AOPA is bringing in the New Year with a new look, a rebranding effort designed to reflect an ongoing evolution within the association as it works to expand the pilot community. The association today is rolling out a new logo that retains a variation of the traditional AOPA wings and a nod to its 1939 heritage, but also incorporates the tag line “your freedom to fly.”
The new logo, said AOPA senior v-p of marketing Jiri Marousek, is a “tiny step in a process that has been going on for years and will go on for years.” Eying an aging and diminishing pilot population, the association in recent years has been redoubling its efforts to reach out to not only the entrenched pilot base but also to new pilots and pilot prospects, he said.
“Much of what we’re doing today, and what we’re planning for the future, revolves around creating an environment that gives people of all ages the opportunity to enjoy aviation and all it has to offer,” said AOPA president Mark Baker. “We want our brand to reflect that forward-looking approach, sense of optimism and pride in belonging to the greatest pilot community in the world.”
AOPA interviewed nearly 1,000 pilots as it developed its branding to reflect the message that flying is something worth the time and money, Marousek added. While the logo will appear in web materials beginning today, other initiatives are planned for this year, including a series of videos that highlight various pilots who tell their stories of flying.
The new brand also builds upon ongoing efforts such as the flying club initiative, he said. AOPA in 2012 announced plans to support and help expand flying clubs. The association last year helped start 10 new clubs and the flying club network now numbers more than 630. AOPA also recently began offering free scheduling software for network members, updated its online Flying Club Finder and unveiled a resource library for clubs.
This drive to encourage new pilots also was part of the impetus behind AOPA’s shift to regional fly-ins rather than a national event and its outreach to pilots with events such as its first High School Aviation Symposium.
