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Private company

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

Logo: The logo is from the following website: http://www.aopa.org http://www.aopa.org/-/media/Images/AOPA/Home/Media-Relations/Resources/AOPA-Logos/aopa%20logo.gif, Non-free logo, via Wikipedia4

American nonprofit organization

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is a Frederick, Maryland-based American non-profit political organization that advocates for general aviation. AOPA's membership consists mainly of general aviation pilots in the United States. AOPA exists to serve the interests of its members as aircraft owners and pilots and to promote the economy, safety, utility, and popularity of flight in general aviation aircraft.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1939Founded1
  • HeadquartersFrederick, United States1
  • Websiteaopa.org
  • Legal formNonstock Corporation3
  • Kind of organizationNonprofit organization1
  • LEI549300STMVN0PTX5RP903
  • StatusActive3
  • LEI statusLapsed (not renewed)3
  • Registered addressC/O KENNETH M. MEAD, 21701 Frederick, United States3
  • Registered withBusiness Services (Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation), F000024023

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The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is a Frederick, Maryland-based American non-profit political organization that advocates for general aviation. AOPA's membership consists mainly of general aviation pilots in the United States. AOPA exists to serve the interests of its members as aircraft owners and pilots and to promote the economy, safety, utility, and popularity of flight in general aviation aircraft.2

The story

The organization started at Wings Field in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. On 24 April 1932, The Philadelphia Aviation Country Club was founded at Wings Field. The country club was the location of meetings of members that founded AOPA. AOPA incorporated on May 15, 1939, with Charles Townsend Ludington serving as the first president. In 1971 the organization purchased Airport World Magazine, moving its operations to Bethesda, Maryland.

On 1 October 2023, senior vice president of AOPA Air Safety Institute Richard McSpadden was killed in an aircraft accident near Lake Placid, New York.

In November 2024 Mark Baker, the president and CEO of the AOPA, addressed concerns regarding the negative impact of increased customs fees on businesses in the Bahamas. These fees, which have been imposed on private aircraft flying into the region, have drawn criticism from the AOPA since the summer of 2024. Baker emphasized the potential risks to tourism and local economies, urging policymakers to reconsider the fees to prevent a decline in aviation-driven tourism and business activity in the Bahamas.

From Wikipedia’s article on Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5

Timeline

  1. 1939Founded Founded1

Sources

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