We’re multifaceted individuals with diverse interests that usually make meeting new people a fascinating experience. Case in point, I once met a person who collects banana stickers—that’s right, the Dole, Chiquita, and countless other brand stickers that we all see and ignore. He can’t get enough, and as it turns out, he’s not alone.

Aside from the fun of amassing a collection of thousands of stickers, being part of a group of people with a shared interest also enabled him to build a network of friends, all assisting each other around the globe (which also allows him to travel to far-flung reaches of the planet). I suspect global travel wasn’t his initial plan when he started collecting banana stickers, but it was certainly a nice byproduct of the process.

Being part of a group of like-minded people has many benefits beyond personal connection.

In aviation, aircraft owners, pilots, and aficionados band together in model- and manufacturer-specific groups. Collectively, a powerful block of consumers can help resolve a common issue or move an OEM in a certain direction to improve a product for everyone. 

• READ MORE: The Great Circle Route

On the OEM side, I once worked for an early stage aircraft manufacturer who, like all aircraft OEMs, had its share of aircraft squawks that generated customer complaints at a pace commensurate with production increases. 

Rather than attempting to address an array of individual squawks from a growing consumer base, we asked the owners group to form a committee whose job it was to survey members to identify the most common complaints with the biggest pain points. 

Working in partnership with the committee, we agreed to focus on the top 10 issues identified by the members of the owners group. Once we came to an agreement that any one issue was resolved satisfactorily, that item was removed from the list and another squawk was added.

The feedback and process helped improve customer satisfaction, fostered brand affinity, increased trust, improved the production process and ultimately, the finished product. Working together in good faith led by a team of dedicated people helped both parties move the needle farther, faster.

On a much larger scale, our industry associations play a similar role. Associations like AOPA, EAA, NBAA, GAMA, and others, all serve specific constituents, and in some cases, have overlapping purposes that increase their collective power. But what’s most important is that we as individuals find the association(s) whose objectives and purpose align most closely with our own interests and support them through membership, proxy voting, letter writing, fundraising, and more. 

If we don’t have the time, energy, or connections to lobby lawmakers ourselves in order to help preserve rights or advocate for legislation that protects our vested interests, we need to support the groups that do. In this case, our industry associations are the full-time professionals who work diligently to protect something we all hold dear, our freedom to fly in whatever form that takes.  

While associations have an essential function in preserving our freedom to fly, they also play an equally important role in the process of cultivating the next generation of private, commercial, and military aviators and aviation enthusiasts. 

Efforts to introduce youth to careers in aerospace, cyberspace, and outer space through STEM education and education career training need support, volunteers, and funding. My charge to all of us is to find something that interests you like AOPA Airport Support Network, EAA Young Eagles, Civil Air Patrol aerospace education, or any number of other public benefit flying organizations and associations and get even more involved where you can.

Chief among our roles as aviators and enthusiasts is to also be good stewards of general aviation so future generations can build on what has been accomplished thus far and enjoyed for more than 120 years. 

Even if joining one more thing isn’t something you have bandwidth for, invite an acquaintance to fill an empty seat and introduce someone new to the joy of flying.

This column first appeared in the September Issue 950 of the FLYING print edition.

The post It’s All in the Power of Association appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Mathematically, the term describes the shortest distance between two points on a sphere. Metaphorically, it describes the great arc of a journey that led me to this point in my aviation career—while it wasn’t a direct route, it’s the destination that matters.

My journey began with a flight at age 6 from the College Park Airport (KCGS) in Maryland. Long before I knew there was a FLYING Magazine, I was passionate about flying. The years between then and now were filled with the familiar milestones of all great odysseys–a circuitous route, complete with disappointment and triumph, missed opportunities and eureka moments, and great joy.

As this is both my first column in FLYING and our EAA AirVenture issue, I thought it might be fitting and fun to share some history of AirVenture’s past highlighting just a few projects that I brought to life on the grounds of the world’s largest airshow—the vestiges of some are still visible if you know where to look.

During my Cirrus years, and for a few years thereafter, a fully airworthy SR22 would mysteriously appear in Oshkosh at the Fox River Brewery in the outdoor dining area between the restaurant and the river—3.5 miles from the nearest airport. Back at the show, a 30-foot Cirrus control tower was designed to help visitors locate the Cirrus display from anywhere on the grounds as far away as then-Aeroshell Square.

Years later, after rebranding Columbia Aircraft, pilots flying into Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH) may have been asked by a controller to “look for the Columbia barn” with a 50-foot wide Columbia Aircraft logo painted on its roof near the RIPON intersection. There was also an exciting partnership with FLYING and Sean D. Tucker who flew a complete stock, then-Columbia 400 in an aerobatic routine at AirVenture. 

• READ MORE: The 2025 Ultimate Flying Giveaway

Beyond AirVenture, during the Great Recession, I created FLYING Magazine’s Parade of Planes. The events were designed to shorten and refine the aircraft purchase process by connecting consumers with the necessary resources to make informed decisions by leveraging the top finance company, most knowledgeable tax adviser, and strongest insurance provider.

And when it was time for Gulfstream to launch the truly revolutionary G500/G600 with its side-stick Symmetry flight deck, FLYING was the obvious choice for the dramatic six-page, double-gatefold advertisement inside the front cover showing the dynamic flight deck evolution from Gulfstream I to G500 revealed in imagery. 

Regardless of what the creative branding brainstorm may have been, I always found a way to include FLYING because it was then, as it is today, the best way to reach the aviation enthusiast.

As an aviation journalist, I’ve contributed to both FLYING and Plane & Pilot (both Firecrown media companies), written white papers on aviation technology, and served as editor-in-chief for two other aviation publications. 

For the past 25 years, my work in aviation journalism, marketing, brand management, event marketing, and business development has prepared me for this new FLYING endeavor.

There is no more prestigious title or more respected enthusiast publication with greater longevity than FLYING Magazine, and I am both thrilled and honored to be the editorial director and part of the growing Firecrown family of aviation companies.

Since 1927, FLYING has evolved to be exactly what readers wanted it to be. What hasn’t changed over time is the desire of our team to continue to be the world’s most widely read aviation publication and a knowledgeable source of essential aviation content in print and online. 

On behalf of the entire Firecrown aviation consumer group, thank you for being a FLYING reader. This is your magazine and it’s our job to help shape it into exactly what you want it to be—a trusted voice for all things aviation that engages, entertains, and educates readers about our collective passion: flying.

Thank you for taking the journey with us as we approach 100 years of serving the aviation community. 

This column first appeared in the July/August Issue 949 of the FLYING print edition.

The post The Great Circle Route appeared first on FLYING Magazine.