Story ID: AN4051514alerts
AOPA Marks 75th Anniversary Today
By: Chad Trautvetter
Caption: Primary mission is to protect the freedom to fly for the growing population of general aviation pilots and aircraft owners.
Word Count: 91
AOPA is celebrating its 75th anniversary today. Concerned that the growing influence of military air power would eclipse general aviation, five founders gathered on May 15, 1939, to establish AOPA, electing C. Townsend Ludington as the association’s first president. Then, as now, AOPA’s primary mission was to protect the freedom to fly for the growing population of general aviation pilots and aircraft owners. Today, AOPA is the world’s largest aviation member association, with representatives in Frederick, Md.; Washington, D.C.; Wichita; and seven regions across the U.S.