Seventy mayors, county executives and councilmembers from around the U.S. are calling on President Barack Obama to speak out about the importance of general aviation to the economies of small towns and communities. In a May 6 letter, the group — part of the Alliance for Aviation Across America — points out that at least 13,000 people have lost jobs in the GA sector, with sales down by 7 percent. More than 8,000 of those job losses have occurred in Wichita, Kan., home to several GA manufacturers, including Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft and the Learjet division of Bombardier, as well as related support companies. Noting that GA contributes $150 billion to the U.S. economy per year and supports 1.2-million jobs, Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer says it is “a crucial segment to out national economy and for thousands of local economies around the country.”
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