AOPA educates airport execs on GA issues
By AOPA ePublishing staff
General aviation airport managers play an important role in protecting our industry. AOPA staff participated the American Association of Airport Executives General Aviation Issues Conference at Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles from May 7 through 9, to discuss the importance of local airport advocacy, airport preservation and security, airspace access, and more.
“Having an open dialog with airport operators is critical for general aviation pilots,” said Randy Kenagy, AOPA government affairs chief of staff. “Without a nationwide network for managers of the more than 5,000 public-use airports, general aviation would be severely hampered.”
Kenagy discussed future technology issues including flight service modernization, a new notam system, and ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast).
“These systems provide information that pilots need today,” Kenagy said, “but they will also be just as important to pilots in the future airspace system.”
AOPA Vice President of Local Airport Advocacy Bill Dunn and Senior Director of Airports Heidi Williams met with airport and FAA management officials during the conference to talk about airport advocacy and the importance of local pilot involvement.
“Pilot involvement is key in the success of an airport,” said Dunn. “Airport managers must be willing to work with pilots, its customers, to make sure it is adequately secured, maintained, and accessible.”
May 15, 2008
AOPA ePublishing staff
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