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Craig L. Fuller, President and CEO, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

Biography provided by participant

Craig Fuller will become the President and CEO of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) on January 1, 2009, becoming only the fourth person to hold this position since AOPA was founded in 1939. He brings to this position a career that includes senior public affairs positions in business, association leadership and executive positions in the Federal government, including eight years of service in the White House from 1981 to 1989.

Fuller has a well-developed sense of the general aviation community having been a pilot for more than 40 years. He learned to fly at Buchanan Field in Concord, Calif., while still in high school and continued to fly while a student at UCLA. Business travel in his early career led to the purchase of a Cessna 172RG Cutlass. Today, he regularly flies more than 200 hours a year in his Beechcraft A36 Bonanza and holds single, multiengine and instrument ratings as well as having been a member of AOPA since 1973.

AOPA membership has grown to more than 400,000. With a staff of more than 200 professionals and operations in two states and the District of Columbia, AOPA provides a wide variety of services to its members worldwide.

Fuller will serve as the Chairman of AOPA's Political Action Committee. His responsibilities at AOPA will also include serving as the Publisher of AOPA Pilot Magazine.

Fuller will draw on his Washington, D.C., experience as Assistant to President Reagan for Cabinet Affairs (1981-85) and Chief of Staff to Vice President Bush (1985-89). His business positions have included service as President or Vice Chairman of leading public affairs firms. His association experience includes service on the US Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and Executive Committee and leading a health care association as President and CEO for more than six years.

Recent Responses

August 31, 2009 08:36 AM

RE: Funding The Aviation Industry's Conversion To NextGen

Just to get our discussion going, let me lead off by offering a broader perspective than just how to fund certain technologies. First, we agree that our next generation air traffic control system needs to continue to evolve into a satellite based system. Of course, progress has already been made in the sense that there are more GPS approaches today (satellite based) than there are instrument landing systems (ground based). Furthermore, there are tremendous opportunities still out there to modernize the system with more GPS and WAAS enabled approaches to airports across the nation. This increases the utilization of…  Read more

March 9, 2009 07:44 AM

RE: What Are You Looking For In Obama's Budget?

I have seen a good many trial balloons from administrations, but even I was surprised to see the Obama administration wade into the very dicey aviation user fee debate via a footnote in their budget documents. That's all it was, but it suggested in 2011 there would be user charges amounting to over $7 billion a year assessed on the aviation community. Seems like this initiative may have been launched at OMB. They are understandably in search of revenue. But, someone forget to mention to Congressional leaders just what was intended and even the Department of Transportation asked for time…  Read more

December 28, 2008 11:17 AM

RE: What Are Ray LaHood's Biggest Challenges?

Secretary of Transportation Designate, Congressman Ray LaHood brings unique and vital experience to the department at a time when resolution of  national and international transportation issues has become critically important. It is my hope that the new Secretary of Transportation, drawing upon his considerable experience, will chart a course early that yields critical results over a four year period.  We need a strategic vision to guide the approach to regulations, financing and legislation.  It has been my sense that groups involved in aviation policy find far more upon on which to agree than disagree.  And, I truly believe all groups…  Read more

December 10, 2008 10:19 PM

RE: How Should The Infrastructure Stimulus Be Spent?

  AVIATION GROUPS SEND IMPORTANT JOINT MESSAGE This week, some of us have discussed in this space the need to give serious consideration to investment in the aviation infrastructure as part of any economic stimulus package. Now, twelve aviation groups have joined together to share this perspective with leaders in Congress. In a letter just sent to Capitol Hill, the groups suggest that if Congress were to include the aviation sector in its economic stimulus packages, more than 40,000 high-paying jobs would be created, aviation safety would be improved, and there would be positive effects for the environment, according to a…  Read more

December 8, 2008 10:28 PM

RE: How Should The Infrastructure Stimulus Be Spent?

There is no question that America’s infrastructure needs serious attention. There is also much to be gained by dedicating portions of a stimulus package to infrastructure investments. It is my hope that some of the resources dedicated to the infrastructure stimulus package will be directed towards meeting significant aviation needs. There are many projects approved and ready for investment at the more than 5,000 public use airports throughout the country. Commercial airlines utilize about 600 of these airports while general aviation provides services to virtually all public airports. Enhancing the capabilities of our nation’s airports would not only create thousands…  Read more
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Latest response: Robert GreensteinNovember 20, 2009 3:38 pm