OPA holds monthly dinner meetings the first Thursday of every month (with some exceptions; check our Calendar on this site) at the C.E. Page Building at Wiley Post Airport in Oklahoma City (see map at left). Distinguished guest speakers present educational and safety related programs at the monthly dinner meetings. Visitors are welcome!
Dinner is $13 per person and payable by cash or check at the door. Social gathering starts at 6:30pm; dinner is served at 7:00pm; presentation usually starts around 7:30pm. Dinner is not required.
Please email Roger Walton (below) with reservations. Indicate if dinner is desired.
OPA hosts monthly FlyAways to interesting destinations for lunch or dinner and other activities. We like to fly, and we like to eat!
Our meals catered by:
For RESERVATIONS and more information regarding monthly meetings contact:
Roger Walton
dinner@opa.link Preferred (expect an auto reply),
OR
(405) 219-5149 (Please leave a message)
JULY DINNER MEETING
Thursday - July 6th
Speaker: Director of OU Aviation Department: Ken Carson
Social 6:30 pm; Dinner 7:00 pm
Ken is Director of the University of Oklahoma Department of Aviation as such he is responsible for overseeing the planning, programing, budgeting and execution of the Universities Bachelor of Science degree in aviation concentrations to include professional pilot, aviation management and air traffic management/control to include a flight program which flies nearly 10,000 flight hours per year flying approximately 70 to 80 sortie class day with the department's 24 manned aircraft and 5 sUAS aircraft. Ken completed his undergraduate degree and received his air force commission through ROTC at the University of Oklahoma in 1981. While at OU he was selected to do undergraduate research with the National Severe Storms Lab (NSSL) doppler radar development project for three years with the storm intercept crews and his senior year worked as an intern with the FAA, NSSL, NASA, OU on project Roughrider research (NASA F-106 severe thunderstorm penetration research). After USAF pilot training he commanded peacetime, wartime and special operations missions for 23 years in the USAF in the WC-130 (weather and atmospheric reconnaissance) and C-5 (global heavy airlift). During these assignments Ken flew nearly 5,000 hours throughout the world while serving as an aircraft commander, instructor and flight examiner. He flew into 47 full hurricanes/typhoons and flew in the historic airlifts of Desert Shield/Storm and post 9/11. Ken served and led in varied squadron management and key leadership positions to include chief of stan/eval, squadron ops director and squadron and group commander and airlift wing ops director post 9-11. Ken also served in a multitude of staff and leadership positions at the operational wing and headquarters to include Air Mobility Command, US Transportation Command and Dept of the Air Force air staff at the pentagon.
During his tenure as director the OU department Ken has placed an increased emphasis on safety, incorporating sUAS (drone) operations into university research, and expanding K-12 STEM outreach efforts within the community and Oklahoma. Over the last decade the Department's Sooner Flight Academy K-12 STEM outreach program has gone from hosting on average 150 children per summer to now nearly 400 and conducts one day school assembly or field trip outreach in the region from about 300 children to now over 10,000 children annually. The University Aviation Association and Aviation Accreditation Board International have recognized OU aviation's K-12 STEM outreach as one of the best use of aviation assets for STEM outreach in the nation. The goal to expand outreach led to the establishment of the annual airport open house and family festival ten years ago at the OU airport and it was a natural extension of the outreach mission to offer to host a future AOPA Regional Fly-In to support aviation for the state of Oklahoma for AOPA.
Ken has served as a national board member of the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI) and serves on the accreditation, safety, and professionalism committee. He also provides input to the adhoc committee on national pilot production. Ken also serves as an FAA FAST Safety Team Representative where he has presents on weather, CRM and sUAS operations.
Ken serves as an FAA Airmen Certification Representative (ACR) for the OU flight program and holds commercial MEL/SEL with instrument rating and AGI. He has instructed extensively in the fields of aviation operational risk management, crew resource management, aviation safety, organizational total quality management (TQM), and global and regional logistics / supply chain transportation management.
Ken holds an MBA in Aviation from Embry-Riddle and a master of strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College. He possess extensive professional military education and was certified as a joint (air, land, sea) staff officer and joint logistics transportation planner. Ken enjoys teaching, aviation and is an avid golfer. He volunteers a great amount of his weekends towards assisting in organizing and running junior golf tournaments for the Oklahoma Golf Association and USGA. He is a life member of the Air Force Association; Association of US Army War College Graduates; United States Golf Association; The Order of Daedalians (Order of military pilots); Airlift / Tanker Association; and National Defense Transportation Association. He is also a long time member of AOPA, OPA, NBAA and University Aviation Association.
As an AOPA and OPA member Ken serves on the AOPA host committee for the upcoming AOPA Regional Fly-In on Fri, Sat Sept 8 & 9 (yes OU is away at Ohio State at 6:30 PM; and OSU is away). His topic will be engaging aviation and the highlights of the upcoming AOPA Regional Fly-In for Oklahoma and how anyone can help!
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