July 10, 2018
Like many small, general aviation airports across the country, Connecticut’s Simsbury Airport is vital to the business community in the Litchfield County region, airport Manager Brad Griswold wrote in a recent letter to the editor in The Register Citizen newspaper.
“For both new and existing businesses across a range of different industries, including engineering, landscaping, financial services, lighting and electrical distributor, and a wrought iron manufacturer, the local airport and general aviation provides clear operational advantages and opens up boundless opportunities,” Griswold wrote.
“The versatility of general aviation removes time-consuming barriers that would cost small businesses money and limit their performance by allowing businesses to get to multiple locations in one day, transport equipment and tools, and travel to far off plants in rural areas,” he added. “There is no better means of direct, point-to-point, system of travel than general aviation and smaller airports.”
There are four businesses based at the airport, another six that use it for business purposes, and countless businesses that use it to meet with clients and customers.
“Take Design Innovation Inc. for example, a design firm based out of Farmington Valley. They design and develop products that range from consumer and medical goods to industrial products for clients such as Disney, Paramount, Crayola, and Hasbro. Due to the creative nature of their products, it is vital that they can meet with their clients to develop ideas and show their prototypes in person,” Griswold wrote. “Our airport plays an important role in connecting them with their clients.”
Beyond the economic value, the airport provides an important public service as well. Both the Civil Air Patrol and the Connecticut State Police utilize Simsbury Airport for training purpose, while the potential exists for the airport to be used as a staging area in the event of a disaster.
“In communities of all sizes throughout the country, general aviation airports play a central function in economic development, small business growth, emergency preparedness, and community access,” Griswold wrote. “Let’s keep it that way.”
Read the full letter to the editor.
Learn more about Simsbury Airport.
