seems that just building member numbers is the Board focus along with some token advocacy or jumping on the bandwagon of existing reforms and claiming them as your own.

The Exec Director purports to be an "aircraft owner" which is also in the audited financials. Aircraft is registered to Muskridge Pty Ltd which has a sole director and it isn't the Executive Director. He also cant fly it on his RPL or GFA Certificate given the aircraft type...

AOPA can do better.

Then there is Aviation Advertiser which I was asking about. Seems it has been dead long ago:

Aviation Advertiser Digital Pty Ltd was registered with ASIC in November 2013 with a sole director. It was deregistered in April 2016. It was a Section 601AB deregistration so initiated by ASIC. An ASIC company search will confirm.

The website www.aviationadvertiser.com.au is registered to Academy Group Internet Services Pty Ltd. This domain is still registered to this company. Again, sole Director company. It was registered in July 2007 and deregistered in November 2009. Another 601AB ASIC initiated deregistration.

The you have the company listed as the one registered with Paypal taking out the advertising fees for the Aviation Advertiser/Academy Group. This is Academy Group Procard Services Pty Ltd. Check your paypal accounts and bank statements. This company was registered with ASIC in July 2007, again the same sole Director. Another ASIC initiated deregistration of this company which led to the deregistration in December 2009. Have they been taking payment whilst deregistered?

So it appears we have a few deregistered companies here operating whilst deregistered, taking paypal payments while they were unable to do so.

Aviation Advertiser as a business name which is now registered to Plane Sales Pty Ltd. This was registered in October 2018. I asked, they have nothing to do with Aviation Advertiser or the former Director (I thought it might have been bought out by them) merely a commercial decision to pickup some IP when they could.

All seems fishy to me but I guess it is up to the Board who they appoint and the direction they want to take as an organisation. It is up to the members to tolerate the Board or continue with membership and what they get out of it.

[OldTimerFlyer]

And don't forget Mardish Pty Ltd. This is yet another sole director company that was liquidated while the leadership of Ben Morgan.

[Squawk7700]

The Exec Director purports to be an "aircraft owner" which is also in the audited financials. Aircraft is registered to Muskridge Pty Ltd which has a sole director and it isn't the Executive Director. He also cant fly it on his RPL or GFA Certificate given the aircraft type...

You are clutching at straws to suggest that just because someone is part of a syndicate with a sole director, then they are not an “aircraft owner.”. I can’t see that it matters that someone isn’t certificated to fly an aircraft that they own.. does that make them not fit to run an aviation organisation?

There is another large aviation organisation in this country where one of the leaders doesn’t own an aircraft (but flies) and the other can’t because he can’t obtain a medical... doesn’t seem to be affecting them?!!

[Sunfish]

perhaps AOPA should take advice from CASA. They seem to have regulations about who can be appointed to certain positions.

[H247]

Hi Everyone,
I see there are many disgruntled people who are unhappy with Aviation Advertiser.
Just to advise that HANGAR 247 picked up all their old listings and those still for sale are published on www.hangar247.net
HANGAR 247 actually took proactive action months ago but now their site has been offline for months and it is pretty clear it staying that way - we are just letting people know where to find the listings.
Cheers