If you think it’s important to tell the story of how general aviation saves lives, boosts business, and solves thorny travel logistics, here’s a good reason to keep telling it: Doing so could increase support from policy makers for keeping Wyoming’s aviation economy strong.
The Wyoming Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Division recognizes the importance of providing concrete examples of how residents rely on public-use airports that form the backbone of a $1 billion industry with 22,700 jobs—from medical services and tourism to forestry, mining, agriculture, energy, and ranching.
So as the aeronautics division updates a 2003 aviation economic study in 2013, it is asking those who benefit from aviation to take a use and reliance survey available online until June 30, said David Ulane, AOPA’s Northwest/Mountain regional manager.
AOPA strongly supports state-level economic studies that demonstrate the benefits provided by general aviation, and encourages members to take the few minutes necessary to support the division’s research.
“To support its activities, it is important for the Aeronautics Division to conduct research that measures how contributions made by commercial and general aviation airports in Wyoming may be improving efficiency and supporting other important services,” explains the survey’s home page. “If you benefit on a regular basis from using Wyoming’s airports, this survey seeks information on your activities. This survey also provides an opportunity for you to provide your ‘story’ or examples on how you benefit from your use of the airports or commercial airline service in Wyoming.”
Information provided by individuals will be “aggregated with other responses” to the survey.
