AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2019 - 6

PRESIDENT'S POSITION

Innovation is in our DNA

BY MARK BAKER
President and CEO

Today's infrastructure will enable tomorrow's tech
POWERED FLIGHT IS ONE OF THE GREATEST innovations
in the history of humanity. For thousands of years, people looked at birds and wondered what it would be like
to see the world from above. That is, until the Wright
brothers decided to spend some time on the beaches
of North Carolina.
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."

These new technologies and aircraft are also
changing how we look at airports and what local
leaders need to consider to stay competitive.

MARK BAKER

is a commercial
pilot with a
rotorcraft rating,
but he hasn't been
checked out in an
eVTOL aircraft-yet.

6 | AOPA PILOT February 2019

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. Local airports
are already enormous economic contributors to their
surrounding communities, and that will only increase
with eVTOL aircraft. This should bring pause to shortsighted 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.
AOPA
EMAIL mark@aopa.org

AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2019