Overview
- AOPA and the AOPA Foundation reported in early July 2026 that 15,000 certificated but inactive pilots have completed Rusty Pilots and returned to flying.
- Rusty Pilots runs three tracks — in-person seminars, live webinars, and a self-paced online course — that update pilots on FAA rules, airspace changes, medical reform, weather tools, preflight planning, and radio procedures.
- All tracks carry FAA WINGS credit and provide either logbook endorsements or completion certificates that pilots can show to a flight instructor to regain legal currency.
- The program is free for AOPA members and open to non-members for $89, a pricing choice the foundation says reduces financial friction for pilots who paused flying for career, family, medical, or cost reasons.
- AOPA frames the milestone as part of a wider pipeline push that includes high school outreach to more than 130,000 students, nearly 300 flying clubs, and over $2 million in annual scholarships to expand access to general aviation.