North Texas airport volunteers meet in 'summit'
Who are you going to call in North Texas when your local general aviation airport comes under pressure from interests that would curtail its operation or even shut it down?
At many airports, the early warning system against such threats consists of AOPA Airport Support Network volunteers. The members of that dedicated group in north Texas met October 5 with AOPA’s airport advocacy team for an update on the challenges facing GA airports across the country, with special focus on regional and local concerns.
The volunteers heard from Mike Ginter, AOPA vice president of airports and state advocacy, whose talk titled “Will your airport be here tomorrow?” gave an overview of the many airport-related issues volunteers might confront, and pointers on how to meet them.
Tom Chandler, AOPA’s Central Southwest regional manager, and Airport Support Network Board Member Keith Craigo followed up with a discussion of Texas-specific airport issues.
“The volunteers were also treated to a tour of the academy and its Eagle’s Nest RV–12 project, including both a current Van's Aircraft RV–12 under construction and a look at their completed RV–12 in which the students train,” Chandler said.
Ready to get involved?
AOPA encourages any general aviation pilot who wants to get involved in protecting and promoting the local airport to consider volunteering with the Airport Support Network.
“Our volunteers are active and engaged on a wide variety of airport issues including hangar leases, FBO pricing transparency, airport rules and regulations, commercial minimum standards, and hangar development projects, to name a few,” Chandler said. “We are supporting members at the local and state level to control the cost of flying and maintain access to GA airports across the country.”
