AIPlayer, datablock, subclass question

I'm trying to create NPC type objects. Here is how I (partially) implemented it.

datablock PlayerData(NPC : PlayerShape)
{
	category = "NPC";
	cmdCategory = "NPCs";
	name = "Joe";
	pushable = true;
};

function NPC::create()
{   
	echo("newing AIPlayer for NPC");
	%obj= new AIPlayer()
	{      
		datablock= NPC;
	};      
	echo("NPC created");
	%obj.dump();
	return %obj;
}

function NPC::onAdd(%this, %obj)
{
	echo("NPC added");
}

function NPC::onCollision(%this, %obj, %col, %pos)
{
	// %obj - instance of object that got hit
	// %col - object collision occured with
	// %pos - locaiton of collision (x y z)
	echo("obj is " @ %obj.name);
	echo("this is " @ %this.name);
	echo("col is " @ %col.name);
	if (%col.name $= "Hank")
	{
		echo ("Hi Hank!");
		echo (%col.getPosition());
	}
	%this.setAimObject(%col);
}

What I wanted to happen was have the NPC face the player when the player bumped into it. But the console says this:

tutorial.base/server/NPC.cs (45): Unknown command setAimObject.
  Object NPC(52) NPC -> PlayerData -> ShapeBaseData -> GameBaseData -> SimDataBlock -> SimObject

My question is how can I convince the NPC to call methods of AIPlayer? I thought that since I "new'd" an AIPlayer, that would do it.

(I'm using the tutorial.base tree and have brought over aiPlayer.cs.)

Edit:
If I do a

%obj.dump()

in NPC::create, the setAimObject method is listed.
When I do a

%this.dump()

in NPC::onCollision(...) the setAimObject method is not listed.