General aviation interests in Colorado have a new advocacy group: The Colorado General Aviation Alliance (CGAA).
“For the most part, what benefits one, benefits all,” said Iver Retrum, who represents the Colorado Aviation Business Association (CABA) as treasurer on the CGAA board, and who was the driving force behind forming the new organization, according to a report at NBAA.org.
Retrum noted that the alliance is comprised of delegates from the various state aviation groups so it can speak with a unified voice on issues of importance to all of them.
“We hope to foster a collaborative and cooperative relationship among CGAA members,” said Retrum.
CGAA will be focused on promoting GA within the state, as well as educating the public about the use, benefits and importance of general aviation to Colorado residents. CGAA also hopes to bring the issues and concerns of general aviation to the attention of government and airport authorities, and to promote better relations with regulatory and other agencies.
One of the first issues the group will tackle is getting legislation enacted that would require the marking, lighting, and in some cases, reporting of meteorological evaluation towers (MET), a particular concern to aviation operations in the Northwest Mountain region.
Some of the other Colorado groups that have joined the alliance include the Colorado Pilots Association, the Colorado Aviation Historical Society and the Colorado Airport Operators Association, as well as Metropolitan State University of Denver and the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum.