report to supporters, donors and AOPA members - Aircraft Owners ...

THE 2006 SAFETY AND PHILANTHROPY REPORT
DONOR SOCIETIES: THE AOPA AIR SAFETY ENDOWMENT FUND
NED & SANDY BENNETT, PLATINUM-LEVEL MEMBERS
Ned Bennett remembers well
the person who “called my
bluff” about major support
for the AOPA Air Safety
Foundation. It was the man in
the mirror.
“Aviation has given me so
much,” says Ned, the Cofounder
and Chief Operating
Officer of the online options
and stock brokerage
OptionsXpress Holdings, Inc.
“As I was building my business
I thought that I would
give something back. One day
I called my bluff—if this was
what I was going to do, then I
really had to do it.”
Ned and his wife, contemporary artist and Santa Fe
gallery owner Sandy Zane, provided a sizeable sixfigure
donation to the AOPA Air Safety Foundation
Endowment Fund. The money is funding much of the
costs of the Pilot Safety Series—distributing safety
DVDs to all new private and instrument rated pilots.
The donation also will be driving initiatives including
research and program development for aging pilots.
“It’s important to understand aging and flying, how
we can keep our minds active, and even knowing
when it’s time to quit flying,” says Ned, now 64 years
old. He is an active pilot for 40 years with more than
3,400 hours.
Ned and his wife are in fact both pilots and have used
general aviation aircraft for business and personal
travel over the years. He now flies a Mooney for
shorter trips, an L-3 Defender “for fun,” and a
King Air 200 for longer hauls with a professional
pilot in the right seat.
“I think that any pilot should look at what flying has
meant to them and find a vehicle to give something
back. Helping new pilots get started and safety education
are two things that are so important for us to
invest in. The return will be a healthy and safe future
for GA.”
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