SHAPING PERCEPTIONS
NATA, AOPA offer assistance for improving community relations
By Lindsay M. Hitch, Assistant Editor
July 2001
The public’s perception of an airport plays a large role in determining its long-term success. NATA and AOPA recommend ways to mold the public’s opinion and knowledge of the airport’s impact. Following is a look at their suggestions and hands-on tools.
The National Air Transportation Association
offers its recently unveiled "Community Relations Toolkit,"
while the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Associa-tion has available "Obtaining
Com-munity Support for Your Local Airport." With both, the theme
is one of education.
Most opposition to airports stems from fear
of aviation-related accidents, noise, or views of the airport as a tax
drain rather than a contributor to the community’s economic growth,
they say. For these reasons, many of the suggestions center around community
education through airport events, involvement in community activities,
and the media.
NATA and AOPA recommend airport open houses,
airport friends/ support groups, speakers bureaus, partnerships with local
education, assisting in disasters, fostering ties with local media, communication
with local politicians, economic impact studies, and in general taking
a visible stake in the community.
THE TOOLKIT
The NATA community relations handbook was
released at its annual convention in May. Reflecting NATA’s membership,
the toolkit is aimed at owners and operators of airport-based businesses
and managers of general aviation airports. The manual’s suggestions
range from simple ideas, like a paper airplane contest, to major activities,
like an open house or airshow. Each airport is at a different stage in
its community relations development, and each faces different problems,
says NATA. The toolkit stresses trying the ideas that seem to fit, not
necessarily trying all of them.
The toolkit is set up in four phases of
relations improvement, and is intended to be followed step by step:
• Phase 1. "Developing a Community
Relations Program" outlines a number of ways to get started.
• Phase 2. "Implementing Community
Outreach Elements" builds on the ideas in Phase 1 and suggests more
complex projects.
• Phase 3. "Communicating Effectively
and Resolving Conflicts" provides advice for handling public opposition.
• Phase 4. "Pulling It All Together
— Strategies for Action" outlines specific strategies to follow
depending on the airport’s situation and goals.
The phases are somewhat interrelated, and
as the toolkit’s suggestions are meant to be taken in part, it may
prove most valuable to read the entire kit before implementing its ideas.
Phase 1 includes some information that may
be helpful in supporting the airport argument and finding supporters.
A list of airport and general aviation statistics may prove powerful when
speaking to civic and voters groups. For example, do they know that "70
percent of general aviation flights are flown for business purposes"
and that "general aviation airports are a major factor in relocation
decisions by companies, both large and small"?
Finding a group of community members to
begin an airport support group can be a great way to improve community
relations without doing all the work in-house, according to NATA. Among
the possible supporters mentioned in the toolkit are airport tenants and
employees, agricultural agents, emergency medical teams, firefighters,
law enforcement officers, military personnel, student pilots, and flight
instructors. The kit also recommends recruiting from the organizations
to which those people belong.
GETTING USERS INVOLVED
The major difference between the two associations’
handbooks is in the audiences for whom they are written. Because its membership
is mainly airport users, AOPA’s "Obtaining Community Support
for Your Local Airport" primarily focuses on efforts of an airport
support group. The guidebook encourages working with airport managers
and airport-based businesses in joint projects, but suggests activities
the support group can do on its own, for the most part.
The community support guidebook is broken
into five sections:
• organizing an airport group;
• public relations and political action;
• worth/value of the airport;
• airport noise, safety, and land use
planning; and
• a resource guide.
Each section provides guidelines for specific
aspects of public relations.
AOPA’s guidebook stresses two major
points. First, an airport support group, even if organized initially by
pilots, should include non-pilots and people not generally associated
with the airport. Second, be prepared with facts. The easiest way to counter
emotional arguments is with hard and fast statistics. The guidebook then
goes on to list general statistics and explains how to determine numbers
specific to each airport. AOPA’s materials also include an event
planning checklist.
To obtain copies or for more information,
contact NATA at (800)808-NATA or www.nata-online.org; or AOPA at (800)USA-AOPA
or www.aopa.org.
AOPA’s Airport Support Network
Started in October 1997, the Airport Support Network is an airport advocacy group for AOPA members. The program includes a number of publications and visual aids for volunteers, including...
• Airports: A Valuable Community Resource,
The Guide to Obtaining Community Support for Your Local Airport
• AOPA’s Guide to Land Use and
Airport Noise
• The Complete Guide to Holding an
Airport Open House
• Flying Friendly (video)
• Local Airports Across America (video)
11 Steps for Improving the Airport’s Image
NATA’s Community Relations Toolkit offers an eleven-step outline for use in improving the image and understanding of the airport. Some highlights ...
1) Remember to plan.
2) Find out who is looking for information
about what’s going on regarding special interests in the community.
Is it real estate developers and agents concerned with nearby property?
Maybe schools, subdivisions, employment agencies? Make the calls, offer
to meet with representatives, and give tours of aviation facilities.
3) Airports are usually tied to state or
local government. Study the issues, form an opinion, and offer support
when it makes sense. Be ready (with written statements) to tell the media.
4) Know the local media. Who reports on
community events? Who writes about issues related to aviation and business?
Contact these people and make recommendations.
5) Contact the airport and offer support
of their efforts. Encourage employees to volunteer on standing or ad hoc
committees which might need help. Offer to serve when a vacancy arises
on the advisory committee.
6) Put the company’s best speaker forward.
If given a chance to talk about what the company does, make sure the right
person is delivering the message.
7) Canvas employees and create a list of
organizations to which they belong. Let them know that company representatives
are willing to meet with or speak to their groups if the occasion arises.
Pitch in with sports team uniforms or perhaps a hole sponsorship at golf
tournaments.
8) Be controversial without being combative.
Community relations need to be nurtured ... it’s a relationship —
not a war.
9) Look at the company facility as a possible
site for civic groups to hold meetings. Hold an open house. Take the opportunity
to conduct tours for guests. Give attendees parting gifts (pens, note
pads, etc.).
10) When the company does something special,
take pictures. If the Girl Scouts are on tour, snap a group photo. Be
sure the troop gets copies and make an extra one to send to friends in
the local media. If the company doesn’t tell people what it is doing,
how will they know?
11)Get in touch with and support groups
that are grooming the next generation of civic leaders, business owners,
and journalists. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Jaycees, and Junior Achievers
will grow up to be constituencies in the future. Explain aviation jargon,
such as "secret" acronyms like FBO and avgas.
