Small Cities Join The Fray
Well, glory be!
Business aviation has a new friend and CBS Evening News ran a great video telling the good news.
I gotta admit I would have missed this (I was attending my 50th high school reunion and was too busy hugging women to be watching the news) if it hadn’t been reported in AOPA’s Aviation e-Brief. I went to the site and there was the CBS video showing and telling the good side of the business aviation story.
This may be a major turning point. Ever since November—when three of the large automakers flew three corporate jets to Washington to beg for bailout money—we’ve heard naught but vilification about corporate aircraft. Now the mayors of 70 small cities are asking Obama—who sneeringly referred to such aircraft as “fancy jets”—to help undo the bad rep of corporate aircraft.
Think of it—city guvmints are asking the federal guvmint to call off the dogs.
Wonderful! At last we have someone other than our own industry telling our story. These are our users and customers, and they say they need us.
If it hasn’t been yanked yet, you can see the story and video yourself at…
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/17/eveningnews/main5021145.shtml
Enjoy.
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Hi again Mr. Hood,
You are completely right!!!
Over one million people are employed or directly affected by GA. Either refueling or fixing an engine this is America at work,GA is productive people use planes to reach far away parts of the country to meet people or show new equipment,put a signature on a new contract etc.
It’s just funny that people that are at the top can fly just for a dinner and a Broadway show using our taxpayers paid jet and the rest that can use and pay for business purposes are regarded as bad ceo’s or bad managers.It’s really amazing maybe next time we will use a kite pushed by the wind to our next meeting.
As always yours truly,
Hans P. Plesman
Ron Price–
Great!
I wish I had said that–and I probably will!
Thanks for writing,
Ralph Hood
The next time a Congressman or Senator request the use of your corporate aircraft to make a quick one-day trip to deliver a campaign message, just tell them you sold it and to take the bus.
Lowell Craft–
I once used a Cessna 172 to cover a 3.5 state territory. But you are right–the guvmint does not recognize the business benefits of GA. We all need to tell that story again and again.
Thanks for writing,
Ralph Hood
21May2009: We appreciate CBS putting on this segment about GA Aircraft. I used a Baron for many years across the Midwest, east to west across Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie & Ontario into small towns selling machinery into Agriculture areas. I became so much more proficient. Rather than driving a car 80,000 miles a year, I was direct selling. On new models, taking our customers hundreds of miles to see that machine in action meant writing up another sale. It’s unfortunate that much of the population, Congress and the President do not appreciate GA aircraft as business tools. And I was home most nights with my family.