• 91% of all private pilots
  • 74% of all commercial pilots
  • 76% of all flight instructors
  • 56% of instrument rated pilots
  • 39% of all airline transport pilots
  • 56,500 type-rated pilots, qualified to fly jet aircraft or aircraft weighing more than 12,500 pounds

ABC

Audience Readers

ACTIVE
84% say flying is their top recreational pursuit
53% own or lease an aircraft personally or in partnership
Have flown an average of 88 hours in the past 12 months
ENGAGED
67% have encouraged or mentored an individual to take flying lessons in the past five years
46% said that their mentoring led to the completion of a private pilot certificate
18% said that their mentoring led to the purchase of an aircraft
Have been AOPA members for 10 years on average
SUCCESSFUL
91% own their own home and 32% own a second home
93% are college educated
91% hold professional or managerial positions
29% are self employed or entrepreneurs
Have an average household income of $194,000
Have an average household net worth of $1.4 million
INFLUENTIAL
38% gave advice on aircraft purchases
28% gave advice on avionics purchases
26% gave advice on aviation headset purchases
27% gave advice on selecting a primary flight school
22% gave advice on selecting a recurrent training course

 

Source: Erdos & Morgan 2010 Subscriber Study;
AOPA 2009 Lifestyle Study; Erdos & Morgan 2011 General Aviation Market Study
And they make purchases to support their aviation involvement. In the past 12 months:
16% have purchased an aircraft
31% have purchased avionics
18% have purchased an aviation headset
32% have purchased training
But they aren't stopping there. Within the next two years:
24% say they plan to buy an aircraft
52% say they plan to buy recurrent flight training
72% say they plan to buy pilot supplies
28% say they plan to buy avionics