Governor Jim Doyle has signed an official proclamation making the week of July 20-26 Wisconsin Aviation Week. Doyle said, “I encourage all Wisconsin residents this week to join me in saluting the men and women that make our commercial and general aviation airports some of the best in the world.”
Aviation important to Wisconsin’s economy
According to the State’s Department of Transportation, aviation and airports generate almost $3 billion in economic activity and support more than 41,000 jobs in the state of Wisconsin.
In his proclamation, the Governor says, “aviation not only drives Wisconsin’s economy, it improves our overall quality of life by providing vital emergency medical transportation, enhancing public safety by assisting law enforcement, and transporting leisure travelers to their destinations quickly and safely.”
According to the Governor, Wisconsin is receiving American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to improve state runways, navigational equipment, lighting and other equipment essential to airport functioning.
EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh brings in added revenue
Wisconsin Aviation Week occurs one week prior to one of the world’s largest aviation events, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture 2009 convention which takes place in Oshkosh, Wisconsin July 27 – August 2.
The EAA AirVenture, which first began in 1953, is now an international event and typically draws more than 700,000 aviation enthusiasts. During the week-long event, the site becomes the world’s busiest airport with approximately 2,500 show aircraft participating, including homebuilt aircraft, antique and military planes, ultralights, and rotorcraft. The event has been attended in the past by celebrity flight enthusiasts, such as Harrison Ford, John Travolta, and the late John F. Kennedy, Jr.
The EEA AirVenture convention brings tens of millions of dollars into the Wisconsin economy annually.
More facts about aviation’s impact on Wisconsin's economy
According to information provided by the Transportation Development Association (TDA) of Wisconsin, the state has 132 public use airports, 415 private-use airports, and 146 heliports (including those used by hospitals).
“Wisconsin’s airports play a key role in our state’s transportation system by moving people and goods and by attracting jobs,” says TDA executive director Craig Thompson. “They connect us to the global economy and they bring the world to our communities.”
The State Dept. of Transporation’s Bureau of Aeronautics reports that Wisconsin flights served 5.7 million passengers in 2008 and about the same number in 2007. Wisconsin aviation also moved nearly 120 million tons of cargo, an increase of 2.7 percent from 2007.
Air transport services are so important to the business community that 85 percent of new businesses in Wisconsin have located within 15 miles of a jet-capable airport, according to the TDA. There are over 5,000 registered aircraft and 12,000 pilots in Wisconsin.
“The fact that Wisconsin’s airports are holding their own during the current economic crisis is just one indication of how aviation works for Wisconsin – it is an industry that is poised to help Wisconsin’s economy rebound from these difficult times,” says Thompson.
The Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin is a statewide nonprofit organization representing the interests of more than 400 member organizations working to ensure the vitality of Wisconsin’s transportation network. The TDA was a prime mover in encouraging the Governor to sign the Wisconsin Aviation Week proclamation.
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