Phil Boyer will soon leave its job as US AOPA president after eighteen years spent serving the interests of General Aviation. Let me quote him 18 times to say good-bye.

1 – The White House is proposing to cut nearly $1 billion from the Airport Improvement program in 2007.

2 – The statistics don’t support planes falling out of the sky.

3 – There has been no history that having that medical exam creates a safer environment.

4 – The pilots of tomorrow are the plane buyers of tomorrow.

5 – One thing we have continued to overlook as an industry is what’s happening with the pilot population.

6 – More and more, we have to use our own eyes in good weather to look out for other airplanes.

7 – How ridiculous can you get?

8 – Enough is enough. What does one mile around his house and 1,500 feet do anyway? It is just nonsense.

9 – We want our billion dollars back.

10 – (To Fox News): In sum, your staff misrepresented themselves and the facts to obtain a sensationalistic story that unfairly alarmed a trusting public.

11 – Better service and no fees. That’s the bottom line for pilots,

12 – The thrust that drives AOPA forward comes from you, the members.

13 – AOPA has always argued that security measures taken should be predicated on the actual risk, and our small aircraft present minimal risk.

14 – Number of people killed by a terrorist attack using a GA aircraft? Zero.

15 – The marginal cost to add GA into the system doesn’t even rise above the noise level.

16 – It’s more runways, stupid! (about capacity problems)

17 – It is up to each of us as pilots to be responsible, check notams and stay clear (of the Washington, D.C., ADIZ).

18 – What part of the word retirement don’t you understand?

Thank you again Phil. I wish you satisfaction, fun, and many happy landings in your new life !

Read other Advent Calendar Posts – but no cheating !

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