Tri-state represented at Aviation Day

By NEIL YOUNG/The Daily News
Published: Monday, January 21, 2013 12:44 AM MST

BULLHEAD CITY — “The overall revenue created in the state of Arizona — 17 or 18 percent of it — comes from all aviation activity, so it’s a very, very significant part of the state economy,” said David Gaines, Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport director.

Gaines and Jeremy Keating, the airport’s assistant director, drove down to Phoenix last week for Aviation Day at the state capitol. It was an opportunity to meet local legislators, as well as others in the legislature with connections to aviation issues. Interest groups try to get the legislature’s attention early in their session “before they get too far down the road. If you wait too long, you may have missed the train with your own issue,” Gaines said.

“In the state of Arizona, we have a multitude of aviation organizations, the primary one being the Arizona Airports Association,” he said. Other organizations include the Aircraft Owners Pilots Association and Business Aircraft Owners.

“They generally have a specific area of interest,” Gaines said. “Typically, if any action occurs at the state level that impacts any other element of aviation, it has a ripple effect.”

Aviation Day on Tuesday lasted only a couple of hours, because of the legislators’ schedule. “They don’t have a lot of time. They’re in session,” Gaines noted.

Tents were set up on the Capitol grounds and lunch was served on a blustery, cold day. Gaines and Keating met with District 5 State Reps. Doris Goodale (R-Kingman) and Sonny Borrelli (R-Lake Havasu City). “And although I didn’t have a chance to meet with Sen. (Kelli) Ward (R-Lake Havasu City), we have been exchanging emails and talking about the airport. We’ll have a chance to meet later on,” Gaines said

Those in attendance use Aviation Day for “helping to educate legislators on the issues,” he said.

“We went through a number of years where state aviation funds were taken out of the state aviation funding and used for other programs in the state. That just takes development money away from airports.” The money is used for safety and security, Gaines said.

“We always mention the fact that the State Aviation Fund is funded by aviation taxes. It does not come from the general public or general taxes or anything else.”

Gaines also “talked a little bit about our efforts to get scheduled service. Typically, those folks understand the significance of scheduled air service to a region and the importance of trying to get scheduled service in this area.”

At some point, “There may be a need to meet with State Commerce both in Arizona and Nevada to talk about how they might help us to create some funds, i.e. grants, that would support our air service development efforts,” Gaines said.

An economic impact study from the Arizona Department of Transportation Aeronautics Division will be released soon with “a report out on each individual airport,” he said.

“The study shows if the state and the federal government make an investment into public airports, there is a return quite significant to the communities and it has an even bigger impact from the standpoint that we don’t use any local money, tax money from city, county, to operate the airport. We’re basically financially self-supporting,” Gaines said.

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