Importance of Airports

For those who may not realize the importance of general aviation airports and the vital services they offer the local community and the entire country, recent events give good examples:

Earlier this month, local newspapers wrote about officials inspecting freeze-damaged crops. One story read in part, “Following the three-hour tour, officials boarded a twin-engine plane at Camarillo Airport for the return flight to Sacramento.” From Sacramento to Ventura County, do a job and return--all in a normal workday.

If anti-aviation contingents were to prevail, the same story could read “Officials, following a grueling 12-hour bus ride, still tired, could only cover a small area of the crop damaged area on their bicycles. Although the one train a day to the Bay Area was late, the officials hoped to rest en route and not miss the bus scheduled to Sacramento, as many had important meetings scheduled.”

What was a one-day, productive trip by a general aviation aircraft would have taken five days by ground transportation.

Ironically, the same day, my son, in less than 10 hours from first hearing of a death in the family, traveled from the New York area to Ventura County. His return trip, leaving from Oxnard Airport, meant losing only minimum time off from work.

Only a little over a year ago, after the Bay Area earthquake, general aviation volunteers, totally on their own initiative and at their own expense, flew supplies into Watsonville and Hollister airports. It was all done within hours, while governmental agencies were still trying to decide who would do what.

While many of you have not suffered crop damages nor has there recently been other disasters, your airports provide services that affect each of you daily. Support your local airports.

DONNA HOLLINGSWORTH

Camarillo