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- March 2, 2021, 9:41 AM
Michael P. Mike Collins, who spent nearly three decades with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) in various senior editorial and management roles, died on February 25 in Frederick, Maryland, from Covid-19. He was 59.
“Mike’s always positive and helpful attitude opened many doors for him and gained him great respect here at AOPA and around the industry,” said AOPA president and CEO Mark Baker. “All of aviation has suffered a loss with his untimely passing.”
Born on Dec. 21, 1961, in Cleveland, Ohio, Collins graduated from Western Kentucky University in 1984 with a degree in photojournalism. He embarked on a career as a newspaper photographer and editor, but then helped launch The Southern Aviator, a regional aviation magazine that was at the time based in North Carolina, according to his obituary information.
AOPA Editor Michael Collins Has Died Of Covid-19
Veteran AOPA publications editor Michael P. Collins died Thursday night from complications of COVID-19, the association said on Friday. Collins had been hospitalized in Maryland for about two weeks after contracting the disease earlier this month. He was 59.
Collins joined AOPA in 1994 as managing editor of AOPA Pilot magazine and oversaw development of Flight Training magazine and the association’s digital product, ePilot. According to AOPA, he most recently held the role of Technical Editor and Director of Business Operations. Prior to joining AOPA, Collins was a co-founder of the regional news magazine The Southern Aviator.