Sequestration legislation is now looming directly overhead for many small airfields around the nation. The NBAA reported this week that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is preparing to “finalize a plan for closing nearly 170 air traffic control towers and other facilities.” NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen wrote the FAA share the business aviation community’s concerns with the plan, and offer possible solutions.
In the posts of the Business Aviation Network and beyond, it’s hard to argue with people like Kim Showalter, President of Showalter Flying Service in Orlando, Florida. “Business aviation has simply become a way of life for the successful, thriving businesses of today,” she told Betsy Donnelly recently. It’s fitting then, that aviation is a thriving industry in itself - and one worth preserving in states across the country. As the NBAA’s “No Plane, No Gain" program tagline says prominently, “Business aviation means: millions in manufacturing and service jobs.”
With a warm Alabama accent and plain-spoken tone, Marion Blakey’s message is clear: jobs in the aerospace and defense industry must be preserved.
I was glad to be a part of an audience that welcomed the President & Chief Executive Officer of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) to the City Club in Cleveland last Friday. In addition to the pioneers I wrote about last week, Ms. Blakey’s contemporary career arc has flown an amazing course. Her continued commitment to the future U.S. aerospace and defense workers is - to use her own words - Second To None.
BAN is a member supported community. We need your financial support. Please Support Business Aviation Network. All funds go directly to offset operating cost. Thank you!
