Aviation Caucus will Focus on State's Expanding Aviation Industry

Mar. 15—A House-Senate group dedicated to bolstering and expanding the aviation and aeronautics industry in Kentucky recently had its first meeting, with Rep. Jonathan Dixon named the co-chairman.

Dixon, a Henderson Republican who represents part of Daviess County, was named co-chair of the Aeronautics/Aviation Caucus. The caucus is made up of legislators from both political parties who will study aviation issues with industry officials and recommend legislation.

" Kentucky is situated in a good position," Dixon said last week. "The number one export for Kentucky is aerospace."

Robert Riggs, a member of the Kentucky Aviation Association board of directors, said Kentucky exported more than $11 billion in aviation and aerospace materials in 2019.

"It has grown by double-digits for the last 10 years," Riggs said.

Dixon said Kentucky also has a large footprint in aviation education, with 23 aviation schools.

"Our state is definitely at the top when it comes to aerospace and aviation," he said.

Riggs said aviation is important to economic development statewide, and the Aviation Association has several goals it wants to work on with lawmakers.

"As an organization, KAA has been trying to spread the message and make sure legislators understand" the role of aviation and aerospace in the state, Riggs said. "It's quite difficult to do it individually" among lawmakers.

A goal is to "try to take away the stigma of the airport (being) the rich guy's hobby," he said.

Kentucky ideally needs airports with runways of at least 5,000 feet within a 20- to 30-minute drive of most locations, Riggs said. Runways of that length are preferred among insurance companies that insure corporate jets, and corporate officials look for access to airports when doing site selections for facilities, Riggs said.

"We probably lose out on opportunities" due to not having enough 5,000-foot-long runways," Riggs said.

The association would like to work with the Aviation Caucus to change laws to benefit airports that want to attract industries and to look for ways to fund airport improvements, Riggs said.

"Back in the 1980s, Tennessee enacted a jet fuel sales that to pay for economic development," Riggs said. "... It generated so much money they were able to build airports all over the place."

Before then, Kentucky and Tennessee's economies "were parallel," Riggs said. "But you can see the change in ( Tennessee's) economy when they started building those airports. It's all about access."

Dixon said he hopes the caucus helps educate people about the importance of aviation and aeronautics in Kentucky.

"What we would like to see accomplished is the caucus starts building an interest" in aviation, Dixon said. "... I have had individuals across the state reach out to me, but we are still too early to develop any ideas."

James Mayse, 270-691-7303, [email protected], Twitter: @JamesMayse

James Mayse, 270-691-7303, [email protected], Twitter: @JamesMayse

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