Members enjoy four days of knowledge, growth, fun and friendship.
Following a record-breaking 2018 convention at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, MMOPA was faced with organizing a convention in only eight months and in a different season of the year. The result, however, was a world-class event that exceeded expectations held at a world-class resort. Held at the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island, FL, the Convention hosted nearly 300 members, companions, partners, exhibitors and guests. At the Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport, nearly 100 PA46’s lined the closed runway.
Nearly half of all members who attended were first-timers, and the Convention hosted members from as far as British Isles and Alaska. Alan and Kate Burrows flew their Meridian from their home in Isle of Man, and Bill and Jay Laxson made the trip from Anchorage.
This year, our members had several pre-convention choices: a one-day radar course with world-renowned expert Erik Eliel; a Cumberland River cruise; or the MMOPA Golf Tournament sponsored by Garmin. While approximately 45 members broadened their knowledge at the radar seminar, a group of 11 “slaved away” on the beautiful golf course adjacent to the Ritz-Carlton. Member Barbara Bloom was the overall winner of the tournament with Ron Cox taking second. Both received Garmin high-tech wearable gear.
To kick off the Convention, Safety Committee Chair Joe Casey introduced the inaugural class of Master Aviator award recipients. Joe introduced each member as Dianne White and Randy James pinned on their wings. In addition, Joe awarded the first four Broken Wings Awards given to those members who faced a catastrophic mechanical failure or other non-pilot-induced emergency and handled them “by the book” leading to a successful and safe landing. The Broken Wings Award recognizes the skill, decision-making and good judgment that leads a pilot to do everything right when everything goes wrong. The recipients were: Eric Duberman, Don and Carol Goldberg, Bill and Jay Laxson, and Jim Yankaskas.
The Fred Human Memorial Lecture featured former U.S. Navy Blue Angels commander Russ Bartlett. Russ gave a fast-paced look inside the culture of the Blue Angels with numerous descriptions and photos of the seemingly impossible close formations and precise flying for which the demonstration team is known.
Russ left the group with a couple of key concepts that is salient to flying as well as business management. He described the essential components of high-performance teams, which includes:
- Trust and communication – built through leadership, clearly defined roles and responsibilities, culture, empowerment, and “team above self”;
- The nameless, rankless debrief (following a practice or performance) – this is critical in building trust and communication and starts at the top. In the Blues, there is no fear of retribution. All participate, all are heard and all listen.
Piper CEO Simon Caldecott provided an update on the company’s financial performance, deliveries and current projects as it relates to the M-Class product line. With now more than 1,000 employees, the company is in very stable financial health with good overall growth and considerable upside in the training market. The company has recorded several record-breaking orders for training aircraft and is the industry leader in that sector. He indicated the company continues to look at ways to invest in the M-Class product line and to “stay tuned.” Piper also had an impressive exhibit featuring Piper merchandise.
Weather expert Scott Dennstaedt kicked off the afternoon sessions with an in-depth knowledge session followed by Bill Panarello on developing command authority, becoming creatures of good habits and steering clear of complacency.
That evening, members donned their leathers and bandanas for a motorcycle-themed party featuring live music, a photo booth with a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and dancing.
On Friday, aero-medical expert Dr. Quay Snyder presented a fact and science-backed presentation on the realities of fatigue, common over-the-counter drugs and their effects and ways we can maintain optimum performance in the cockpit. He also talked about cognitive changes in the brain as we age.
Air traffic controller, CFII and Citation pilot Luke Alcorn provided an informative brief on the roles of the Center and Approach controllers, how they work together, and why you don’t always get the clearance you were expecting. He ended the session with “ask the controller” Q&A.
AOPA’s Sr. Vice President Jim Coon and AOPA Foundation VP Jennifer Storm were up next with a “town hall” session to talk about key advocacy topics their organization is working on behalf of all GA pilots.
Aerobatic champ and airshow performer Patty Wagstaff provided a Pilot Safety Brief with a number of good reminders on preflight and pre-takeoff checklists and how to cope with distractions.
The remainder of the afternoon was broken into the Turbine Track and Piston Track for each respective owner group. The Turbine Track featured sessions on the “care and feeding of the PT6” from Dallas Airmotive, and an RVSM update from Aeromech. The Piston Track held sessions on “anatomy of a cylinder” and “prop care” from Hartzell. The afternoon ended with roundtables for turbine owners led by Chad Menne, piston owners led by Kevin Mead and JetPROP owners led by Darwin Conrad.
That evening, the annual dinner and auction took place at Ritz. Ron Cox was honored with the President’s Award, which was established by the Board to recognize an individual or group for their significant contributions to the training and education of members and the safe operation of the PA46 fleet. Ron was honored for his dedication to instruction and safety and for his impact on a culture of safety in the PA46 community.
Following dinner, Bill Alberts kicked off the auction to benefit the MMOPA Safety & Education Foundation. Members contributed more than $50,000 to fund safety programming and initiatives, while walking away with some unique items, vacations and services. A heartfelt thank you to all companies and individuals who donated items for the auction.
On the final day of the convention, the event kicked into workshop mode with excellent learning sessions provided by ForeFlight, PiperProFlite and Garmin. The rest of the day was rounded out by an informative talk on current tax issues by Suzanne Meiners-Levy, and a riveting session given by Jet Shades founder Kevin Duggan on single-pilot emergencies and how to keep your head in the game.
Manny Casiano presented one of the most anticipated sessions on the PA46 safety record. He reviewed details of the most recent accidents and revealed accident trends.
The final session of the convention was the Membership Meeting presented by Board President Randy James, Executive Director Dianne White, and Treasurer Jene Tebeaux. With several board member terms ending in 2018, the Board President appointed four new members to fill immediate vacancies. They included: Ryan Oltman, Jon Sisk, Jene Tebeaux and Lance Boxer. Per the by-laws, these members went before the membership for a vote and were unanimously confirmed.
MMOPA would like to thank its Partners and exhibitors who helped make this year’s convention a resounding success.
Next year will be MMOPA’s 30th annual convention. Mark your calendars now: The 2020 Convention will be held May 27-31 in Tucson Arizona at the Westin La Paloma Resort.
by Dianne White