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. 

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. 

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

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.

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.

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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