Organization Receives National Award In Ohio For Industry Advocacy

The NBAA on Friday welcomed a proclamation recognizing the essential role all of aviation, including business aviation, in serving Ohio.

In the proclamation, Governor Ted Strickland (D-OH) (pictured, right) declares July 16, 2010 to be "Aviation Industry Awareness Day," noting that in Ohio, "Fortune 500 company flight departments" and small businesses alike "rely on aircraft to compete efficiently." The proclamation also recognizes the role of "60 charter flight companies, 131 aircraft repair stations [and] the two top fractional ownership companies" in driving economic activity in the Buckeye State.

"NBAA thanks Governor Strickland for highlighting the value of business aviation to communities and companies in Ohio," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. "The state is widely recognized as the birthplace of aviation, and it's clear that today, business aviation continues to support thousands of jobs, business productivity, access to small airports and humanitarian initiatives in the state." Strickland notes in the proclamation that general aviation contributes $5.5 billion to the state's economy and employs 17,352 people in high-skilled manufacturing and service jobs. There are also 172 community airports in the state.

"General aviation plays a critical role in the lives of our citizens, as well as the operation of our businesses and farms," Strickland says in the proclamation. "The state of Ohio, the birthplace of aviation, has a significant interest in the vitality of general aviation, aerospace, aircraft manufacturing, educational institutions and aviation organizations and community airports and aircraft operators."

The proclamation follows similar declarations issued in Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, North Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia recognizing the value of business aviation to the states. The decrees' emphasis on the jobs, transportation access for small towns, company productivity and importance in humanitarian efforts reflect the core themes of the No Plane No Gain advocacy campaign, jointly sponsored by NBAA and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.

The Ohio proclamation also comes on the same day NBAA is to be recognized in Dayton by the National Aviation Hall of Fame with the Milton Caniff Spirit of Flight award, bestowed annually upon a group or organization in recognition of contributions made toward the advancement of aviation.

The program for the award ceremony will include remarks from FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, a special video telling the story of business aviation, and an all-star panel of aviation leaders, moderated by television news legend and aviator David Hartman, who will discuss their views on the industry and NBAA's long-standing role in supporting the industry.

FMI: www.nbaa.org