President's position: Innovation is in our DNA

It was only 36 years before the founding of AOPA in 1939 that humans achieved the first sustained powered flight. By the late 1930s, many were beginning to realize the disruptive and transformative power of aviation. The year 1939 was also when Germany invaded Poland and marks the beginning of World War II. And although the United States didn’t declare war against the Axis powers until 1941, in 1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to expand U.S. air power, which he described as “utterly inadequate.”

Roosevelt and other leaders understood that aviation would change how we fight our wars and keep our shores safe. The massive investment around World War II would serve as a stepping stone for U.S. civil aviation, cementing our nation as the industry leader, not just the place powered flight commenced. And following the war, our military air power helped to facilitate the modern economic engine that civil aviation is today.

According to the International Air Transport Association, aviation supports 65.5 million jobs around the world, and a third of the goods traded internationally are brought to market with aviation. In the United States, civil aviation supports 10.6 million jobs, and the aerospace industry is one of the few that has a positive trade balance—more than $84 billion in 2017, according to government data.

Technology also has come a long way in making the skies a safer place to fly. From ADS-B to autopilots, aviators today have access to avionics and electronics that help us be more aware of our surroundings and operate our aircraft more safely than ever before.

Few technologies being discussed today can equal the potential of electric or hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The technology could facilitate explosive economic growth, bring down costs, and allow many more people to access the benefits of aviation. Morgan Stanley Research estimates that the eVTOL air taxi market could reach $1.5 trillion by 2040.

These new technologies and aircraft are also changing how we look at airports and what local leaders need to consider to stay competitive.These new technologies and aircraft are also changing how we look at airports and what local leaders need to consider to stay competitive. Local airports are already enormous economic contributors to their surrounding communities, and that will only increase with eVTOL aircraft. This should bring pause to short-sighted community leaders trying to close places like Santa Monica Municipal Airport and Reid-Hillview Airport of Santa Clara County, both in California.

With so many new aircraft potentially entering the market needing places to charge, conduct maintenance, and escape weather, airports are set to be a crucial element of the eVTOL infrastructure.

And the residents of communities with local airports will also be more likely to realize the benefits that will go along with eVTOL and air taxis. While eVTOL aircraft can land virtually anywhere, the reality is that because of costs—as well as airspace and security restrictions—they will likely be heavily reliant on traditional airports for decades, if not longer. So if you live near an airport, you’ll be more likely to be able to utilize eVTOL aircraft.

Another added bonus of eVTOL is the noise, or lack thereof. Among the most frequent complaints airports receive are about noise, but eVTOL aircraft will be much quieter.

Opposition to an airport doesn’t just rob local citizens of the existing benefits associated with airports, it prevents people from utilizing an emerging efficient mode of transportation that will transform our economy and how we get places.

Change and innovation are constants in aviation, but so are the benefits that come with access to aircraft and airports. It would be a mistake for leaders in towns across the country, and even in our industry, to ignore the potential of new technology and restrict the growth and services communities can benefit from.

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