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First AOPA Regional Hits Critical Mass

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Key Takeaways:

  • The inaugural AOPA regional fly-in in San Marcos, Texas, was an overwhelming and unexpected success, attracting over 2,500 attendees and 470 aircraft, surpassing previous national Summit attendance.
  • Despite early IFR conditions, the well-organized event featured popular forums, prominent speakers, and a town hall with AOPA chief Mark Baker, raising the question of whether a fly-in could be "too big."
  • AOPA leadership was surprised by the massive turnout and is already considering expanding future regional fly-ins, potentially to a two-day format, in response to their popularity.
  • This successful San Marcos event is the first in a new series of regional fly-ins planned across the country, replacing the previous annual national Summit format.
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The first in a series of fly-ins that AOPA is calling a “grassroots effort” took place in San Marcos, Texas, this past Saturday, and the results were beyond anyone’s wildest expectations.

The event raised the question, “can a fly-in be too big,” and punctuated it with a big “yes.” This one came close. With “more than 2,500” in attendance — it was probably substantially more than that — and around 470 airplanes, the event drew more airplanes than AOPA’s national Summit held last fall in Fort Worth, Texas. The one-day event on Saturday featured forums, discussions, speakers and culminated with a town hall style meeting conducted by AOPA chief Mark Baker.

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