"Am Important Note From Steve Quilty"

Knowing that everyone is pretty busy addressing security issues and local economic/service problems, can I suggest another task as being important at this time?

Prior to the events of September 11, airport managers and boards across the country were dealing with issues of noise, expansion of facilities, and public cries for restriction of airport operations and even closure of airports. As a counter to those arguments, we in the industry would tout the economic, social and transportation benefits that aviation and airports provide, but which admittedly were difficult to accurately measure.

I believe that aviation will make a recovery, maybe not to the same level, but it will recover. A shift in public fears and concerns in the future will again focus on noise issues and have the added fear factor of aircraft being flown into local landmarks or even individual homes. Attempts will be made to further restrict airport development or operation.

My suggestion is that airport managers try to take the opportunity now to document with stories and actual data the impact on the local community of the 2-day stoppage of all aircraft and the 2-week restrictions of aviation activity. Such documentation will be of value in demonstrating the true impact of aviation. Besides documenting the normal data we collect on airports (jobs, enplanements, payroll, revenues, expenses etc.), consider some of the following local community factors:

-- Impact on local taxes (payroll, business, real estate,schools, etc.).
-- Changes in accident rates and fatalities on the highways.
-- Impact on businesses that use the airport to receive supplies, equipment, service, news, etc. (e.g.., flower shops that receive shipments via air, banks that rely on overnight shipping, small businesses that rely on passengers/tourists, etc.)
-- Impact on travel-allied industries (e.g. hotel occupancy, rental cars, convention business, etc.)
-- Local stories of people canceling vacations, kids that couldn't return to school, etc.
-- Any story that identifies personal lives being affected...especially about those who don't normally fly. Show the connection.
-- The impact on businesses that use general aviation (agriculture, life flight, corporate operation, etc.)

The point is, we all know that aviation is an integral part of the economic and social fiber of our communities, the problem is that others are not aware and so they seek to restrict or impede airport operations. By gathering material on the daily impact in our local communities as a result of no aviation activity, we can use this information to illustrate in the future to decision makers and the public the importance, impact or need of airports.