By Lynne Napton
Williston Herald
Friday, March 11, 2011
North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple announced his statewide proclamation that named March 6-12 as Aviation Week at the Upper Midwest Aviation Symposium in Minot earlier this week. The purpose of Aviation Week is to highlight the critical impact that aviation, especially general aviation, has on North Dakota’s economy and life.
“The officials in the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission have been talking about this for quite a while,” said Selena Shilad, Executive Director of the Alliance for Aviation Across America. “I think this is great step.”
In North Dakota, aviation brings in $248 million in economic activity and supports 2,500 jobs. North Dakota has 3,800 pilots, 88 public use airports and boasts one of the top flight schools in the nation, located at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. Last year, according to the proclamation signed by Dalrymple, air travel tourism contributed $500 million to the state’s economy, aerial applicators sprayed more than four million acres of crops, two million packages were delivered as a result of air delivery and 500 air emergency ambulance flights were deployed.
“We commend Governor Dalrymple for highlighting the importance of aviation across North Dakota. General aviation is a literal lifeline for businesses, law enforcement, farmers, medical personnel and charities in small towns and rural communities in North Dakota and across the county,” Shilad said.
http://www.willistonherald.com/articles/2011/03/11/news/doc4d7a4ffcc6401572125460.txt
Source: WILLSTON HERALD
Date: 2011-03-11