AOPA President Mark Baker Joins Seaplane Pilots Board
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Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association President Mark R. Baker is joining the Board of Directors of the Seaplane Pilots Association. Baker, a longtime general aviation pilot and only the fifth president in the 75-year history of AOPA, is an active seaplane pilot and owner.
“Mark Baker will be a great asset to the board,” commented Seaplane Pilots Association (SPA) Executive Director Steve McCaughey. “We look to Mark to provide his informed perspective as head of the world’s largest civil aviation organization, and as an experienced and enthusiastic seaplane pilot and owner, to help us continue to grow our mission effectiveness.”
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to support the water flying community as a member of the SPA Board,” said Baker. “Some of my very favorite flying experiences have taken place on floats, and I want others to have the same opportunity to enjoy access to both our public waterways and our skies.”
A native Minnesotan, Baker earned his pilot certificate in his twenties and has logged more than 7,500 hours of flight time in aircraft ranging from light seaplanes to turbines and helicopters. Having owned and restored numerous aircraft through the years, his current favorite is a Piper Super Cub, equipped with floats, skis, or wheels depending on the season.
An enthusiastic advocate for general aviation, weekends find Baker enjoying the company of his fellow pilots at airports and seaplane bases around the country. Baker believes strongly in making general aviation accessible to more people and has welcomed numerous friends and family members, including his father, son, and two sons-in-law, into the pilot community.
Baker joins Chairman Phil Lockwood, President Stephen Williams, Vice President Lyle Panepinto, Treasure Gordon B. Richardson, Secretary John Touchett and members J.J. Frey, Bruce Hinds, and Walter Windus on the SPA board.
SPA was founded in 1972 to represent the interests of seaplane pilots and owners, advocate for open access for seaplanes to public navigable waters, and promote seaplane flying to the general aviation pilot community and the public at large.
The SPA Foundation (seaplanefoundation.org) was founded to provide seaplane safety education and scholarship programs.