Comments on: Tiny Airports Get Big Cut of Stimulus Cash
Small, Rural Airports Get Big Payouts While Safety Violations at Major National Airports Get Little Attention
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- That's not true.....please go to the General Aviation Serves America website for more information. Just remember that those that fly todays' Jets had to learn someplace and that was in a small airplane at your neighborhood/town/city/village airport.......
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- LEWISBURG, W.Va. (AP) - The Greenbrier Valley Airport is getting more than $1 million in federal stimulus funds to improve its terminal.
Senators Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller and Rep. Nick Rahall announced the funding Monday.
The Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement Program will distribute a total $1.1 billion in stimulus funding to airport projects around the country.
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These must be those hard core Republicans someone was referring to. - Reply to this comment
- "In Alaska, $15 million dollars went to build a bigger, better airport for the town of Ouizinkie"
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Well you can't call it the airport to nowhere... - Reply to this comment
- So this should mean, that boat owners should be able to get stimulas money to upgrade their marinas, since fireboats, rescueboats,police boats,commercial fishing boats use these small marinas. The small municipal airport near where I live is going to build a new terminal. The only aircraft I have ever seen there are all small single engine private planes, I doubt their runway is long enough for anything bigger then a four passenger plane. And I think it's only manned from 8 am to 5 pm. I have never seen any lights on there at night. What a waste of stimulas money.
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- Yes the taxpayers are getting the shaft again with these "country club" airports which in many cases are club like recreational flyers who are supported by local tax money as well as these federal give away program under the guise of stimulating the economy. Coles County ariport in Mattoon Illinois is installing a 5 mile fence at a cost of 1.6 million to keep deer from getting on the runway. Not one deer has ever been hit since the airport was constructed in the 1950s. This nonsense should stop now.
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- Let's hear about "country club" airports the next time your friend or relative needs to be medivaced from an automobile crash. Perhaps you should stop driving your "private coach" and take the bus instead??
Your "country club" airport is generating MILLIONS of dollars into YOUR local economy. Who do you think:
*Flies the EMS and organ donor flights?
*Maintains the airplanes?
*Resurfaces the runways
*Sells the gas?
*Provides Training?
*Provides Security?
*Mows the grass?
*Flies the Fed Ex carrier that delivers your urgent local packages?
*Runs the tower?
*Runs the airport?
*Pays millions in tax dollars via fuel taxes?
Just because you don't see activity the exact moment you drive by in your "private coach" doesn't mean that your local airport isn't creating MILLIONS of dollars for YOUR local economy.
THESE ARE JOBS!!!! Local, high paying, jobs that make your local economy prosper and grow.
- Welcome to "We are from the Government and we are here to help" Pilots probably don't want the fence any more than you do. This is courtesy of the Transportation Security Administration where they will keep the Terrists out of your public local airport, not to mention pilots and the public as well. At least it will be safe.
- Let's hear about "country club" airports the next time your friend or relative needs to be medivaced from an automobile crash. Perhaps you should stop driving your "private coach" and take the bus instead??
- More than any other, I disagree with "In Alaska, $15 million dollars went to build a bigger, better airport for the town of Ouizinkie [...]".
Why? We're getting double-billed...Alaska charges the companies that harvest oil up there a royalty, which the oil companies turn right around and recoup from us at the pump and at the oil furnace.
But Alaska uses those royalties to give their citizens big fat checks - instead of building bigger, better airports for towns like Ouizinkie.
Of course, Alaska isn't the only state that bills the rest of the country for support by harvesting oil royalties that the rest of us pay.
Strangely, all the ones that do - double-bill us, that is - tend to elect hard-core Republicans to the House and Senate.
Go figure. - Reply to this comment
- Purdue University Airport has the second largest number of aircraft operations our of all airport in Indian, second only to Indianapolis, and ranks 153rd out of over 500 Air Traffic Control Towers in terms of most operations worked each year. The airport serves Purdue University's Flight School, where hundreds of students a year become professional pilots. 1 in 5 commercial pilots in the US learned to fly at Purdue University, and 22 American astronauts, including Niel Armstrong, either learned to fly at Purdue or attened the university. The airport serves a vital, and very important role in US aviation.
The person who wrote this story has no clue what they are talking about, and obviously was just trying to sell a story by making tax payer money seem like its wasted on small airports. What a shame. CBS news got this one wrong big time. - Reply to this comment
- I've respected your fair and insightful reporting over the years. However your news crew woefully missed the mark when you jumped on beating up an integral part of America's economic engine. Small airports are the backbone of small business. Especially those areas not served by the Hub and Spoke systems of our Nations air carriers. Small airports provide the the site of your news crew helicopters, life-flight operations, fire fighting operations, medical transplant flights, banking, mercy flights of those suffering from cancer and not insured. The most important function for our economy is the expeditious transport of business owners, managers and staff. From the large western rural states to those eastern economic centers small airports are the key for our recovery. Please step back and review your facts and redirect your producers goals.
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- So this should mean, that boat owners should be able to get stimulas money to upgrade their marinas, since fireboats, rescueboats,police boats,commercial fishing boats use these small marinas. The small municipal airport near where I live is going to build a new terminal. The only aircraft I have ever seen there are all small single engine private planes, I doubt their runway is long enough for anything bigger then a four passenger plane. And I think it's only manned from 8 am to 5 pm. I have never seen any lights on there at night. What a waste of stimulas money.
- re: jsd330
Just because there's no lights on there at night doesn't mean that the airport is closed. Also there are some airports where the pilot can turn on the airport lights from the air at night.
As for the upgraded marinas if it's "shovel ready", public use, and the general public receives some benefits from it than in short yes, but not just because fireboats, rescueboats etc. us it.
- Gates 89,,,obviously you are only interested in something that you benefit from...for the rest of us taxpayers,,as usually we are getting the shaft.....again.
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- That's not true.....please go to the General Aviation Serves America website for more information. Just remember that those that fly todays' Jets had to learn someplace and that was in a small airplane at your neighborhood/town/city/village airport.......
- PorkBama!
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- RE: tonites story on General aviation airports getting stimulus money. First, I'm pretty sure you will be hearing from the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association (AOPA). They will point out a great many things. My question is are you sure Stimulus $$ was used and not ADAP funds ? Williamson Sodus Airport is considered a 'releiver' airport for Rochester, New York and as such qualified for a grant from the Aviation Trust Fund. All airports can draw from this fund, tho government red tape is encountered sometimes. The money that goes into the Trust Fund is collected from all aviation surcharges & taxes on tickets and gasoline. A 60Minutes piece on General Aviation would be a great followup to this story if the information presented was "onesided" as fairreporting has stated above. Harrison Ford is our spokesman for the General Aviation Serves America program. As you can tell I am a aviation enthusiast and licensed pilot and have flown into Williamson Sodus Airport on occasion. The upgrade to the runway/airport was very much needed.
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- RE: tonites story on General aviation airports getting stimulus money. First, I'm pretty sure you will be hearing from the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association (AOPA). They will point out a great many things. My question is are you sure Stimulus $$ was used and not ADAP funds ? Williamson Sodus Airport is considered a 'releiver' airport for Rochester, New York and as such qualified for a grant from the Aviation Trust Fund. All airports can draw from this fund, tho government red tape is encountered sometimes. The money that goes into the Trust Fund is collected from all aviation surcharges & taxes on tickets and gasoline. A 60Minutes piece on General Aviation would be a great followup to this story if the information presented was "onesided" as fairreporting has stated above. Harrison Ford is our spokesman for the General Aviation Serves America program. As you can tell I am a aviation enthusiast and licensed pilot and have flown into Williamson Sodus Airport on occasion. The upgrade to the runway/airport was very much needed.
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- Very disappointed in CBS News. This is one of the most one sided news reports I have ever seen. There was no discussion of the billions of dollars put into the US economy by General Aviation. In addition, many rural areas through out the US rely on these small airports to survive; from the delivery of medical services to cargo; general aviation is absolutely necessary and requires that these small airports be available. The "major airports" receive the majority of federal funds devoted to aviation; that was not mentioned in this report. A great resource for specific economic data related to aviation can be accessed through the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Maybe CBS News will consider doing a follow up piece where the entire story can be told.
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- Why no mention of murthas boondogle ?
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- These "tiny airports" are just like the small businesses that America needs to encourage and develope. They generate MILLIONS of dollars for their local economies. And let's not forget that every gallon of aviation fuel is TAXED to to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars - historically this money not been used to maintain our aviation infrastructure.
These "small airports" and "small airplanes" generate 1.3 MILLION, high paying, high wage jobs in the United States. That's a HUGE employer in my book!
THE "SMALL AIRPORTS" ARE A GREAT INVESTMENT!!
This article is pretty lopsided CBS!!!!!
- These "tiny airports" are just like the small businesses that America needs to encourage and develope. They generate MILLIONS of dollars for their local economies. And let's not forget that every gallon of aviation fuel is TAXED to to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars - historically this money not been used to maintain our aviation infrastructure.
