Lance Gale, manager of the Ely Airport, reported general aviation’s impact on Nevada airports in a recent issue of the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Key elements of Lance’s editorial include:

• Ely Airport provides a way for local businesses to connect to far-off markets, and whenever a part breaks, which happens up to three times a month, a replacement part is flown in to our airport to be transported to the mine.
• Once every two weeks, scientists and engineers fly into the airport and head to the oil field to test the systems, fields and pumps.
• There are more than 10 flights per week out of our airport to take patients to hospitals in other cities such as Reno, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. Were it not for our airport, patients would have to drive hours to see a specialized doctor.
• From the middle of May to the end of September the Ely Airport supports fixed-wing planes and helicopters, which are used by smokejumpers or firefighters who have the dangerous job of parachuting into remote areas to combat these wildfires.
• With a statewide total annual economic output of more than $1.1 billion, general aviation is an essential part of our economy.

Click here to read the entire editorial.