The Illinois Pilots Association

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Photos from the 2010 Annual Meeting Thank you for visiting the Illinois Pilot's Association. We are a statewide organization of both pilots and non-pilots who are committed to preserving and advancing general aviation in the state of Illinois. The IPA is an affiliate of the United States Pilot Association. Currently the IPA consists of five local chapters, as well as additional "at-large" members. Local Chapters hold regular monthly meetings, monitor aviation interests in the their local area, hold social activities, and sponsor safety seminars.

At the state level, IPA monitors aviation issues across Illinois, including pending legislation. A state IPA Board of Directors meeting is held every other month at various airports around the state. The IPA sponsors a scholarship for an Illinois student pursuing a degree in an aviation-related field. The state IPA also holds an annual convention, and from time to time sponsors safety seminars, and various social activities.

Membership is open to both pilots and non-pilots (if you do not hold a Pilot's Certificate you may join as an associate member.) If you would like to join, look for a chapter in your area. If there is no chapter in your area, we encourage you to consider starting one. The board of directors can assist you. For individuals where chapter affiliation is impossible or impractical, an "at-large" membership option is available.

- What's New at IPA -

IPA Annual Meeting-Urbana, IL

The 2012 IPA Annual Meeting was held Saturday May 12 at Frasca Field just north or Urbana. Thank You to everyone who helped make the event a success. The webmaster would like to post photos of the event. If you have any photos available, please email webmaster@illinoispilots.com. Thank You.

2012 IPA Scholarship Winner Announced

Steven James Kowalski has been selected as the 2012 recipient of the $1000 IPA Scholarship. Steven is a sophomore at Lewis University. Congratulations and Best Wishes to Steven from the Illinois Pilots Association. For information about the IPA scholarship (including application information) visit the IPA scholarship web page.

IPA Safety Competition

The IPA is beginning an annual competition among chapters. More information is available in the this annoucement. The form to submit Safety Activities is available here.

No more Flash Menus!

In order to provide more compatibilty for various browsers, including mobile devices, the Flash menus have been replaced with a simpler button layout. The new menu appears to the left on most pages on the Website.

In another attempt to provide better compatibilty for mobile devices, a new photo gallery has also been implemented. The gallery will display one view for desktop browsers, and a more "smartphone friendly" view if viewed from a mobile device. The Photo Gallery however, is in serious need of content update! If you have any IPA related photos you would like to see posted, please email them to the webmaster. Photos are especially wanted from both the 2011 and 2012 annual meetings. We hope you enjoy these new changes.

A Changing of the Guard

Soon the IPA website will have a new webmaster. John McConnochie is currently getting up to speed on web design and maintenance. While an exact date for the transfer is yet to be determined, once it is complete, expect to see more improvements in the website content and format.

I would like to thank the leadership of the Illinois Pilots Association for trusting me with the upkeep of the web site for the past five years. Unfortunately I have not always had the time that is required to keep the site content up to date. I am sure that situation will improve once John has taken over the reigns. I would like to wish the best to John with this endeavor. And once again Thank You for allowing me to be your webmaster for this time.

-Paul Zerkel