We, the undersigned members of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, write to express our profound concern regarding the Board’s decision to terminate Darren Pleasance as President and CEO of AOPA.

We represent a broad cross-section of the general aviation community, including long-time pilots, aviation professionals, aircraft owners, instructors, mechanics, and committed AOPA members. From this vantage point, many of us believe this decision is not in the best interests of AOPA or the future of general aviation.

Over the past decade, members have observed mounting challenges for AOPA, including membership erosion, declining influence, and difficulty engaging a younger and more digitally connected pilot population. General aviation is changing rapidly, and AOPA must evolve with it.

That is why Darren Pleasance’s appointment as CEO was met with genuine optimism across the aviation community. He brought a rare combination of aviation credibility and world-class organizational leadership - the kind of candidate that appears only once in a generation.

In a short period of time, Darren traveled extensively to listen to members, reconnected AOPA with the grassroots pilot community, and rebuilt constructive relationships across the aviation ecosystem. Many members viewed the past year as one of AOPA’s strongest in a very long time.

It was also clear that AOPA’s employees believed in his leadership. Staff morale, trust, and a sense of shared purpose were visibly improving, reinforcing confidence that AOPA was on the right path.

Against this backdrop, the Board’s decision to terminate Darren Pleasance came as a shock and has created deep concern about the direction of the organization.

We respectfully urge the Board of Trustees to reconsider this decision and reinstate Darren as CEO while that option remains available.

Signed,

AOPA Members United