The Maryland Airport Managers Association (MAMA), and Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) have partnered to launch “Explore Maryland by Air”— a program designed to give pilots incentives to fly to all of the state’s public use airports. The scheduled launch date is May 14 at Easton Airport (ESN) during the 16th Annual Maryland Regional Aviation Conference and Festival of Flight.
Participants will receive a “passport” with space for a corresponding stamp from each public use airport in Maryland, four FAAST safety seminars and four of Maryland’s aviation history museums. As participants complete each level, they will win prizes.
ACE LEVEL: Visit all 36 Public Use Airports in Maryland; Visit All Aviation Museums in Maryland; Attend 4 FAAST Safety seminars; and Attend the MD Regional Aviation Conference to redeem the prize, which is a flight jacket.
ALBATROSS LEVEL: Visit 20 Public Use Airports in Maryland; Visit 2 Aviation Museums in Maryland; Attend 2 FAAST Safety seminars. Participants achieving this level receive a set of glassware.
FLEDGLING LEVEL: Visit 10 Public Use Airports in Maryland; Visit 1 Aviation Museum in Maryland; Attend 1 FAAST Safety seminar. Participants achieving this level receive a baseball cap.
Aviation museum in Maryland include: College Park Aviation Museum; Massey Air Museum; Glenn L. Martin Aviation Museum at Martin State Airport; and Patuxent River Naval Air Station Museum.
There is no deadline for completing the passport or various levels to obtain a prize. Top prizes will be awarded at the annual statewide conference.
The program is open to pilots, as well as non-pilots. Participants are not required to be Maryland residents. All participants must have an official passport. Visit your local airport to get a passport and register or request one online at ExploreMarylandbyAir.com
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… umm, sure: we can begin with free and unfettered access to Hyde, Potomac, and College Park.
Listen: Frederick notwithstanding, the Northeast Corridor is a General Aviation “dead zone”, of which Maryland is the epicenter of the “kill GA” conspiracy.
… from the statistically dead Suburban Airport, to the ridiculous $11 transient landing fee at Martin State, to the closing of Baltimore Airpark (yeah, I’m still pissed off), to the “Big Brotherizing” effect of the SFRA, to the “Dick Cheyney-izing” of Easton with its totally unnecessary control tower, to giving GA the “bum’s rush” at BWI’s “GA” side … to chunks of unusable restricted airspace at Aberdeen, Patuxent, Camp David …
… and on, and on …
Maryland is simply not serious about taking to the skies … in fact, history demonstrates their modus-operandi is to always agree with the fear-mongering, “can’t we do something to get rid of those little airplanes” side.
So, any campaign to “showcase” Maryland aviation, is pure balderdash.
Statstically speaking, of course.