November 3, 2010
The city of Riverside, Ohio has joined 17 states in officially recognizing the value of general aviation, declaring November 2010 as “General Aviation Appreciation Month.” The proclamation, signed by Riverside Mayor William Flaute, declares that general aviation is a “strategic resource for the community.”
Riverside, a suburb of Dayton, Ohio, is home to the National Aviation Hall of Fame. The resolution was introduced by Deputy Mayor Edward W. Schock. “I wanted to portray the importance of aviation across America,” he said. “More people are using their own aircraft because they don’t have a direct route to their destination. It’s face time that really closes a business contract.”
Ron Kaplan, enshrinement director for the National Aviation Hall of Fame, said he was gratified by the recognition of the value of aviation. “Everyone knows that the Dayton area is the birthplace of aviation, home to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and the headquarters of the National Aviation Hall of Fame,” he said, “but not everyone is aware of the positive effect that business aviation also has here. We’re grateful to the city of Riverside for recognizing that impact.”
Governor Ted Strickland had previous declared ‘Aviation Industry Awareness Day’ for all of Ohio on July 16, 2010. At that time, he noted that both Fortune 500 company flight departments and small businesses in the state rely on business aircraft to compete efficiently.
In Ohio, general aviation activity alone contributes some $5.56 billion to the economy, and is responsible for over 17,000 jobs, many of those in the area surrounding Riverside.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.