This just in from city hall’s communication office:
“Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer has joined with mayors in Arizona and Iowa in a joint letter of protest over a USA Today article published last week regarding federal funding of airports. The letter, shown below, was issued by the Alliance for Aviation Across American. It notes several major facts that were ignored by the author of the article in the national newspaper.”
The USA Today story has an interactive map that shows Wichita’s Mid-Continent Airport had 60 grants worth $131,054,559 in 28 years. The grants, the report says, come mostly from taxes on airline tickets.
Follow the jump to a letter Brewer signed to the newspaper:
Dear Editor,
Your recent article, (“Feds keep little-used airports in business,” 9/18), unfortunately missed a multitude of facts – most of which contradict the author’s apparent predetermined thesis.
First, Mr. Frank’s statement that general aviation airports only serve “private” pilots is patently false. The truth is that the FAA has made it a national priority to maintain these airports because they are used by the National Guard, law enforcement, air ambulances, search and rescue operators, flight schools, small businesses, charitable organizations, farmers and ranchers, as well as for medical care and organ and blood transplant. For those of us who don’t live in Washington, DC, New York City or many other large cities, these airports are a literal lifeline to gain access to resources, business and medical care.
Moreover, Mr. Frank completely ignores the safety factors that primarily determine what airports get AIP funding, instead dismissing the funding as unnecessary money for “runway repairs and noise mitigation.” Most importantly, Mr. Frank’s “assessment” that these funds are an “unfair subsidy” to small airports is a downright insult to rural America. General aviation – which serves as a lifeline to thousands of communities without commercial air service – is responsible for generating 1.2 million jobs and $150 billion in economic impact for the United States. In Kansas, which includes Wichita as the “Air Capital of the World,” general aviation contributes $7.2 billion each year to our state’s economy, and general aviation manufacturers like Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft, and Bombardier employ thousands. In Iowa, general aviation airports employ over 2,200 people and provide $187 million in economic output to the state. In Arizona, the impact of general aviation activity and support services in Arizona is approximately $842 million.
Mr. Frank may think that these airports are unimportant, but on behalf of thousands of rural communities around the country and millions of hard-working Americans, we respectfully disagree.
Sincerely,
Mayor Carl Brewer – Wichita, KS City Hall, 1st Floor MS 1-135 455 N. Main Wichita, KS 67202 (316) 268-4331
Mayor Steve Van Oort – Ankeny, IA 2505 NW 3rd Street Ankeny, IA 50023 515-965-9036
steve@stevevanoort.com Mayor Rick Fernau – Show Low, AZ
City of Show Low, AZ 550 North 9th Place Show Low, AZ 85901 928-537-7751
28 Comments
Well said, Mayor Brewer.
Sic’em Mayor we are not a bunch of hicks here in Kansas.
Thanks, Carl. There is a reason we choose to live here and not in the coastal Metro areas.
Nice to see Mayor Brewer finally has the backbone to stand up for Wichita and the aviation industry. This is in marked contrast to his silence when the industry was attacked by Obama and some members of Congress. Apparently he’s not angling for a job with USA Today.
I’m surprised that there’s still people out there reading USA Today…
Maybe us hicks ought to keep all the products we produce, you know like food and see how unfair that is to the big city boys. We may be unimportant hicks out here in rural America, but without us the economy those New Yorkers depend on would be substantially lower without the commodities market. Good job Mayor Brewer!
“Maybe us hicks ought to keep all the products we produce, you know like food and see how unfair that is to the big city boys.”
Haha! Now THAT was funny, Credence.
That is an EXCELLENT letter, Mayor Brewer.
Rural America deserves to suffer, Kansas flyover zone is irrelevant to anyone that matters.
Film at -11.
Ok, This story has been out for a week and the response is a letter with pretty much the same substance as all the comments posted on the USAT website? Was his arm pulled to write a letter opposing the democrat frame of thought? Rep. Barney Frank, not to be confused with the author, has been against GA for years!
Someone had better define “General Aviation” this does not usually include scheduled airlines in any way shape or form.
wecandobetter Posted September 23, 2009 at 3:55 pm | Permalink Nice to see Mayor Brewer finally has the backbone to stand up for Wichita and the aviation industry. This is in marked contrast to his silence when the industry was attacked by Obama and some members of Congress. Apparently he’s not angling for a job with USA Today.
Mayor Brewer was just as vocal with President Obama as he is in this letter. Anyone who knows the man would not question whether he has a backbone.
Perhaps you should pay closer attention next time.
Local leaders on Tuesday invited President Barack Obama to Wichita in hopes of showing him first-hand the importance of general aviation to the community.
In a resolution read aloud at Tuesday’s Wichita City Council meeting, Mayor Carl Brewer read, “it would be a national economic tragedy if this essential business fundamental was lost amid the sensational news coverage of ill-advised corporate-jet travel by a tiny percentage of corporate America.”
The resolution continued by formally inviting Obama to visit Wichita “for a first-hand view of our aircraft industry and see the value of the thousands of jobs that support our local, state and national economy.”
In addition, Brewer also wrote the President a letter in which he states that he shares Obama’s concern over the misuse of corporate jets. However, “as Mayor of this great Midwestern city that takes great pride in the title of ‘Air Capital of the World,’ ” Brewer writes, “I urge you to consider the big picture when referencing the misuse of corporate jets.”
Brewer concludes his letter by again inviting Obama to personally visit Wichita.
http://wichita.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2009/03/09/daily14.html
Maybe Obama should take into consideration that the major mechanical work on the presidential aircraft happens here in Wichita. He might want to make sure that skill levels and moral stay high here.
I want to see Brewer out on Kellogg with a breadboard!
Memo to Horatio_Alger: It took our fearless Mayor exactly one month to the day to muster the courage to write the letter inviting Obama to Wichita after Obama criticized the purchase of corporate jets and companies taking trips to Las Vegas. And this came only after he was criticized on the radio and in the Eagle. In contrast it took the Mayor of Las Vegas less than 24hours to stand up and defend his city. Maybe our Mayor was busy planning his next trip to China.
If you have had any dealings at all with Carl you would know this clown is an idiot.
wecandobetter Posted September 23, 2009 at 6:47 pm | Permalink Memo to Horatio_Alger: It took our fearless Mayor exactly one month to the day to muster the courage to write the letter inviting Obama to Wichita after Obama criticized the purchase of corporate jets and companies taking trips to Las Vegas. And this came only after he was criticized on the radio and in the Eagle. In contrast it took the Mayor of Las Vegas less than 24hours to stand up and defend his city. Maybe our Mayor was busy planning his next trip to China.
Stop backpeddling.
First you said that Mayor Brewer never stood up to Obama and now you admit he did but in the same breath you tell yet another lie.
Obama addressed Congress on Feb 24, in which he criticized CEO’s and ill advised corporate jet usage. Seven days later, Mayor Brewer mailed the letter to Obama criticizing his comments to Congress.
Once again, please pay closer attention to what you post.
dad Posted September 23, 2009 at 7:44 pm | Permalink If you have had any dealings at all with Carl you would know this clown is an idiot.
A child molester calling the mayor and idiot. I’ve heard it all.
Are we a little touchy there, Horatio? Chill man, chill. The mayor did a good thing this time and the opinion here seems pretty much unanimously positive. No need to get all defensive just because the mayor has been an spineless idiot in the past and was called on it. That is unless you are the mayor in disguise…
I have had a lot of dealings with the Mayor and he is a smart professional. He has earned the respect of many community leaders. Brewer is a citizen like us that has committed himself to serving others. Having some take cheap shots at him is one of the things he has to endure as do other public figures.
Don’t you wonder who wrote this letter ? Trust me, it sure wasn’t Carl Brewer….
I’m actually impressed with Mid-Continents numbers. Our airports sees more Departures and take-offs than many other cities, like OKC, Tulsa, Omaha and etc. We are almost up neck-to-neck with Kansas City.
That’s telling you how much use Mid-Continent receives. It doesn’t matter if commerical/general aviation, the use tells you something.
Good for the Mayor, but one has to consider the source of the article.
The USA Today is known making articles or stories fit opinions or agenda driven concepts of the author/editor. They are not alone (NY Times, NBC, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, CNN).
The mayors involved may get lucky and get a correction or retraction, but it will be buried in the little read portion of the paper.
What do you expect from a pack of libs?!
Way to go MR. Brewer
HobbyFlyer Posted September 23, 2009 at 8:39 pm | Permalink
No need to get all defensive just because the mayor has been an spineless idiot in the past and was called on it.
It’s fairly easy to call soemone out on an issue when you blatantly lie and recreate history to suit your agenda.
HobbyFlyer Posted September 23, 2009 at 8:39 pm | Permalink
No need to get all defensive just because the mayor has been an spineless idiot in the past and was called on it.
It’s fairly easy to call soemone out on an issue when you blatantly lie and recreate history to suit your agenda. Oops…forgot to say great post! Looking forward to your next one.
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