December 7, 2012
Declaring that general aviation (GA) contributes nearly $5.56 billion annually to the state’s economy, Ohio Gov. John Kasich has proclaimed December 2012 as General Aviation Appreciation Month.
“Many communities in Ohio depend heavily on GA and community airports for the continued flow of commerce, tourists and visitors to the state,” the governor wrote in his proclamation. “ [And] the total employment impact of all airports in Ohio is 142,800 jobs with an annual payroll of nearly $3.2 billion.” The governor’s proclamation noted that payroll of the 98 GA public-use airports in the state’s airport system plan alone totaled some $287 million.
Buckeye State officials made similar proclamations in 2011 and 2010.
Review the Ohio proclamation. (PDF, 5.5 MB)
NBAA Midwest Regional Representative Bob Quinn pointed out that Ohio is a leader in creating easy access to aviation for the bulk of its population, even in areas remote from large cities. “Of Ohio’s 88 counties, 84 have public-use airports, thanks to an initiative back in the 1960s by Gov. James A. Rhodes to build an airport in every county,” he said. “But even more impressive, some 90 percent of Ohio citizens today have a business-capable airport no more than 30 minutes away.” A business-capable airport is defined as having a runway of 5,000 feet or more.
Quinn also said that the state’s slogan, “Birthplace of Aviation,” was well-deserved. Wilbur and Orville Wright lived in Dayton, OH and did most of their flight experiments in a field just south of the city. In 2003, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution declaring Dayton as the birthplace of aviation.
More than 90 percent of U.S. states have officially recognized the value of all general aviation, including business aviation, with all proclamations including at least some of the basic tenets of the No Plane No Gain campaign, which was launched in early 2009.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.