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December 2004
AirTAP holds first forum
Mike Beard
Ray Rought
Bill Gartner
The Airport Technical Assistance Program (AirTAP) held its first-ever fall forum November 3 and 4 in St. Cloud, Minn.
As an experimental departure from AirTAP's one-day, one-topic training workshops traditionally held several times a year at various airports around the state, this two-day event covered a number of diverse subjects. Participants heard from aviation experts on topics that ranged from attracting business to airports, setting rates and charges, and meeting FAA minimum standards to controlling wildlife, keeping runways safe, and using the AirTAP marketing toolkit.
One special guest was Representative Michael Beard, who, in addition to chairing the House Subcommittee on Aviation, is also a general aviation pilot. "He knows what aviation is all about," said Ray Rought, director of Mn/DOT's Office of Aeronautics, when introducing Rep. Beard. "It's great that we [in general aviation] now have some advocates in the legislature."
Having just won re-election to his second term in the Minnesota House of Representatives the day before and coming off a long night spent watching election returns, Rep. Beard said that he "believes in this forum," and was eager to be part of it.
On the subject of aviation funding, he mentioned what happened several years ago, when the state was seeking to fill large budget holes. Funds meant for aviation were snagged for other uses because they were not constitutionally protected. "That got my attention," Beard explained. Through the efforts of the House Aviation Subcommittee, Beard said he is hopeful of getting the aviation funds back. "Just know that there are several of us at the legislature championing your cause."
In a much-anticipated presentation, Bill Gartner, a professor in the University of Minnesota's Department of Applied Economics, introduced a new interactive Web-based economic assessment tool that he and other University researchers developed. "It's important to try to measure what is happening with all of the smaller airports around the state," Gartner told the audience. "It was a tough task, but the tool we have developed will give you a pretty good approximation of the economic impact of your airport."
Before taking participants through a step-by-step look at the tool, Gartner clarified what is meant by "economic impact." "We are not measuring revenue or profitability, but rather we are measuring money and jobs," he said. "For example, when someone flies in to your airport, then leaves from there to a seasonal home, that is economic impact, and that's what we measure."
The tool is being tested before it becomes available to Minnesota's regional airport managers. Once that happens, users will be able to generate reports based on different scenarios, allowing them to compare different outcomes. "It should be a great tool for estimating, for example, the impact new activity would have at your airport," Gartner said.
Attendees of the forum, who represented airports across the state, took part in a number of other sessions as well as a reception and tour at the St. Cloud Regional Airport, including a discussion on commercial airports led by Jeff Hamiel, a CTS Executive Committee member and executive director of the Metropolitan Airports Commission. Many reported that the forum provided useful information as well as good networking opportunities.
"This forum was very beneficial to me in that we are currently dealing with several issues that were discussed during the sessions including airport zoning, runway safety, minimum standards, and controlling wildlife at airports," said Bill Towle, St. Cloud region airport director. "Now I have some ammunition to tackle those problems!"
Sponsors of this forum included CTS, AirTAP, the Mn/DOT Office of Aeronautics, and the Federal Aviation Administration.