The two most important organizations to be associated with for my career path are AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) and ALPA (Air Line Pilots Association, International).
The mission for AOPA is to ultimately protect our freedom to fly. They strive towards this goal by advocating on behalf of their members, educating pilots and policy makers, supporting activities than ensure long-term health of general aviation, fighting to keep GA accessible to all, and ensuring sufficient resources to ensure their success (AOPA, 2016). AOPA has 5 key values: initiative, teamwork, service, integrity, and excellence. They don't only support general aviation like most people would assume, they have a large part in the entire aviation industry. AOPA is associated with increasing safety standards through the industry and implying ethical behaviors and techniques for both pilots and non-pilots. A large portion of their work is associated with the government and improving the aviation laws that ultimately affect both GA and commercial operations.
ALPA's mission is to promote and champion all aspects of aviation safety throughout all segments of the aviation community; to represent the collective interests of all pilots in commercial aviation; to assist in collective bargaining activities on behalf of all pilots represented by the Association; to promote the health and welfare before all governmental agencies; to be a strong, forceful advocate of the airline piloting profession; and to be the ultimate guardian and defender of the rights and privileges of the professional pilots (ALPA, 2015). Yes, this association is heavily geared toward air line pilots and the commercial industry; however, they still have their ties with general aviation. For example, ALPA works to promote safety for the entire industry. The safety is required for the entire industry because the young pilots need to learn the safety techniques not only for the safety of our country but also to know those techniques well so they can continue to use them in a commercial pilot setting. The commercial setting is the largest source of revenue for the aviation industry, so air lines have a huge say in subject matters. The choices that air lines choose to fight for ultimately affect the industry because the majority of the regulations are consistent no matter what or where you are flying. For example, most of the airlines were for the NextGen technology to cut their operating costs while still improving safety. This ADS-B requirement starting in 2020 will of course help the air lines but it will also GA aircraft and the air traffic controllers as well.
Personally, being a member of AOPA will be important for two major reasons. Firstly, if I were to pay the small yearly fee for legal help then I would be protected in the case of a lawsuit. In order to retain good lawyers it is very expensive. The small fee through AOPA will be much less over the years when comparing the cost of a one-time lawsuit. It is always better safe than sorry, so even though you might not ever need legal help, it is better to prepare for the worst. Secondly, AOPA is a tremendous resource for general aviation flying. I fly a lot through my family planes and I am always looking information up through AOPA. They have resources in any aviation category that you might need; whether it is from actual flight planning all the way to accident analysis or even Caribbean flying.
ALPA will not only benefit me, but it will also help out younger pilots. ALPA has a great website that has many different blogs about aviation questions such as interview gouges, updated pay scales, minimum pilot requirements, etc. It is also the world's largest pilot union, thus it will protect my job industry and the details surrounding our careers.
References:
ALPA. (2015). What We DO. Air Line Pilots Association, International. Retrieved from
http://www.alpa.org/about-alpa/what-we-do
AOPA. (2016). AOPA's Mission, Vision, and Values. Aircraft Owner's and Pilot's Association.
Retrieved from https://www.aopa.org/about/mission-vision-and-values
Nice post. I also wrote about AOPA and ALPA, and had similar points. I like what you mentioned about AOPA’s legal services, and how it is much less expensive to pay the small fee through AOPA and be covered should a problem occur. I also think becoming part of “the world’s largest pilot union” is a good idea seeing as I plan on becoming an airline pilot ;)
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