Says Flying Should Not Be Only For ‘The Rich’

ANN April 1 Special Edition

Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said at a campaign event in Seattle that every person in the United States should have the opportunity to learn to fly … and that the lessons should be free.

Speaking in the city where nearby Boeing provides tens of thousands of jobs, Sanders said that flying should be for the masses, and not just for “the rich.”

“The ability to learn to fly an airplane should not be limited to those with a lot of money.” Sanders said. “Every person who desires to learn to fly and maybe pursue a career as a pilot shouldn’t have to worry about how they’re going to pay for it. The joy of flight should not be reserved for the top one percent,” Sanders said. “Here in Boeing’s back yard, you know there is going to be a pilot shortage that could be very damaging to the industry. The government needs aviation to be strong, so we should make it possible for young people to pursue this career without the burden of a huge debt at the end of the process. We’ve proposed that other education should be free, and this just makes sense.”

When asked about the cost of airplanes … Sanders said that it only makes sense that if the training is going to be provided free, then the airplanes should be free as well. “We know that not everyone in the country is going to want to learn to fly, so we should be able to provide the airplanes as well,” Sanders said. “This is a possible career path, so we need to make as many tools as possible available to give them the best chance at success. Manufacturers will be happy to have the government contracts to produce all those airplanes. It’s about jobs across the spectrum of the industry. And since nearly every taxpayer flies at some point in their lives, they should not be unwilling to help keep the airlines supplied with pilots. And they can always get an airplane and flying lessons as well.”

ALPA president Capt. Tim Canoll said that the union was studying the proposal, but he had reservations about providing for free what so many others had invested considerable time and money in to achieve. “We’ll be seeking retroactive reimbursement for our members should the plan become a reality.”

FMI: https://web.archive.org/web/20061018180210/http://www.bernie.org/media/game