Jolie Lucas knows that while every pilot should try to inspire kids with the love of flight, there's always that annoying 8-10 year time lag, between when they first experience flight and the first opportunity they have to translate that love into action. Lucas believes Pilot Plus One might be one of the answers to that problem by offering pilots, right-seaters and even back-seaters the opportunity to experience general aviation by becoming a part of the fun. PPO is a full-day educational seminar that coincides with each of the AOPA's four regional Fly-Ins, beginning April 28th in Camarillo, California.
To help energize the conversations with visitors, Lucas and her co-founder Jan Maxwell — also known together as the Mooney Girls, a Mooney Aircraft ambassador program — invited a few close, knowledgeable friends along to speak to their areas of expertise.
To help make GA flying just a little less intimidating for non-pilots, Jolie and Jan begin the day by answering a question they often hear: “What are all those switches, levers, dials and buttons for?"
George Kounis from Pilot Getaways magazine will also be on hand to answer another age-old flying question of where to find the best $100 hamburger, code words for the coolest places to fly in a GA airplane.
Pilot, author and philanthropist Robert DeLaurentis will be there as well to address some of the most common fears of both pilots and their passengers in a session he calls "Overcoming Fear, Unleashing Potential."
Well-known aviation photographer Jim Koepnick will show the audience a few camera tricks of the trade to capture their adventures for posterity.
The PPO winds up with a final session by Jolie and Jan explaining a few tougher topics like aircraft control, emergency communications, navigation and landings.
Register here for the Camarillo session. Other regional Fly-Ins include September 8 in Norman, Oklahoma, October 6 in Groton, Connecticut, and October 27 in Tampa, Florida.
