March 9, 2016
New Hampshire and North Dakota are the latest states to recognize the value of general aviation, including business aviation, with both declaring March 2016, “General Aviation Appreciation Month.”
New Hampshire Gov. Margaret Wood Hassan noted her state has 24 publicly owned airports serving 3,825 pilots, operating 2,055 general aviation aircraft. There are 118 registered airports in New Hampshire, and out of every 1,000 workers in the state, nearly nine are employed in the aerospace and aviation industry.
The state also is home to 11 charter flight companies, 22 airport repair stations and has one flight school.
“Many communities in New Hampshire depend heavily on general aviation and community airports for the continued flow of commerce, tourists and visitors to our state,” Hassan noted in her proclamation.
View the New Hampshire proclamation. (PDF)
North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple said in his proclamation that his state’s aviation industry, “acts as a catalyst to the state’s diverse economic opportunities through enabling development efforts, [and] creating opportunities for communities, businesses and citizens.”
The state, he noted, is home to one of six designated unmanned aircraft system (UAS) test sites in the U.S., where research is being conducted to help integrate the UAS industry into the National Airspace System.
“Aviation is also an essential part of our agriculture productivity as 105 aerial applicator businesses sprayed over 4 million acres of crops in 2015,” Dalrymple wrote in his proclamation.
View the North Dakota proclamation. (PDF)
In addition, community leaders across the country continue to recognize the importance of aviation to their towns, cities and regions.
Proclamations recently were issued by:
- Concord, NH Mayor Jim Bouley. View the Concord proclamation. (PDF)
- Kansas City, MO Mayor Sylvester James, Jr. View the Kansas City proclamation. (PDF)
- Lebanon, NH Mayor Georgia Tuttle. View the Lebanon, NH proclamation. (PDF)
- Lebanon, TN Mayor Philip Craighead. View the Lebanon, TN proclamation. (PDF)
- New Iberia, LA Mayor Hilda Daigre Curry. View the New Iberia proclamation. (PDF)
- New Orleans, LA City Council. View the New Orleans proclamation. (PDF)
- Smyrna, TN Mayor Mary Esther Reed. View the Smyrna proclamation. (PDF)
These local proclamations all noted, “The nation’s infrastructure represents an important public benefit, and congressional oversight should be in place to ensure stable funding of this system.”