Airport Improvement Program March 11, 1988

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businesses to meet prospective clients at their place of business. It provides the rapid transportation of a critical component directly to where it is needed, avoiding temporary shutdowns and costly delays. While business and corporate flying will have the most profound effect in the future, other facets of general aviation, such as pleasure (5% national average) and instructional/proficiency (23%) flying are businesses in their own right, and also contribute to the economic and social vitality of the community. General aviation's future in the United States as a whole remains strong. G.A. aircraft account for 98% of all aircraft and consume less than 1% (.8 of 1%) of fuel used in transportation. More than 85 percent of the total number of hours flown in civil aviation are flown in general aviation, three times more than the airlines, for a total of 38 million hours annually. Americans fly over 75 percent of those hours for business and commercial purposes. The economic benefits of the airport can be categorized in two ways, intangible and tangible. The intangible economic benefits are difficult to quantify but usually far outweigh the quantifiable benefits. Among these intangible economic benefits are the efficient transportation service to area businesses, the attractiveness of the community to potential businesses if air transportation is available, the exposure of the community to a segment of both businesses and private individuals who travel extensively and pass information on to others. The tangible benefits are those which can be measured and evaluated in direct and indirect dollars contributed to the community (i.e, payroll, employment, expenditures and taxes). The community has and continues to benefit from the existing airport in terms of creating jobs and attracting businesses to the community who use general aviation. The facility has not, however, been able to keep pace with the aviation requirements of users. The following discussion highlights the economic impacts of the airport and recaps the cost of the planned im- provements recommended in the Master Plan Study. In short, if the facility is not acquired and improved, the airport will most likely close. It simply becomes a matter of when this would occur. On the other hand, if the facility is improved, the potential for increased growth and economic benefits to the area are strong. Airport Businesses and AVTI Gateway Aero, a fixed base operation, currently employs eight people in full and part-time positions at the airport. The Anoka Vocational Technical Institute (AVTI) utilizes four classroom buildings at the airport for their aviation and air 2-36