DOT Secretary Ray Lahood Visits Wichita for a GA rally ...

… could this signal a wakeup call for the Obama Administration? Says Lahood in his daily blog, “I've traveled all across the U.S. and I have rarely been so warmly welcomed. These are proud American workers, and they have good reason to be proud. General aviation is a big driver of economic opportunity and innovation, supporting 1.2 million jobs across the country and contributing more than $150 billion to our nation’s economy.”  During the rally, Lahood told some 2,000 general aviation workers that he would try to convince President Obama to visit Wichita to see firsthand the impact on jobs and exports that the industry has. Good idea. Kudos to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), which organized the rally along with Learjet, Hawker-Beechcraft, Bombardier, and Cessna. Besides Lahood, others in attendance included Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, Senator Jerry Moran, and Congressman Mike Pompeo. Comments GAMA CEO Pete Bunce, “The Kansas rally today served as a tremendous opportunity to showcase our industry to the Administration.  The fabric of general aviation touches thousands of communities across North America and is rapidly expanding to all parts of the world.  This industry is an economic engine of growth and needs to be promoted and nurtured by our elected officials at every opportunity.” Perhaps the Wichita Eagle said it best in a subsequent editorial, “Wichita didn’t need to host a big rally Monday to remind itself that it’s still the Air Capital of the World — the place where more than 40 percent of the world’s general aviation aircraft is assembled and the reason Kansas is No. 1 in U.S. general aviation exports.” No, it didn’t need a rally … but a rallying cry that could be heard in the halls of Washington, D.C. could help. Comments by the President during the economic tsunami devastated general aviation. Seeing Mr. Obama applauding the role of GA to jobs and industry while standing in front of a Citation or King Air would be a welcome first step toward an official apology. Let’s hope Lahood can sway the President to make that visit. Thanks for reading. jfi