Washington Business Winter 2018 | Washington Business | Page 51

business backgrounder | economy
Rural airports serve to quickly connect
their small towns with the outside world,
Dent said.
“Aviation opens up a bigger world and
saves you time,” he said. “An airplane is a
time machine.” He lists five main values of a
rural airport:
agriculture — Crop dusting and aerial
product applications, plus the ability
quickly bring in parts for ag equipment.
medical transport — Air ambu-
lance emergency evacuations and visits
to small towns by specialized care
providers.
Flying into Bowerman Airport in Hoquiam (Photo: Sam Beebe/Ecotrust)
business contacts — There’s nothing like a face-to-face
meeting, and airports allow business relationships to flourish.
pilot training — With a growing international pilot short-
age, rural airports are key spots for training — and for young
people to “catch the bug” and learn how to fly.
firefighting — Airpower is crucial to staging and executing
wildland fire response.
recreation — From skydiving to the sheer joy of flying,
airports bring people to rural areas for fun — and to spend
money.
Unfortunately, Washington is behind on maintenance of its
airport resources — but the good news is that there has been
progress in recent years.
Dent, during his first year in the Legislature, sponsored an
AWB-led bill that moved aircraft excise taxes from the general
fund into an aeronautics account, where the money could be
leveraged with federal aviation dollars.
This year, Dent successfully sponsored a bill to create an
aviation-themed license plate. AWB supported the bill, which
directs funds to maintenance of infrastructure at remote airports
used for firefighting, medical emergencies and recreation.

Dent, who served on AWB’s Aviation Task Force before being
elected to the House, said he’s looking at other ways to fund
future airport improvements.
One possibility: a revolving