Common sense

Billions of people fly safely every year in all sectors of aviation—general, business, commercial, military—and flying is only going to continue to grow despite a vocal and organized number of organizations and policy makers, amplified by mainstream media, who are trying to disrupt or destroy it. Ever hear of the Green New Deal? Climate activists gluing themselves to the tarmac? This is just craziness!

We are fortunate to be living in a time with one of the safest, if not the safest, forms of travel ever created by man. And some want it wiped out despite serious and continuing efforts that have led to safer, quieter, and more efficient technologies. Where is the common sense? I’m not saying being environmentally aware is a bad thing, as most everyone I know wants clean air and water, but they also want to fly and travel too.

At the moment, aviation in Europe faces a much more challenging situation, and we must take heed and do everything we can to prevent those who are against aviation from gaining ground here in the United States. Whether it be in the form of egregious fees pilots pay at airports, government leaders calling for more taxes, airlines pushing privatization, or so-called environmentalist referring to industry efforts that will reduce emissions as “greenwash,” they all have a detrimental impact on aviation. Developing clean or cleaner forms of energy is a laudable goal and one we should all support. But let’s make sure we know the environmental impacts, good and bad, of all energy sources before we castigate others or needlessly radicalize the issue.

Removing lead in avgas by 2030 is real; it’s not some newly formed mythical fabrication but rather a concerted years-long effort with industry and government support. Yet, we have those who suggest six years is too long and are using lead as an excuse to close airports despite the fact that lead content levels are higher in some areas farther from the airport. Clearly, many of these “thought leaders” lack common sense.

Together, and with strength in numbers, we have fought, clawed, and scratched for what we have today. We must continue to fight so we don’t lose this privilege.

We have such a dedicated general aviation community here in the United States with hundreds of thousands of pilots and more than 220,000 GA aircraft flying nearly 27 million hours each year. That number of hours equates to more than 3,000 years of flying time in one year. We have more than 19,000 airports, landing areas, backcountry strips, and heliports.

How is this when we see general aviation in other countries across the globe fighting every day to survive? Well, there is somewhat of a simple answer. Together, and with strength in numbers we have fought, clawed, and scratched for what we have today. One of the benefits of effective advocacy and activism is, you guessed it, common sense. We must continue to fight so we don’t lose this privilege. And for those countries where GA is smaller and where common sense is severely lacking with environmental radicals, governments, and decision-makers, well, they are slowly pushing, or at least trying, to pummel aviation back to the Bronze Age. We must be cognizant of these warnings and challenges that others are or haved faced so they don’t grow here.

I would be remiss if not mentioning the loss of our good friend, colleague, and aviator, Richard McSpadden, who so diligently and effectively led the AOPA Air Safety Institute. This world needs more people like Richard, as he personified common sense. To be a better pilot, to grow your flying competence, to be safer, and to keep this dream of flying available for the next generation, Richard would always keep it simple and direct with his signature phrase: “Go fly!”