Actor and pilot Harrison Ford said at Oshkosh that after he steps down as honorary chairman of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA) Young Eagles program later this year, he plans to take a more prominent role to help those in Washington and other decision makers understand GA issues.
At the annual Young Eagles Awards dinner, Ford said he intends to remain active in the Young Eagles program, taking young people for their first rides in GA aircraft, but that after six years, it’s time for “new blood.”
Ford has already donated his time and his image to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s (AOPA) General Aviation Serves America campaign – an effort launched in April to help legislators, decision makers, and opinion leaders better understand all that general aviation is and does for their communities and for the country ¬¬ and he has expressed an interest in doing more.
“We are excited that a pilot with such high public appeal and such a passion for aviation has joined us to help spread the word,” said AOPA President and CEO Craig Fuller. “Harrison’s instant credibility with the general public can be the attention grabber that helps combat the widespread lack of understanding about GA that is at the heart of so many challenges we face.”
For more information: AOPA.org or GeneralAviationServesAmerica.com.
