AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2014 - 18

FOUNDATION FOCUS

Fighting for airports

BY BRUCE LANDSBERG
AOPA Foundation President

Won't you join us in the cause?

BRUCE LANDSBERG

has served as
president of
the AOPA
Foundation since
January 2010.

HOW IMPORTANT is the local airport to you? If it were
closed, how far would you have to drive for flying lessons or to access the club aircraft-or your own? Would
that make a difference? When most of today's airports
were built, they were placed in convenient locations but
by design, usually not right in the thick of things. The
outskirts of the cities and towns were sparsely populated until the populations grew and smart growth
sometimes took a back seat to pure profit motives.
I once sat in on a local airport commission meeting,
listening to the developer's lawyers assure the commissioners that the noise from the airport would not
affect the residents of their newly proposed project. The
townhomes were less than mile from the runway's end.
When asked if the residents would have to sign an avigational easement-where the buyers acknowledged the
reality of airport noise for which they could not sue-the
room got very quiet. One of the pilots said the developers and builders would be long gone, with cash in
hand, before the noise complaints started. The airport
and town council would have to deal with incompatible
land use. This is not an uncommon scenario.
Today, hundreds of airports are hemmed in by development, challenged by neighbors, or cut off from the
communities they serve by tall fences and locked gates,
thanks to overblown security fears. AOPA's Airport
Watch program is a far better solution (www.aopa.
org/Advocacy/Security-and-Borders/Airport-WatchSecurity). Its pilots and airport staff watch what's
happening. You know when something or someone
doesn't look right. That program is partially funded by
the AOPA Foundation.
Most people have a natural fascination with flight.
Even if they don't become pilots themselves, flight captures the imagination. But vocal minorities that either
live too close or have a financial interest push closure,
restrictions, and legal challenges of all types. Let's seize
the initiative by inviting the nonflying public to come
out, observe, learn, and engage.
Fighting back-and, better yet, preventing problems
in the first place-takes dedication, involvement, and,
yes, resources. The AOPA Foundation plays a critical
role in making sure airports stay open and healthy.
We depend on the help of more than 2,500 Airport
Support Network volunteers. And those volunteers
depend on resources and expertise provided by AOPA

18 | AOPA PILOT September 2014

with the support of the AOPA Foundation. We're always
looking for more volunteers to make the difference
(www.aopa.org/Advocacy/Get-Involved/AirportSupport-Network.aspx).
Funding from the AOPA Foundation helps provide
tools ranging from seminars on issues such as voluntary noise abatement and runway safety to guidance
on hosting community events and talking to the media.
The goal is to help volunteers protect and promote their
home fields, build good relationships beyond the airport
boundaries, and help the nonflying community recognize the value of having an airport close to home.
When pilots at Pearson Field in Vancouver,
Washington, wanted to welcome neighbors, they sought
help from AOPA, which provided brochures and everything they needed to set up a booth with information
about GA, learning to fly, and the role of GA in America.
In Paso Robles, California, the ASN volunteer relied
on resources from AOPA, developed with help from the
AOPA Foundation, to create a business plan for the field.
That plan focuses on growing the airport and working
with local businesses to ensure that the field remains
relevant and productive for many years to come.
At New Bedford Regional Airport in Massachusetts,
ASN volunteer Donald Velozo was inspired to bring
children back to the airport so they could experience
the wonder of aviation up close. The local Women in
Aviation International chapter ran with the idea, working with businesses and pilots to raise the money. The
project attracted volunteers from outside the aviation
community, too, and now local kids have a new place to
play and dream-and the neighbors have one more reason to appreciate their airport.
For every GA airport that ends up at the center of a
contentious dispute, there are hundreds of others that
don't, thanks to the engagement of aviators who depend
on AOPA and the AOPA Foundation to supply the support and tools they need to build a brighter future.
Your tax-deductible contribution at whatever level
you choose to give makes a difference. Fewer than six
percent of AOPA members contribute to the foundation.
We can do better. I invite you to join the cause. If you
have a better idea, drop me an email (bruce.landsberg
@aopa.org). I like being held accountable!
AOPA
WEB www.aopafoundation.org

http://www.aopa.org/Advocacy/Get-Involved/Airport-Support-Network.aspx http://www.aopa.org/Advocacy/Get-Involved/Airport-Support-Network.aspx http://www.aopa.org/Advocacy/Secuirity-and-Borders/Airport-Watch-Security http://www.aopa.org/Advocacy/Secuirity-and-Borders/Airport-Watch-Security http://www.aopa.org/Advocacy/Secuirity-and-Borders/Airport-Watch-Security http://www.aopafoundation.org

AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2014

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