June 7, 2016
Local officials from Massachusetts to Washington state – and many communities in between – took time this month to acknowledge the numerous benefits that business aviation brings to their cities and towns. To date, hundreds of mayors, city and county councils and other local officials have issued proclamations highlighting general aviation, including business aviation.
Here are the latest proclamations:
Anacortes, WA Mayor Laurie Gere said, “The city of Anacortes and the state of Washington have a significant interest in the continued vitality of general aviation as a resource that drives economic growth for our community’s farms, and sustains critical services such as medical care and disaster relief.” Read the Anacortes proclamation. (PDF)
Matthew Santini, mayor of Cartersville, GA, said his city’s local airport has “an immense economic impact on the city.” Georgia, he wrote, is home to 98 public-use airports, which service more than 18,000 pilots and 5,200 general aviation aircraft. Read the Cartersville proclamation. (PDF)
Dansville, NY Mayor Peter Vogt said his village “has a significant interest in the continued vitality of general aviation, aircraft manufacturing, aviation educational institutions, aviation organizations and community airports.” Read the Dansville proclamation. (PDF)
Huron Regional Airport, in Huron, SD, provides economic benefits to the community, noted Mayor Paul Aylward. South Dakota is home to 65 public-use general aviation airports serving nearly 1,500 active general aviation aircraft across the state. Read the Huron proclamation. (PDF)
“General aviation not only supports Massachusetts’ economy, it improves overall quality of life,” the Mansfield, MA Board of Selectmen wrote in its proclamation. “The nation’s infrastructure represents an important benefit, and congressional oversight should be in place to ensure stable funding of this system.” Read the Mansfield proclamation. (PDF)
Sioux Falls, SD Mayor Mike Huether said, “Sioux Falls has the largest and most utilized airport in the state of South Dakota, and has two fixed-base operators – Landmark Aviation and Maverick Air Center – serving 93-based aircraft and facilitation of over 53,000 general aviation operations annually.” Read the Sioux Falls proclamation. (PDF)
Julie Smith, mayor of Tifton, GA, said general aviation contributes more than $1.2 billion annually to the state’s economy. Read the Tifton proclamation. (PDF)
Watertown, SD Mayor Steve Thorson noted in his proclamation that the aviation industry in his state supports more than 7,000 jobs with an annual income of $250 million. Read the Watertown proclamation. (PDF)
“General aviation in Washington contributes more than $8.1 billion to the state’s economy,” Wenatchee, WA Mayor Frank Kuntz wrote in his proclamation. Washington is home to 128 public-use general aviation airports and 7,249 active general aviation aircraft. Read the Wenatchee proclamation. (PDF)
Wilmington, DE Mayor Dennis Williams said, “The city of Wilmington depends on general aviation and community airports for the continued flow of commerce, tourists and visitors to our city.” General aviation airports in Delaware support more than $171.3 million of economic activity annually. Read the Wilmington proclamation. (PDF)