[JYO] World's largest pilot organization returns to its Philadelphia roots...

World's largest pilot organization returns to its Philadelphia roots for 
annual convention and expo October 30-November 1

AOPA President Phil Boyer with FAA
Administrator Marion Blakey at AOPA Expo 2002

Expo visitors will have hundreds
of exhibits to choose from. 

Sixty aircraft on static display at AOPA Expo 2002
Oct. 1 — The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, founded in 1939 at Wings 
Field in Philadelphia, returns to its birthplace city Oct. 30-Nov. 1 for AOPA 
Expo 2003. This year's Expo sweeps into the city with 500 exhibitors slated 
in the Pennsylvania Convention Center and 60 aircraft displayed at Philadelphia 
International Airport. More than 10,000 general aviation pilots and family 
members are expected to attend and celebrate AOPA's birthplace and the 
Centennial of Flight.
"We are here to embrace the 20/20 foresight of five Philadelphia businessmen 
who early on recognized the importance of general aviation in American 
commerce," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "Today more than 400,000 members of 
AOPA 
reap the rewards of their efforts from 64 years ago."
AOPA's 64-year history begins in Philadelphia
The exhibition's theme "Celebrating the Past, Ensuring Your Future," 
concurrently reinforces the Centennial of Flight, which follows Expo by about 
six 
weeks, and remembers AOPA's heritage. Philadelphia's Alfred L. Wolf, John Story 
Smith, Philip T. Sharples, Laurence P. Sharples, and C. Townsend Ludington 
formed AOPA at Wings Field in 1939. Headquarters subsequently moved to Chicago, 
then Washington, and is currently in Frederick, Maryland, but the AOPA board 
convenes at Wings Field every spring for its annual trustees meeting.
AOPA Expo is a chance for aviation enthusiasts to learn more about general 
aviation
Thousands of pilots, guests, and others are expected for Expo 2003. It's a 
one-stop opportunity to check out new airplanes and new equipment, learn the 
latest safety procedures, and simply enjoy the company of other pilots. But 
Expo 
is not just for pilots. The 2003 convention is an ideal opportunity for anyone 
to get up close and personal with the largest segment of the aviation 
industry in America.
Practically every U.S. airport can welcome all types of general aviation 
commerce: personal transportation, flight training, business aircraft, charter 
flights, aerial application, air ambulance, and more. By comparison, only three 
percent of all airports are served by airlines. General aviation, represented 
by all flying except scheduled airlines and the military, can be linked to 1.3 
million jobs and more than $100 billion in economic activity. (For more 
information visit www.GAservingAmerica.org.)
Expo offers wide spectrum of aviation events
AOPA Expo 2003 officially starts Thursday morning with a free general session 
to "Meet the Administrator," the Federal Aviation Administration's Marion 
Blakey. This will be her second consecutive appearance at an opening session. 
She 
will update pilots on general aviation initiatives, and she will welcome 
questions from the audience.
The opening luncheon on Thursday will feature a special presentation on the 
Wright brothers by Darrell Collins. He is a National Park Service historian at 
Kill Devil Hills, N.C., with interesting insights to that fateful December day 
a century ago when flights of fancy became flights of reality. Journalists 
from the print and broadcast media will be honored during the luncheon for 
their 
fair, accurate, and insightful reporting on general aviation. Tickets are 
required to attend the luncheon.
To kick off the second day, AOPA President Phil Boyer hosts Friday morning's 
free general session. He'll be joined by representatives from 10 of the top 
avionics manufacturers to discuss the rapid advance in general aviation 
technology. And Saturday morning's free session will feature Boyer and senior 
AOPA 
staff members — Team AOPA — updating members on AOPA's efforts on behalf of 
GA 
and taking their questions.
AOPA Expo 2003 is open to the public. Each day, Expo visitors can wander 
through the exhibition hall or the static aircraft display or attend one of 
more 
than 80 seminars. Daily admission to the exhibition hall and static display 
costs $30, while admission that includes the seminars is $45.
The seminars are conveniently grouped by topic, including general interest, 
proficient pilot, all pilots, medical issues, safety seminars, and owner 
seminars. More than half of the seminars have never been offered during an East 
Coast Expo. Nineteen seminars are brand new.
The exhibit hall and product demonstrations open at 10 a.m. each day, closing 
at 6 p.m. the first two days and at 4 p.m. on the last day. Everything from 
aviation art to propellers to weather displays will be shown in the convention 
hall. Serious shoppers will enjoy an opportunity to "try before they buy" with 
selected product demonstrations.
More than 60 general aviation aircraft will be on display just a short 
shuttle-bus ride away at Philadelphia International Airport, on the ramp of 
Atlantic, the general aviation fixed-base operator (FBO) there. The static 
aircraft 
display also opens at 10 a.m. each day, closing at 5 p.m. on Thursday and 
Friday, and at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Aircraft on display range from sporty 
two-seaters 
to corporate aircraft to a business jet, many of which attendees can sit in, 
peer in, and touch for themselves.
Evening social activities, which require tickets, will include a socializing 
reception on Thursday, a Halloween party and dance on Friday, and the closing 
banquet with a stage show on Saturday.
Complete and up-to-date information about AOPA Expo 2003 is available on the 
Web or call 1-888-GO2EXPO. Additional information about AOPA may be seen at 
www.aopa.org.
With over 400,000 members, AOPA is the world's largest civil aviation 
organization. It is dedicated to defending the interests of general aviation 
and 
educating the public at large about the benefits GA offers. Some two thirds of 
all 
U.S. pilots are members of AOPA.

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