Dear Members and Fellow Aviators:
I would like to take this time to thank all of members for their continued support and commitment to our organization, which is even more appreciated during this unprecedented time in our industry. I would also like to thank our board members for their commitment, devotion and passion to our organization and all of their efforts to further the cause of general aviation here on Long Island. It can be a very thankless job but I certainly recognize your efforts and am grateful for your participation.
As we distance ourselves from 2009, I cannot help but look back on what may have been the most trying year our industry has ever faced.
First, we have all suffered the consequences of the most troubled economy both here and abroad since the Great Depression. It is an accomplishment that we have all hung in through that.
There was also the continued fallout from the three automakers’ CEOs’ decision to fly to Washington D.C. aboard private jets to seek billions of dollars in taxpayer assistance from Congress, and their subsequent inability to explain or defend the importance of corporate aircraft on the appropriate missions.
The media then assaulted our industry with misinformation on numerous occasions and helped create an environment that sought to punish companies and individuals for utilizing corporate jets in the normal course of their business.
Those events alone were enough to inflict damage that causes many companies to alter the way they conducted their business, but further fear spread throughout our industry when our own President used the State of the Union Address and other platforms to disparage CEO’s and virtually anyone else for their use of private jets.
These attacks further fueled the media and the American public, creating a hostile atmosphere that questioned the validity of owning such jets and starting a tsunami of damage that left in its path the loss of thousands of jobs, both direct and indirect, the free fall of aircraft values, new tax policies against our industry, and placing us all in a defensive posture, forcing us to further educate the public and our elected officials that general aviation “does have a purpose” and many benefits, not the least of which is job creation and tax revenue.
With the help of AOPA, NATA, GAMA and other alphabet organizations on both the national and local levels, we started educational campaigns such as No Plane No Gain that touted the value and importance of our industry. General Aviation is vital to our national economy and employs 1.3 million men and women and contributes 150 billion dollars annually to our economy. Of all business aviation flights 86% are for transporting mid level management and sales forces that are the driving force of our economy. This was the message we started to emphasize repeatedly in meetings and conversations with elected officials, interviews with print media, and appearances on television news outlets throughout the country.
It appears the message is finally starting to settle in and there is far less rhetoric directed at general aviation today than just a year ago, but there still is much work to be done to hopefully return to the levels we once achieved. If our elected leaders ever really questioned the validity and importance of general aviation, they need look no further then the recent earthquake in Haiti, and the massive outpouring of support provided by general aviation that no doubt helped to save countless lives by flying in critical medical supplies, doctors, clothing and food to remote locations when the main airport in Port Au Prince was not an option. It is this humanitarian side of our industry that is so vitally important in times of disaster that it should never be taken for granted.
From a local level we have been a very active organization this past year, working hard to continue to further our own causes here at home. With our terrific association with the New York Aviation Management Association (NYAMA) we were able to help avoid the implication of a 5% luxury tax on aircraft here in New York State. We also won a major victory for aircraft owners and general aviation shops by securing a permanent exemption on the issuance of sales tax as it relates to aircraft maintenance, repair and parts sales. This victory was even more impressive when you consider that at the time it was passed our state legislature was in complete disarray and tax incentives for aviation were not fashionable to say the least.
As we move headlong into 2010 we have many issues that require our attention, diligence and the support of our membership. In brief these are items of concern for our organization this year:
- Continued affiliation with NYAMA as we help support their efforts to get an Aviation Jobs Bill passed that includes a provision to seek full exemption on sales tax for the purchase of aircraft here in NY. If approved and passed, the bill will also help to eliminate the killer charter sales tax that was instituted last June.
- Participation in town hall meetings and additional support for the users of Brookhaven Airport as they face town efforts to increase landing fees and a general lack of much needed support services for the airport.
- Monitoring of the Eastern Regional Helicopter Association and their interaction with the residents of East Hampton and the possible restrictions regarding flight patterns and altitude restrictions at East Hampton Airport.
- Continued vigilance in opposing proposals to expand the Class B airspace affecting both MacArthur and Republic Airports.
- Help NYAMA in their efforts to create an Aviation Caucus here in New York that will help be a political ally regarding general aviation issues state wide.
Those are just some of our challenges, but certainly not all of them.
We continue to rely on our membership to review their own businesses and keep us informed of the issues that are of importance to you. LIBAA is your organization, your voice and your instrument to use when confronted with issues that impact general aviation here on Long Island so I encourage each member to utilize it to your fullest advantage.
Please continue to support us with your membership, encourage others that are not involved to become members, and respond in force when we reach out for assistance in contacting our elected officials. Your voice needs to be heard, our voice needs to be heard and the promotion and education of our industry to our elected officials needs to be furthered. Only then can we move past the pain of 2009 and into the promise of 2010 and the years to come.
Thank you all again for your continued support and commitment and the very best this year to everyone.
Sincerely,
Eugene Portela
President
Long Island Business Aviation Association, Inc.
