Aopa Pilot

Aspiring aviators and enthusiasts got to step into airplanes ranging from a single-seat Schempp-Hirth Arcus glider to a hulking de Havilland Canada DHC–2 Beaver on amphibious floats. Ashley Almquist, winner of the AOPA 2026 Sweepstakes Aviat Husky, flew there in the distinctive orange, gray, and white airplane in which she recently earned her tailwheel endorsement.

Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) on September 28 introduced the Modern Skies Act, which would provide $30 billion to fund the second, larger phase of the ongoing air traffic control modernization effort. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy joined Schmitt, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, as well as AOPA and other members of the Modern Skies Coalition at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to announce the bill’s introduction.

The Senate unanimously approved the John A. Hauser Mental Health in Aviation Act and the Aviation Medication Transparency Act on September 24, both of which would bring long overdue reforms to the FAA aeromedical process. The John A. Hauser Mental Health in Aviation Act, introduced by Sens. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), was named in honor of John Hauser, a University of North Dakota aviation student and certificated private pilot who died in a deliberate airplane crash in 2021.

Part of Joby’s monthlong 2026 Electric Skies tour, the eastbound journey departed Buchanan Field in Concord, California, on September 7. It concluded seven days later on September 14, at Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo, North Carolina. It is likely the first civilian autonomous aircraft to cover that distance. The aircraft performed autonomous taxi, takeoff, en route navigation, and landing operations.

The crowd just a few feet below became a blur to the approaching pilots, among them Steven Coutches, competing in a particularly rare Mustang with a name that stood out from the other racers for its simplicity: 43. A P–51H, the last Mustang variant produced, 43 was a little more rare than the other P–51 Mustangs that had converged on Roswell, New Mexico, September 16 through 20, to find out who is fastest in a race like no other.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unanimously approved the Aviation Medication Transparency Act, which was introduced by Reps. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and Pete Stauber (R-Minn.). The bill would require the FAA—for the first time—to publish and regularly update lists of medications that pilots, flight attendants, and air traffic controllers can safely use, and those that they should not use.

Well, not quite. My owner/dad is the pilot, as they haven’t invented yokes, instrument panels, and pedals that work with paws yet. But I’m in the right seat—mostly—every time we take a trip. But first let me introduce myself. My name is Lilou (no connection to the Leeloo from The Fifth Element, by the way), and I’m a gracefuI and lean whippet. I was born and raised in the United Kingdom and I’m almost 6 years old. My dad is French.

I date myself when I tell you that I started my flying career with paper charts. True story: I spent almost two decades using paper charts before one of my instructors dragged me kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century. He counseled me on purchasing a tablet computer and subscribing to ForeFlight, and then helped me make sense of it all with an in-depth crash course.

Mayeur moved to Alaska in 1992 after years of visiting for work. She had been living in Florida and working for UPS when repeated trips north—including weekend layovers—convinced her she wanted to stay. "I really just fell in love with the area and decided if I ever had the opportunity, I was going to move," she said. "And here I am." Today, Mayeur lives on a lake with her husband, who is also a pilot. Their airplanes can sit behind the house on floats in summer and skis in winter.

AOPA members unanimously approved bylaw changes that represent the most significant update to the organization’s governance since its founding. Aircraft owners and pilots vote to ratify new bylaws during a special AOPA membership meeting at the National Aviation Community Center in Frederick, Maryland, Saturday, September 19, 2026. Photo by David Tulis. Jay Wiles Director of Public and Media Relations Director of Public and Media Relations Jay Wiles joined AOPA in 2025.