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 Grumman Owners and Pilots Association

 "Building on our proud AYA heritage..."



   

The International TYPE-CLUB FOR Grumman Owners and Pilots


 
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GOPA - The Grumman Type Club

With so much free material on the web, why join a Type club like GOPA?

While blogs and forums have their place for general discussion and quick information, a Type Club offers so much more. For Grumman owners, pilots, and maintenance operators, GOPA is THE authoritative voice on Grumman flying, ops, and maintenance. Unlike blogs and forums, we provide vetted transition training, a content rich website and bi-monthly Grumman news magazine, as well as an important seat at the table for you with the FAA for all things Grumman.

Then there’s “Grumman Fun”:  Blogs and forums are limited to electrons; GOPA is “people”. Our EVENTS calendar offers a wide range of on-site, face-to-face, come-fly-with-me local, national, and international activities.  Get together with other Grumman enthusiasts to sit in on live lectures or demos with industry gurus at our Annual Conventions (North America and Europe) or “Fly in-and-let’s-grab-lunch “ at a local fly-ins (all 8 regions)… push back your canopy and practice flour bombing… or try your skills at spot landing, precision taxiing, or our unique Grumman Limbo. Blog versus Type Club? In today’s versatile world, you no longer need to choose “either/or”.  Here are Eight Great Reasons to ADD a GOPA membership to your Grumman flying experience. 

1.     Best practices for Grumman operations and flying
In a recent EAA presentation about Type Clubs (EAA, July 2019), Robbie Culver cited an important fact: “Research shows that Type Club members have a lower number of accidents than non-type club members flying the same type of aircraft.”  The reason? Type Clubs focus on safety and that is definitely true for GOPA. Founded in 1976 as the American Yankee Association, for four decades GOPA has been THE authority on best practices in flying and operations for Grumman owners and pilots.  Our mission: “Safety, First and Always.”  Our goal: to encourage safe flying and reduce risk.  

2.    Best practices in Grumman maintenance 
The same holds true for best practices in Grumman maintenance. Your GOPA membership unlocks our extensive Maintenance Library.  Whether you are looking for the latest manual or inspection guide, service or accessory kit, or FAA airworthiness directive, service bulletin or supplemental Type certificate, you’ll find them well organized and readily accessible here on our site. We have copies of every FAA service letter, every service bulletin and every airworthiness directive ever issued for our Grummans. Visiting our site from outside North America?  Encourage your A&P/maintenance  organization to join GOPA to better support your plane. Need an Grumman mechanic  anywhere in the world? Again, your membership holds the key, both to recommended maintenance operators and to their locations. 

3.     Leverage knowledge & resources 
Considering buying a Grumman?  The public side of our website is richly stocked with resources and access to our Owner/Mentor program and Pilot Familiarization Program (PFP) but GOPA Membership takes it up a notch.  Become a PFP Instructor with manuals available only to members. Get special access to our Gurus through our “Ask the Experts” forum, video libraries on ops and maintenance, live demos and technical sessions at annual and International meetings.  There’s nothing like being live, on a GOPA flight-line, and having a Grumman Guru share his/her knowledge with you, to help solve your latest problem. Many of our "in the business" members give generously of their time and knowledge to others in GOPA. The bottom line is: We have come to know these aircraft better than anyone else!

Then there is the International Grumman Star (previously, The American Star).  Not “just a newsletter,” this 24+page bimonthly news magazine is full of the latest Grumman maintenance, ops, classifieds, and Type Club stories of interest to any Grumman owner.  Click here to download a sample copy.  JOIN US

4.     Effective training
Grummans are special aircraft. While not difficult to fly, they do have their own idiosyncrasies.  Our Pilot Familiarization Program (PFP) provides for-fee access to knowledgeable, experienced Grumman instructors, specifically sanctioned and vetted by GOPA.  PFP programs are not just a set of hours; they train-to-proficiency… until you are comfortable and confident to fly your Grumman safely. 

Our Cockpit Cool training enables companion non-pilots to handle basic emergency situations with basic aircraft control, communication, navigation, and emergency landings. Finally, our Annual Scholarship program inspires our next-generation of pilots. But is behind all these programs?  GOPA members.

 5.     A Seat at the Table 
Interaction with and input to FAA stems from our proud AYA heritage and continues to this day. Did you know that our input (under AYA) saved Grumman owners hundreds of dollars by convincing FAA that one of their airworthiness directives would have been too expensive for most Grumman owners to install?  In another case, our interaction with FAA actually reversed a directive that was unsafe.  GOPA gives Grumman owners a voice in these regulatory decisions… a seat at the table.  To support regulations affecting our cherished Grummans, join GOPA.

6.     Free classified ads and discounts
While businesses still have to go through the normal channels to place an ad either here at GrummanPilots.org or in our bi-monthly newsletter, The International Grumman Star, individual GOPA members can advertise their aviation related items free of charge. And, for web-based ads, you can add a color photo… at no additional charge. The price of membership is less than the cost of placing an ad in most aviation publications or websites. Contact the webmaster  for further details.

Need a new part? Your GOPA membership entitles you to discounts from select Grumman vendors. Often, savings on your first purchases more than pay for your annual membership.

7.     Camaraderie and Community 
A quick look at our Events page will give you an idea of the breadth and scope of GOPA activities happening around the world.  As THE Grumman Type Club, we sponsor and promote an active calendar of regional, national and international programs.  Some are local: just for the joy of flying your Grumman somewhere in a given region to enjoy the fresh air, great food, and Grumman Fun.  Others, like our Annual Conventions held in both North America and in Europe, feature both Grumman-centered tech sessions and social activities. An added bonus: your GOPA membership unlocks maps to find fellow GOPA members, other Grumman owners, or maintenance facilities around the world.

8.     GOPA gives back 
Finally, being a GOPA member opens opportunities for you to use your flying skills to give back.  For example, at the end of our 2019 Annual meeting, 5 GOPA members each flew approximately 2400lbs of relief… a total of over a TON… from northern Florida to the Bahamas, to aid victims of Hurricane Dorian.  You can read about it in Walt Porter’s story in our Cat Tales.  In 2017, our members supported relief efforts for three different hurricanes and floods (Read about it in GOPA Gives Back).   

In addition, many members give rides to people at fly-ins, conventions, and their local airports to introduce them to the wonders of flight that we all know very well. Some of those people go on to pursue flight training and eventually join the Association.

Finally, GOPA supports the next generation of pilots.To date (2023), GOPA/AYA members have donated over $120,000 in Scholarships.

So, there you have it:  Eight Great Reasons to join GOPA. It's the best $60 you'll ever spend.
Already a GOPA member? Consider getting involved in one of our growing list of activities and committees.

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