Angel Flight East: Hope In Flight

 

Check out this new video from Angel Flight East about their mission and the work that they do. After 20 years, they have certainly had a deep impact on many lives.

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General Aviation News Profiles the Alliance

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Although many in Washington have the mistaken idea that everything of importance takes place here, that is far from the case. More and more in recent years, general aviation interests are recognizing that although much affecting flight is based on actions — or lack of actions — by Congress and the FAA, public opinion and local issues are just as important.

Six years ago GA groups recognized the importance of this and established the Alliance for Aviation Across America.

Through its efforts, 48 of the 50 states have issued proclamations about general aviation and its importance to the local economy, as well as the importance of general aviation airports to everything from emergency medical flights to cargo delivery to search and rescue operations. Only California and Oregon are still to be heard from. In addition, many communities and cities within those states have issued GA proclamations, bringing the total number to 62.

Started by groups like the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO), Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and others, the Alliance has grown to include many more groups. In the past few years, 70% of the new members have been non-aviation organizations, including local governments and businesses that recognize what GA does.

The Alliance now has 6,033 members. Individuals, governments, organizations may join.

The following organizations are members of the board of directors: NBAA, AOPA, NASAO, the Air Care Alliance, the League of Rural Voters, the National Air Transportation Association, the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, the National Farmers Union, and the Helicopter Association International.

There are six employees in the Washington office, including Executive Director Selena Shilad. Her work includes visits to various communities, meetings with local officials, speeches to various groups, and generally bringing the story of the significance of general aviation to economies at all levels, as well as its values for business and pleasure travel.

For many years, some believed general aviation was small and could not buck the more powerful airline industry. In fact, about a half century ago when a few mid-air collisions between general aviation aircraft and air carriers brought general aviation into a more public position, the role of GA was not understood by much of the public and government officials. This made the work of general aviation organizations much more difficult.

The airlines, manufacturers of air carrier aircraft, and managers of large airports had the mass media on their sides. At this time a major motion picture was made involving as a major theme the collision between an airliner and a GA airplane. The original script called for to collision to be caused by a drunken pilot in the GA airplane. This was changed to be caused by the lone pilot suffering a major medical attack. (On a personal basis, I met with the producers of the movie and for years proudly thought I had influenced the change. Not until years later did I learn that I had nothing to do with it. A friend at the FAA told the producers the agency would not cooperate unless the change was made.)

Efforts to get general aviation more broadly known are paying off. They have brought about caucuses in both the Senate and House, the Alliance for Aviation Across America, some state and local governments getting involved, and GA’s alphabet groups. But it is only the beginning; much more work needs to be done.

Abraham Lincoln said it well: “Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment nothing can fail; without public sentiment, nothing can succeed.”

http://www.generalaviationnews.com/2013/04/allies-in-the-fight-for-ga/

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Angel Flight NE & Mercy Medical Airlift Join Forces to Assist Boston Marathon Victims and Family Members

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. and VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., April 18, 2013 — Free air and ground transportation available to victims requiring access to specialized care and family members who need to travel to support loved ones by 877-621-7177

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. and VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., April 18, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Boston-based Angel Flight NE & Mercy Medical Airlift (MMA), both non-profit organizations that provide access to specialized medical care for patients in need and compassionate air transportation to family members, today announced they have joined forces to provide free air and ground transportation for those injured in the Boston Marathon explosions and the same for their families to be with them in their time of need.

“We are truly saddened by the tragedy that took place earlier this week in our home town of Boston. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, families and first responders who have endured so much,” said Larry Camerlin, President and Founder of Angel Flight NE. “Angel Flight NE is here to assist those in need during this difficult time. We will do whatever it takes to ensure that these patients get access to the medical care they need and families members can join them for support.”

“All of us at Mercy Medical Airlift are deeply saddened by the tragedy in Boston,” said Ed Boyer, president and CEO of MMA.  “Our prayers and condolences go out to all those affected. None of the injured, nor their family members, should have to worry about paying for travel costs to receive the care and support they need to heal. We want them to know that Mercy Medical is here to help with free air and ground transportation.”

Patients and family members who need assistance can call 877-621-7177 to request these free services.

Mercy Medical Airlift provides free transportation services for a wide variety of patients in need of access to specialized medical care. Partnering with Delta, United, Southwest, US Airways and American Airlines, MMA assists patients of all ages and medical conditions across the nation. In addition to providing mercy flights, the organization also provides free Angel Bus ground transportation.

On April 18, 2013, Mercy Medical Airlift will celebrate its 100,000th mission at its Annual Dinner to be held at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va. In 2012 alone, MMA provided services to more than 24,430 clients with an estimated public benefit of $6.8 million.

About Angel Flight of New England: Angel Flight of New England, Inc. (d/b/a Angel Flight Northeast) was founded in 1996 to provide free flights to children and adults in need of critical medical care who do not have the resources to access other means of transportation.  Approximately 40 percent of AFNE’s patients are children suffering from life-threatening cancer, severe burns or crippling diseases.  AFNE flies patients for as long and as often as they need to travel, with no limit on the number of flights provided.  AFNE also transports free of charge blood and organs for patients awaiting organ transplants.

About Mercy Medical Airlift: Mercy Medical Airlift provides services for a wide variety of patients in need of access to specialized medical care, offering free air or ground transportation to patients and their families. Founded in 1972, Mercy Medical Airlift is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a top 4-Star Charity Navigator rating, which includes financial management, accountability and transparency. Ninety-seven percent of donated resources are used for program operations by the organization.

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Nixon Proclaims April “General Aviation Appreciation Month”

By: Ed Button

(Washington) – Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has declared the month of April as “General Aviation Appreciation Month”, which he hopes will bring attention to the impact of aviation across the state of Missouri.

Selena Shilad is the Executive Director of the Alliance for Aviation Across America. She spoke with Ozark Radio News and talked about the proclamation.

She said that across the state of Missouri, general aviation contributes over $2 billion in economic funding and over 16,000 jobs.

More information on the impact of local airports on the economy of south-central Missouri and north-central Arkansas can be found at www.aviationacrossamerica.com.

http://ozarkareanetwork.com/localnews/?p=15895

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Alliance Responds to Huffington Post Article

A recent Huffington Post article, Obama Hits Wealthy On The Runway With Air Traffic Control Tower Cuts, unfortunately completely clouded an issue that is extremely important to many of our country’s rural communities.

The truth is that most of the businesses that use these smaller airports are small- to mid-sized businesses that transport engineers and parts to minimize time lost when a machine breaks, reach far-off markets and customers, and reach multiple meeting locations in one day. These airports and aircraft are used in many specialized applications by a number of industries, such as applying agricultural protection products to crop, servicing power lines from the air or surveying pipelines for damage, for example. All told, the general aviation industry contributes $150 billion to the economy every year and supports more than 1.2 million jobs.

Perhaps instead of purely relying on the insights of political “operatives” who spend their days with the “super wealthy,” your authors should have talked to the Mayors of any one of thousands of communities around our country who rely upon these airports to support everything from law enforcement, emergency medical services, search and rescue, firefighting, port and border security, and natural disaster recovery.

Frankly, the report was downright insulting to the operators, business owners and pilots who donate their time and aircraft to transport organs, blood and patients to and from rural communities, the flight schools that use these airports to train our country’s next generation of pilots, and families whose livelihood depends on the jobs at these local airports.

Hopefully next time, the authors will reach out to someone who actually works or lives in a community affected by these cuts.

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Yuba City Mayor Declares March ‘General Aviation Appreciation Month’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 26, 2012
Contacts:
Devin Osting (AAAA): (202) 223-9523

Yuba City Mayor Declares March ‘General Aviation Appreciation Month’

     Washington, DC – Today, the Alliance for Aviation Across America announced that Yuba City Mayor John Buckland recently declared March “General Aviation Appreciation Month.” The proclamation highlights the vital role that general aviation has in supporting businesses, farms, emergency response, and the overall economy. In California, the general aviation industry contributes an estimated $18.2 billion into the economy every year and the aviation system supports 1.7 million jobs in the state.

“We thank Mayor Buckland for his initiative in acknowledging this important sector of the economy,” said Selena Shilad, Executive Director of the Alliance for Aviation Across America. “General aviation and local airports like Sutter County Airport and Yuba County Airport help to support local commerce and economic growth in their communities, provide jobs, and play a vital public safety function, helping emergency medical services, law enforcement, firefighting, search and rescue, and a host of other important services. We look forward to working with the Mayor on this and other important issues related to local airports and general aviation.”

To view the proclamation, click here.

 

Formed in 2007, the Alliance for Aviation Across America is a non-profit, non-partisan coalition of over 6,000 individuals representing businesses, agricultural groups, FBO’s, small airports, elected officials, charitable organizations, and leading business and aviation groups that support the interest of the general aviation community across various public policy issues.

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National Aviation Organizations Applaud New Hampshire Governor for Declaring March 2013 ‘General Aviation Appreciation Month’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 21, 2013

Contacts:
Devin Osting (AAAA): (202) 223-9523
Dan Hubbard (NBAA): (202) 783-9360
Steve Hedges (AOPA): (301) 695-2159
Chris Dancy (HAI): (703) 683-4646
Jim Coon (NATA): (703) 845-9000
Bridgette Bailey (NASAO): (703) 417-1883

 

National Aviation Organizations Applaud New Hampshire Governor for Declaring March 2013 ‘General Aviation Appreciation Month’

      Washington D.C. – Today, national aviation organizations applauded New Hampshire Governor Margaret Hassan for declaring March 2013 “General Aviation Appreciation Month.”

“The Governor’s proclamation is a significant step in supporting and recognizing the continued importance of general aviation and its benefits to New Hampshire communities. Across the country, general aviation supports 1.2 million jobs and has an annual economic impact of $150 billion,” said Selena Shilad, Executive Director of the Alliance for Aviation Across America. “We thank Governor Hassan and for her work in recognizing the significant and growing importance of the general aviation industry in the state of New Hampshire.”

“In New Hampshire, general aviation and community airports represent a critical local asset, particularly in rural areas. The provide access to important services including medical care, commerce and tourism, among others,” stated Craig Fuller, President and CEO of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). “We thank Governor Hassan for her recognition of the value of general aviation and local airports.”

Ed Bolen, President and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) stated, “Business aviation in New Hampshire helps to support commerce, local businesses and economic development. The industry in the state supports more than 8,000 jobs and accounts for $639 million in economic activity each year, and we look forward to working with the Governor to raise awareness about the critical importance of business aviation to the local and national economy.”

“General aviation in New Hampshire represents an important transportation network that facilitates commerce, connectivity and resource distribution, and helps to connect it with other regions,” said Henry Ogrodzinski, President of the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO). “We thank Governor Hassan and Patrick Herlihy, Director of Aeronautics, Rail and Transit, for supporting general aviation at a state and local level and giving this form of transportation the recognition it deserves.”

Tom Hendricks, President and CEO of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), commented, “Governor Hassan’s proclamation raises awareness of general aviation’s contributions to the success of local businesses, airports and communities across New Hampshire. NATA and its 21 member companies in New Hampshire applaud the Governor’s actions in recognizing general aviation as a vital resource to the state’s competitiveness and growth.

Matthew Zuccaro, President of the Helicopter Association International (HAI) contributed, “General Aviation and helicopters are critically important for medical emergencies, natural disaster relief and business, both in New Hampshire and across the country. This proclamation highlights the critical importance of helicopters and aviation and highlights the value of these resources.”

To view the proclamation, click here.

Formed in 2007, the Alliance for Aviation Across America is a non-profit, non-partisan coalition of over 6,000 individuals representing businesses, agricultural groups, FBO’s, small airports, elected officials, charitable organizations, and leading business and aviation groups that support the interest of the general aviation community across various public policy issues.

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INSIGHT-In Heartland, Obama’s Move Against Jet Loophole Hits Turbulence

By Andy Sullivan

* Kansas Democrats, Republicans see a threat to jobs

* Private-jet industry accounts for 1 in 10 jobs in region

* Conflict shows complexities of Obama call for tax fairness

WICHITA, Kansas, March 20 (Reuters) – First came the recession, throwing thousands out of work. Then came the drought, choking crops and draining reservoirs. Then came the president, arguing that the private-plane buyers who fuel this city’s economy benefit from an unfair tax break.

President Barack Obama’s proposal to reduce that tax break has won wide support among Democrats who see it as an example of how the U.S. tax code is too generous to the wealthy.

But what looks like a loophole in Washington appears much different in this prairie city of 400,000, where leaders of all political stripes worry that Obama’s rhetoric is already undermining an industry that accounts for 1 in 10 jobs in the region.

“I’m certainly disappointed that he would do something of this nature,” said Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer, a Democrat who displays Obama’s portrait on his office wall. “As long as you’re doing something to threaten my aviation industry … I’ll continue to speak out against it.”

Brewer’s vow could serve as an early warning for Obama and lawmakers in Congress as they try to streamline the U.S. tax code in order to lower rates or narrow trillion-dollar deficits.

The idea of eliminating perks in the nation’s tax laws may sound appealing in the abstract. But many changes – particularly to provisions that have helped to create jobs – are likely to spur bipartisan blowback from places like Wichita that are still struggling to emerge from the country’s deepest recession in 80 years.

In Wichita, a city that bills itself as the “Air Capital of the World,” business and labor leaders are questioning why a president who bailed out Detroit’s auto industry seems less concerned about the impact his words might have on another manufacturing industry that employs 1.2 million people and exported $4.8 billion worth of aircraft last year.

“It’s so frustrating,” said Republican Representative Mike Pompeo, who represents the region in Congress. “All the aviation manufacturers want is for him to stop talking down their industry. Don’t write them a check, don’t give them a tax credit, don’t hand them a subsidy. Stop bashing them.”

The International Association of Machinists, a labor union with close ties to Obama’s Democrats, has warned that Obama’s push to raise taxes on private-plane buyers could undermine his efforts to boost the economy.

Obama’s allies say that it is only fair to ask affluent private-plane buyers to pay a bit more in taxes at a time when social programs that help the poor are facing sharp cutbacks.

“These things don’t exist in a vacuum, and you have to balance the benefits with the costs,” said Michael Linden, director of tax and budget policy at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank. “Why should (jet tax breaks) be prioritized over, say, nutrition assistance to low-income families and pregnant women?”

A HOME-GROWN INDUSTRY

Aviation has been a central part of Wichita’s economy since the first commercially built aircraft in the United States were produced here in the 1920s.

Home-grown companies such as Cessna, Beechcraft and Learjet spurred development of the private-aircraft market after World War II. Alongside large-plane makers such as Boeing, they anchor a local network of more than 200 machine shops and other parts suppliers.

Wichita now has the highest concentration of aerospace manufacturing jobs in the United States, according to Wichita State University economics professor Jeremy Hill.

Those jobs pay well: The industry’s average annual wage of $74,000 is nearly twice the regional average.

The city produces nearly half of all private aircraft worldwide. According to the nonpartisan Brookings Institution, exports account for nearly 20 percent of Wichita’s gross metropolitan product, making it the most export-intensive city in the United States. Brewer and other civic leaders hope to boost exports further in coming years as China loosens its airspace restrictions and allows the country’s newly minted billionaires to fly in style.

Private-aircraft sales have always risen and fallen along with the economy, but the 2008 recession proved especially severe.

Sales fell by 29 percent from 2008 to 2011, and the lower end of the market was hit especially hard as small-business buyers were unable to get bank loans, said aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia.

In Wichita, Hawker Beechcraft filed for bankruptcy and Textron Inc unit Cessna laid off 12,000 workers, two-thirds of its local workforce. The unemployment rate climbed to 10.6 percent in July 2009 from 3.5 percent in October 2007.

A SYMBOL OF EXCESS

Meanwhile, Wichita’s main product was taking on unwelcome political baggage.

After auto executives were widely criticized for flying their corporate planes to Washington to ask for a bailout in 2008, the business jet came to symbolize corporate excess.

As the recession hammered Washington’s balance sheet, Republicans pressed for deep spending cuts to narrow budget deficits that amounted to more than $1 trillion annually. Democrats countered with a proposal to raise revenue by eliminating some of the subsidies and breaks in the tax code that collectively deprive the government of more than $1 trillion in tax revenue each year.

One item on their list: reducing the tax benefits given to those who buy planes for business uses.

Obama has framed the choice in the starkest possible terms.

“Are Republicans in Congress really willing to let these cuts fall on our kids’ schools and mental healthcare just to protect tax loopholes for corporate jet owners?” he asked in a radio address on Feb. 23.

Such rhetoric initially caught industry officials by surprise.

“The first time we heard ‘corporate jet loophole’ we couldn’t figure out what they were talking about,” said Ed Bolen, who heads the National Business Aviation Association.

The U.S. tax code treats private aircraft as it does bulldozers, computers and other business equipment: Companies that buy them are allowed to deduct the cost from their tax bill over five years. The deduction applies only to planes used for business purposes.

The depreciation schedule has been in place for decades. It is supposed to reflect how long a product will be useful to a business. But private planes and factory machinery can be used for decades, while computers and mobile phones can become obsolete before the five-year depreciation period expires.

Obama and his Democrats say the depreciation schedule for corporate jets should be stretched out to seven years, to treat private-aircraft purchases like commercial airliner purchases.

That would effectively raise the cost of buying a private plane because customers would be able to deduct just 14.29 percent of the price from their tax bill in the year of purchase, rather than the 20 percent that current law allows.

The change would generate an additional $300 million in tax revenue each year, about as much as the U.S. government spends in 45 minutes.

Republicans are eyeing an overhaul of the tax code as well to try to lower corporate and personal income tax rates. That could lead to a longer depreciation period for business-plane buyers, but industry officials and advocates said they wouldn’t necessarily object as long as their sector were not singled out.

“They’re perfectly prepared to be part of a solution for corporate tax reform,” said Pompeo, who ran an aerospace parts supplier before his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010.

WOULDN’T HELP, BUT MIGHT NOT HURT

Analysts say the business-plane industry probably wouldn’t see much change if Congress stretched the five-year depreciation schedule to seven years, because taxes are only one factor that businesses consider in buying planes. The change also wouldn’t apply to the 60 percent of sales that are made abroad.

“It can help, but it certainly doesn’t make or break the industry,” said aviation consultant Brian Foley.

Others say that Obama already has hurt the industry even though his tax proposal hasn’t advanced in Congress.

As he strolls through the repair bays and passenger lounges at Yingling Aviation, a truck stop of sorts for private planes next to Wichita’s Mid-Continent Airport, owner Lynn Nichols says Obama’s rhetoric has led some of his customers to park their jets to avoid stigma.

Decisions like that translate into less maintenance work for Yingling, fewer plane sales for manufacturers and lower sales at area grocery stores, he said.

“I think Obama’s been able to demonstrate to everybody he’s a pretty good politician, but I just wish he’d be more mindful of the hurt that he creates,” Nichols said.

While Obama has argued that business-plane buyers should pay more taxes, he has backed other tax breaks that could help the industry.

He has extended a temporary recession-fighting measure four times that would allow businesses to write off 50 percent of the cost of new capital purchases in the first year – a much more dramatic break than would otherwise be granted under the tax code. Plane manufacturers say they see an uptick in sales toward the end of every year as customers decide that the enhanced tax break provides enough incentive to make a purchase.

Obama also has proposed additional tax breaks for domestic manufacturers, though that measure has not become law.

The president’s overall message is “a bit schizophrenic, isn’t it?” said Brad Thress, Cessna’s senior vice president of business jets.

Obama allies say the tax breaks favored by the president make more sense because they seek to boost economic activity as a whole.

The five-year depreciation schedule, by contrast, amounts to a special break for private-plane buyers who can afford to pay a bit more to help reduce the deficit, they say.

“If you can afford to buy a private jet, you can afford to depreciate it over seven years,” Linden said. “Show me any mom-and-pop hardware store that owns a corporate jet, and I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn.”

Chuck Pierson doesn’t run a hardware store. But the Wichita dentist says it would be much harder to keep up with new developments in his field without his propeller-driven Cessna 421, which he has flown to out-of-the-way places like Bozeman, Montana, to examine new equipment and learn how to train his staff on new techniques.

Pierson said tax benefits were a factor when he was deciding whether to upgrade from a smaller aircraft in 2011. Aircraft purchases shouldn’t be treated differently from the other equipment he and his partners have bought to improve their practice, which employs 30 people.

“They might think that it’s a luxury, that we like to go around on Saturday afternoons and buzz fields or something, but it’s a vehicle just like any other type of transportation for us,” he said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/20/usa-fiscal-jets-idUSL1N0C6GCQ20130320

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National Aviation Organizations Applaud Hawaii Governor for Declaring 2013 the ‘Year of General Aviation’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 19, 2013

Contacts:
Devin Osting (AAAA): (202) 223-9523
Dan Hubbard (NBAA): (202) 783-9360
Steve Hedges (AOPA): (301) 695-2159
Chris Dancy (HAI): (703) 683-4646
Jim Coon (NATA): (703) 845-9000
Bridgette Bailey (NASAO): (703) 417-1883

 

National Aviation Organizations Applaud Hawaii Governor for Declaring 2013 the ‘Year of General Aviation’

     Washington, DC – Today, national aviation organizations applauded Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie for declaring 2013 the “Year of General Aviation.”  In Hawaii, general aviation contributes more than $412 million into the economy every year and aviation supports more than 58,000 jobs. Across the country, general aviation has an economic impact of $150 billion annually and supports 1.2 million jobs.

 

“We appreciate Governor Abercrombie’s leadership in passing this proclamation and recognizing the critical importance of general aviation to Hawaii,” said Selena Shilad, Executive Director of the Alliance for Aviation Across America. “Throughout the state, general aviation serves as a vital resource for business and tourism, as well as public safety.  We look forward to working with Governor Abercrombie and the General Aviation Council of Hawaii.”

“General aviation and community airports in Hawaii play a crucial role in emergency response and keeping the beaches safe, as well as inter-island commerce,” stated Craig Fuller, President and CEO of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). “We appreciate the Governor’s recognition of these airports and aircraft, and look forward to working with him on issues important to aircraft owners and pilots throughout the state.”

Ed Bolen, President and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) said, “Business aviation keeps Hawaii connected and expands the economic opportunities of its residents. We thank Governor Abercrombie for his support of business aviation, and look forward to working closely with the Governor in the future.”

“Hawaii’s system of small airports is an excellent example of the value of general aviation in parts of the country where transportation options are limited,” stated Henry Ogrodzinski, President of the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO). “We thank Governor Abercrombie and Aviation Director Ford Fuchigami for their work in drawing attention to this critical public resource.”

“We thank Governor Abercrombie for recognizing the importance of the general aviation, particularly in Hawaii where it is so important to interconnectivity,” said Tom Hendricks, President and CEO of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA). “In Hawaii and across the county, general aviation provides essential services such as business development, emergency response, and natural disaster relief.”

“In addition to their vitals public safety roles — law enforcement, helicopter EMS, search-and-rescue — helicopters are an important part of Hawaii’s tourism industry,” said Matt Zuccaro, President of the Helicopter Association International (HAI). “Governor Abercrombie’s recognition of the importance of general aviation in the state also recognizes the economic benefit helicopter air tour operators provide to Hawaii.”

 

To view the proclamation, click here.

 

 

Formed in 2007, the Alliance for Aviation Across America is a non-profit, non-partisan coalition of over 6,000 individuals representing businesses, agricultural groups, FBO’s, small airports, elected officials, charitable organizations, and leading business and aviation groups that support the interest of the general aviation community across various public policy issues.

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Guest on The Infra Blog: Selena Shilad, Alliance for Aviation Across America

Conversation with Steve Anderson

Selena Shilad currently serves as the Executive Director of the Alliance for Aviation Across America. Shilad  has been with the Alliance since its inception in 2007, and prior to that, coordinated strategic communications and media campaigns for a number of high-profile non-profit organizations and political campaigns, including for former Governor Jennifer Granholm (D-MI), and former Congressman Chet Edwards (D-TX), among others.

Shilad also worked as the Deputy Communications Director at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and for Senator Jack Reed (RI), focusing on health care, banking, housing, and trade issues. She has two Master’s degrees, one from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, and the other from the University of Chicago, with a focus on public opinion.

 

Aviationʼs Essential Role

Many people donʼt realize that there are many different aspects to why general aviation is so important for our national economy, and for communities around the nation. First, the industry itself is responsible for about 1.2 million jobs, $150 billion in economic impact; itʼs one of the only manufacturing industries that contributes positively to the balance of US trade, and itʼs an industry that, like many industries, took a real hit in the last couple years with the economic downturn. And so, for such a critical component of our economy, itʼs important that we do everything we can to support that growth. And thatʼs such an important manufacturing base that supports jobs through out many different regions of our country.

 

Airports

With over 5,000 airports, and about 3,300 airports that are in the FAAʼs National Plan of Integrated Airports (NPIAS), local airports are critically important to our aviation infrastructure, and the majority of the traffic goes through a small percentage of those airports and is commercial traffic; and so that leaves a lot of communities that really rely exclusively on general aviation. And the problem is that many people have gotten on a commercial aircraft in their life, they understand itʼs important to go and visit relatives, or they go and fly for business, but general aviation carries out so many services, and resources that are not necessarily seen or understood by the general public. Whether itʼs flight training for our nationʼs next generation of future pilots; to supporting local business who use their own aircraft to travel around to reach far off destinations or customers or plants; or law enforcement; fire fighting; disaster relief; medical care; organ transport — thereʼs just so many services and resources that depend on general aviation. And for communities that donʼt have commercial service, itʼs such an important connector as well.

 

$100 Fee

Included in the Presidentʼs budget last year was a $100 per-flight user fee that would apply to many users of general aviation aircraft. This is something that our members have been overwhelmingly opposed to, regardless of any exemptions that would be included in any proposal. Not because they are opposed to perhaps paying more funding if itʼs required to help with our nationʼs infrastructure, but because of the specific nature of a user fee; and the fact that it would impose just so much additional bureaucracy on our members. As I said, a lot of our members are small businesses: theyʼre farms, theyʼre flight schools, theyʼre organizations that do charitable flights. And to have to keep track of hundreds, upon hundreds, upon hundreds of fees – in many cases months after the fact – just becomes a bureaucratic nightmare. Particularly when we have an existing fuel tax mechanism thatʼs efficient, itʼs easy to use, you pay at the pump; so we think that anything the administration, or Congress, needs to do in terms of additional revenue, no matter what, yes – itʼs an additional burden to put an additional tax on those businesses right now that are trying to recover, but in particular that bureaucracy would just be an administrative burden for our members. And from our standpoint at the Alliance, one of the additional things that we have had a concern with is why you would sort of create another mechanism altogether. You have an existing fuel tax in place. The FAA would have to then create some kind of tax-collection agency, or ability within the agency. And so why would you create more bureaucracy at a time where weʼre really supposed to be cutting government waste and reducing any of that kind of administrative overall spending and entity.

 

Citizen Outreach

The question about the role of citizens in this infrastructure debate, is a nice segue to what weʼre doing at the alliance: what is unique about our coalition is that we are really engaging both aviation stakeholders and non-aviation stakeholders alike, in order to try and raise awareness and increase public education about the value of aviation and general aviation in particular. And the reason for that, and what we kind of found is that often a lot of people in general aviation are sort of preaching to the choir, and that if you engage local mayors, and chambers of commerce, and governors, and local business, in sort of raising awareness about the value of aviation – and educating them and their fellow citizens as well – itʼs extremely effective. And thatʼs why weʼve engaged in some of the activities that we have, such as encouraging our members to pass local proclamations and resolutions, and collecting signatures on petitions from mayors around the country to President Obama to raise awareness about the value of general aviation. So I think thereʼs a very important role for citizens in raising awareness about the value of aviation, and general aviation, and I think that engaging people beyond the aviation community – for example in our case, is really so effective because it lends legitimacy to the message.

 

http://www.infrastructureusa.org/guest-on-the-infra-blog-selena-shilad-alliance-for-aviation-across-america/

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