A new study from the Alliance for Aviation Across America breaks down the general aviation industry’s economic impact throughout all 50 states.
The study, “The Impact of General Aviation on State and Local Economies–State Reports,” was published by the alliance, in collaboration with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and NASAO, the National Association of State Aviation Officials.
It summarizes the findings of the alliance’s Economic Impact of General Aviation web resource into a single document to be shared with lawmakers, local officials, and other national opinion leaders.
“We have partnered with these organizations to put our state-by-state economic survey into printed form so that it can continue to be useful for identifying the economic impact of general aviation and local airports to the national economy, and states and local communities around the country,” said Alliance Executive Director Selena Shilad.
General aviation, including business aviation, supports more than 1.2 million jobs across the country and provides a critical lifeline for smaller communities lacking commercial airline service. The Alliance’s online resource provides access to economic impact data for any state and most GA airports in the country, with detailed information about the contributions from every general aviation airport, helipad and seaplane base in each state.
The printed summary of this study is now being distributed to officials on Capitol Hill, as well as to “anyone else with interest in this information,” Shilad said. “We are delighted to have this additional medium to spread the message about aviation’s positive contributions to communities across the country.”
Formed in 2007, the Alliance for Aviation Across America is a non-partisan coalition of more than 6,300 individuals, businesses, and associations primarily from outside the aviation industry, who nevertheless recognize the importance of aviation-related businesses to communities of all sizes, particularly in rural areas.
The executive summary of the report is pretty thin. If it ain’t ag, medevac, or law enforcement the contribution of GA isn’t mentioned. What about commerce? What about disaster preparedness and relief? The picture of GA as an “economic powerhouse” is woefully incomplete. Last summer I spent a couple of months a small NE Washington town where I observed several corporate aircraft come in with execs visiting local businesses. Some aircraft were chartered, others were company aircraft. Wildfires have a major impact on the economies of many communities. Two helicopters and a fire recon fixed wing were continuously based at that airport during the fire season. I flew into Omak, WA several times and saw numerous fixed wing and helicopters. These aircraft provided essential air support and intel fighting the Carlton Complex wildfires… fires that burned many homes and businesses in and near several small communities. The previous spring I observed numerous aircraft, both fixed wing and helicopters, supporting disaster relief after a massive land slide. For weeks after the Katrina disaster in the southeast New Orleans was inaccessible by road. It was GA aircraft under contract to FEMA that ferried supplies and disaster relief personnel throughout the region.