Mark Baker

I recognize that I am a lucky man. I’ve been able to fuel my passion for flying with great airplanes and wonderful people who shared their passion for aviation with me.

General aviation experienced a quiet victory this spring—we had one solid week during which no fatal aviation accidents occurred.

General aviation is all about celebrating our past in a way that paves our future. Our history has been shaped by those who have gone a step beyond to explore new horizons.

It’s springtime. One of our favorite times of year when the weather gets warmer, the days get longer, and the pull to spend time aloft gets stronger (even though that allure to fly is always strong for the GA community).

A new year is a new beginning, filled with possibilities.

eflecting on a great time at EAA AirVenture 2022, my interactions reinforced how focused the general aviation community is, especially on the issue of finding an unleaded fuel replacement for the piston engine fleet.

What a fantastic year it has been for our community. We’re enjoying this passion for flying in numbers we haven’t seen for some time. We’re staying safer than ever, we’ve been seeing thousands of our members at fantastic events across the country, and we are making real progress on our pledge to make general aviation totally lead-free.

With how busy the skies are this year, I continue to be amazed at how safe general aviation remains. We’re coming off our safest fiscal year yet, according to NTSB data reviewed by our own Air Safety Institute.

It’s hard to fathom where much of the United States was in 2020, and even just last year. Quite frankly, I’d rather not go there. I’m always focusing on the positive, and there’s a lot of that going around right now in our general aviation community.

I’m writing these words just having returned home from a whirlwind week at Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida. What a great time.