Gathering brings national speakers to Alaska
Tom George, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
Seminars are a thread that runs through the Great Alaska Aviation Gathering. In addition to looking at the newest aviation equipment at the trade show, or admiring the aircraft in the static display, a series of seminars are scheduled that cover everything from Seaplane safety to an around-the-world flight. Organized by the Alaskan Aviation Safety Foundation, these sessions cover a wide range of topics and provide access to some very impressive speakers.
The new AOPA President, Darren Pleasance, will be making his first appearance in Alaska after assuming this new roll last January. No stranger to the state, however, he started his aviation career flying for some familiar Alaskan companies. He will hold a Pilot Town Hall seminar on Saturday at 1 pm to share his vision and solicit your ideas. A returning speaker this year is Dr. Amy Hoover, from Central Washington University. She will talk about the human factors of a mid-air collision, including her own personal encounter with this type of accident.
The Gathering draws a wide range of people and the seminars will provide content for all. If you know someone interested in learning to fly, point them toward the seminar titled, “Learn to Fly—What you need to know to get started” that starts at 10 am Saturday morning. A very different story will be told by two Flying Rotarians, who piloted a Cessna 210 around the world to help eradicate polio, Sunday at 3 pm just before the Airmen’s draws the winning ticket for their raffle airplane.
The top aviation issues in Alaska will be addressed in a session at noon Saturday by the Airmen’s own Adam White, joined by AOPA’s Government Affairs Director, Jim McClay.
Heading into spring, if you want to mentally prepare for the summer flying season, consider coming early on Sunday morning to attend the AOPA Rusty Flying Seminar. The three-hour refresher helps bring pilots up to speed on a wide range of topics and qualifies as the ground component of an FAA flight review. This session requires advance registration, which may be accomplished online at: https://webforms.aopa.org/rustypilots050425
Want to build your own airplane? Join Bernie Willis, John Davis and Rich Henry from EAA to learn what is involved and how to get started. These are just a few of the seminars occurring over the weekend. Too numerous to describe in detail, other topics include a Foreflight Workshop, an NWS weather presentation (for pilots and non-pilots), and an aircraft insurance market overview. Check out the seminar schedule online at Alaska Airmen’s website and the printed program for the full schedule, descriptions and speaker bios, so you don’t miss the seminar most of interest to you!
Photos:
AOPA President Darren Pleasance is holding a Pilot Town Hall, addressing the state of General Aviation.
Flying Rotarians John Ockenfels and Peter Teahen will share details about their flight around the world to help eradicate polio.
Amy Hoover will discuss her experience in a mid-air collision.