This year I renewed my ForeFlight subscription, as I do every January. However, this time I got a big discount! All I had to do was prove to them that I have a membership with the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI).

I maintain a number of professional memberships as a way to stay involved in the aviation industry. The real value of professional memberships is the representation on a larger scale. An organization representing thousands of individuals has a much louder voice than us as individuals. But, professional memberships often carry a number of other, “soft” benefits too…

I’ve been a NAFI member for many years, but I never remembered to tell ForeFlight while renewing my subscription. It’s important to check for discounts before making payments. ForeFlight offers a discount to NAFI members, which makes sense. If flight instructors tell their students about ForeFlight, it’s likely the students will follow suit with their instructor.

Often times memberships will come with “soft” benefits like discounts on merchandise and often times discounts on event entry. For instance, when I visited the Sebring Sport Aviation event during January, the admission was $20.00, thanks to my AOPA membership I received a $2.00 discount. The same was true for the DeLand Sport Aviation Showcase. I was able to get a similar, though more significant discount to Sun ‘n Fun thanks to my Seaplane Pilots Association discount too. You never know which membership will entitle you to a deal. I’ve found the following to be very valuable:

AOPA – Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association

EAA – Experimental Aircraft Association

NAFI – National Association of Flight Instructors

SPA – Seaplane Pilots Association

Remember, always check before you pay, a few bucks here and a few bucks there can add up to a new headset (or something else) rather quickly!

-Fly Safe, @MTElia1B9