Dec. 21, 2015
Mayors in the Florida cities of Ocala and Venice recently recognized the value of business aviation with proclamations naming December 2015 as General Aviation Appreciation Month.
“There are 19 commercial service and 110 general aviation/community airports, helping make Florida the number two state for aerospace and aviation establishments in the United States,” the proclamations state. “More than 8.5 percent of Florida gross state product results from businesses dependent upon aviation.”
The proclamations – issued by Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn and Venice Mayor John Holic – also noted that “numerous leading aviation companies have headquarters or a major presence in Florida.”
Ocala is home to Ocala International Airport (OCF), which bills itself as a ” premier general aviation airport serving commercial, industrial and corporate needs of the City of Ocala and Marion County.”
Venice Municipal Airport (VNC), which calls itself, “Your gateway to the Gulf Coast,” has been in operation since the 1940s. The general aviation facility is located 1.7 miles south of the downtown area, along the Gulf of Mexico shoreline, on approximately 835 acres. It has two 5,000-foot runways, which intersect each other.
View the Ocala proclamation. (PDF)
View the Venice proclamation. (PDF)
These latest proclamations contain several principles of the No Plane No Gain advocacy campaign, an ongoing effort to communicate to policymakers and opinion leaders the value of business aviation.
The National Business Aviation Association and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association launched the No Plan No Gain campaign in 2009, and since that time, all 50 states and more than 100 municipalities have officially recognized GA, including business aviation.