THE BENEFITS OF ASSOCIATION:
        Working With Others

While different organizations and associations represent different segments of the aviation community, there's no question that all of them share a unified desire to protect and preserve our nation's system of airports. The reason is simple -- without airports, aviation goes nowhere, and all the economic and societal benefits of aviation would never be realized.

At the beginning of "Lessons Learned" we stated that it wasn't our intention to rewrite the book on how to save your local airport because the task had already been completed with great success in various ways by numerous others. If you've been involved with aviation for anything over an hour, you know many of these associations by name: Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association; National Business Aviation Association; Experimental Aircraft Association; American Association of Airport Executives; National Air Transport Association; Helicopter Association International; among many others. When called by their acronyms, the list is a veritable alphabet soup of aviation knowledge, experience and expertise.

Among efforts developed by the Airplane Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is its grassroots Airport Support Program. Just as all politics is local, so, too, are the first steps in saving an aviation resource. The Airport Support Program recognizes this by making certain that the first line of defense in protecting an airport is manned by those who use it and benefit from it directly. AOPA has a long list of other useful materials and programs too.

Helicopter Association International (HAI) has long recognized the special impacts its members have on any community surrounding an airport or heliport with significant levels of helicopter use. HAI's Fly Neighborly Program plays a vital role in reminding pilots of the importance of following established patterns and airport guidelines.

That's no different for the fixed-wing corporate pilot who refers to the National Business Aviation Association's (NBAA) Airports Handbook for tips on how to work toward the mutual goal of preserving airports.
We could write pages on the many programs and materials available from such groups. Instead we hope to point you to them so you hear it directly.

The resources exist. The body of knowledge has considerable expertise. It's incumbent on all of us in aviation to take advantage of the resources that have been developed not only to promote aviation and the local airport, but also to provide the tools necessary to preserve them. Airports and their users must work with the various associations and organizations and add their resources to the toolkit to be used in defense of airports.

View the National Associations and Organizations page for more information on what these membership-based groups have to share about airport preservation. And please let us know if you find additional groups and information to add.