Lightspeed Aviation has been digging into the oft-asked question “is general aviation (GA) dying?” Happily, both the data and the many GA pilots we’ve talked to say that general aviation is not in decline. However, aspiring student pilots still might find it daunting to start their aviation journey, with visibility into “how to” being a barrier to begin the process. We’ve also looked at ways that would-be pilots can minimize their costs and maximize their time on the journey to acquiring a certificate. In this blog, we’ll see how the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has made it their mission to promote the health of general aviation.
Dan Justman, Vice President of the AOPA You Can Fly program, told us that the program was conceived as a direct response to the shrinking pilot populations of the early to mid- 2010’s. The AOPA recognized that there wasn’t one single way to reverse that trend, so the program was created as a series of initiatives promoting general aviation through multiple groups and venues.
Promoting Aviation in High Schools
Many components of the You Can Fly initiatives are focused on promoting awareness and access to the opportunities available in general aviation. Justman cites the visual of the airport fence as intimidating to the potential new pilot. “Getting inside the fence is not as hard as it seems, and once you’re in it’s an absolutely amazing world.”
There are so many opportunities in general aviation, and the You Can Fly high school STEM curriculum aims to make those opportunities available to students that otherwise might not have them. Building skills and awareness is a major focus of the program. Justman told us that the initiative has been expanding rapidly: “This past school year we’ve been in 48 states and served nearly 30,000 students, and we’re proud that in the ’25-’26 school year our curriculum will be used by schools in all 50 states for the first time ever.”
Supporting Aspiring Pilots
The You Can Fly flight training initiative directly supports the creation of new pilots and provides resources for owners and managers of flight schools and to the businesses that support those schools. According to Justman, AOPA recognized that about 80% of pilots who started flight training stopped. The You Can Fly flight training program aims to encourage better outcomes by making information freely available to flight school owners and instructors.
A decade ago, pilot populations were shrinking, but that trend has reversed. Justman mentioned “Over the past five years, the number of certified pilots has increased over 20%, and if you look at just student pilot certificates, that’s grown over 40%. So, not only are there more pilots, but there’s a lot more new pilots coming into general aviation.”
Keeping Pilots Flying
AOPA’s You Can Fly program supports pilots after initial certification, too. The flying club initiative focuses on addressing issues of aircraft availability and expense for pilots at any point in their aviation journey. With resources for existing flying clubs and for individuals who want to start a new club in their community, the initiative helps to make more aircraft accessible and at more affordable costs.
And for pilots who’ve taken a break from regular flying, AOPA’s Rusty Pilots initiative helps them connect with others in the same situation and come up to speed on changes since they were last flying. Having that support can help make passing a flight review less intimidating and more achievable.
The Future is Bright
The data, the experts, and the pilots we’ve spoken to all agree: general aviation is not dying. The AOPA You Can Fly program is an example of how our industry is supporting its future, and why we should be optimistic about that future. In an upcoming article we’ll look at how individual pilots can help others get and stay involved in flying and in general aviation.
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