CAA: GA News, "Flight Bans Posing Extra Hardship On Missouri Small Firms, Bond Tells President's National Security Advisor; Modification Needed"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxx>]

Wednesday, October 10, 2001

Flight Bans Posing Extra Hardship On Missouri Small Firms, Bond Tells
President's National Security Advisor; Modification Needed


WASHINGTON, (U.S. Newswire) -- Senator Kit Bond has told the President's
National Security Advisor that the grounding of over 1500 aircraft and
nearly 5000 pilots in Missouri is having a "tremendous negative economic
impact, which will cause lasting damage to the infrastructure that
supports general aviation," including small businesses struggling to
survive the current economic downturn. 

In a letter to Condoleeza Rice, National Security Advisor to the
President, Bond said small businesses are "suffering under the present
prohibition," issued following the World Trade Center and Pentagon
disasters, and "cannot begin their economic recovery until the ban has
been modified or lifted." 

In Missouri, 14 airports -- eight in St. Louis and six in Kansas City --
are affected by the present Class B airspace prohibition. The ban
applies to general aviation flights under so-called Visual Flight Rules
(VFR). 

Bond, the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and
Entrepreneurship, last week introduced S. 1493, the "Small Business
Leads to Economic Recovery Act of 2001," which will provide special
working-capital loans to small firms that are experiencing serious cash
flow difficulties as the result of the terrorist attacks. The loans
would be available to a range of small businesses, including commercial
users of single-engine, general aviation aircraft.

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