1 State of Arkansas
2 94th General Assembly
3 Fiscal Session, 2024 HR 1047
4
5 By: Representative Eaves
6
7 HOUSE RESOLUTION
8 IN SUPPORT OF THE NATIONAL CELEBRATION OF GENERAL
9 AVIATION FLYOVER IN WASHINGTON D.C. TO COMMEMORATE
10 THE LAST EIGHTY-FIVE YEARS OF GENERAL AVIATION.
11
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13 Subtitle
14 IN SUPPORT OF THE NATIONAL CELEBRATION OF
15 GENERAL AVIATION FLYOVER IN WASHINGTON
16 D.C. TO COMMEMORATE THE LAST EIGHTY-FIVE
17 YEARS OF GENERAL AVIATION
18
19
20 WHEREAS, in 1939 several significant events took place to usher in a
21 new era of general aviation that would solidify its important place in
22 American society, including:
23 (1) The American general aviation industry transitioned from the
24 "Golden Age" to full mobilization for World War II, during which the airplane
25 changed from a slow, wood-and-fabric biplane to a fast, sleek, all-metal
26 monoplane;
27 (2) President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Civilian Pilot
28 Training Act:
29 (A) Providing pilot training to twenty thousand (20,000)
30 college students each year; and
31 (B) Garnering the participation of one thousand one
32 hundred thirty-two (1,132) educational institutions and one thousand four
33 hundred sixty (1,460) flight schools;
34 (3) President Franklin D. Roosevelt established National
35 Aviation Day in 1939 to celebrate Orville Wright's birthday; and
36 (4) The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association was founded to
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 HR1047
1 protect the freedom to fly while keeping general aviation safe, fun, and
2 affordable, and is now the largest and most trusted resource for all things
3 related to general aviation; and
4
5 WHEREAS, today, the United States general aviation industry:
6 (1) Is composed of more than two hundred thousand (200,000)
7 aircraft;
8 (2) Safely flies over twenty-six million (26,000,000) flight
9 hours per year; and
10 (3) Registers thirty million (30,000,000) safe takeoffs and
11 landings per year; and
12
13 WHEREAS, general aviation:
14 (1) Contributes over two hundred forty-seven billion dollars
15 ($247,000,000,000) in economic impact and supports one million two hundred
16 thousand (1,200,000) jobs across the country; and
17 (2) Serves as a vital lifeline for communities through missions
18 of disaster relief, humanitarian aid, law enforcement, and agricultural
19 support; and
20
21 WHEREAS, over six hundred fifty thousand (650,000) registered pilots in
22 the United States access more than five thousand one hundred (5,100) public
23 use airports and another fourteen thousand (14,000) privately owned
24 airfields, more than any other country in the world; and
25
26 WHEREAS, pilots and airports connect communities across America with
27 the National Air Transportation system; and
28
29 WHEREAS, general aviation is safer than it ever has been, and trending
30 even safer; and
31
32 WHEREAS, the fatal accident rate is at a historic record low of point
33 seventy-three (0.73) per one hundred thousand (100,000) flight hours, half of
34 what it was in the mid 1990s; and
35
36 WHEREAS, over the last eighty-five (85) years, Americans have marveled
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 HR1047
1 at the continual technological advancements in general aviation, which have:
2 (1) Improved the lives of American citizens;
3 (2) Enabled access to communities across the country;
4 (3) Created hundreds of billions of dollars in economic impact
5 and growth; and
6 (4) Propelled the United States as the world leader in general
7 aviation; and
8
9 WHEREAS, people travel from around the world to access the exceptional
10 training and the freedom in this country to fly general aviation aircraft;
11 and
12
13 WHEREAS, foreign governments send their most critical pilots to the
14 United States for training to fly their most important dignitaries and to
15 train for careers in the airlines; and
16
17 WHEREAS, Orville and Wilbur Wright first harnessed powered flight at
18 Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, and Charles Lindbergh became one of the
19 most famous persons the world had ever known when he departed the United
20 States in an American-built aircraft to cross the Atlantic, providing a deep
21 source of American pride and identity; and
22
23 WHEREAS, the State of Arkansas has three thousand three hundred thirty-
24 eight (3,338) registered aircraft, ninety (90) general aviation airports, and
25 six thousand five hundred twenty-three (6,523) pilots; and
26
27 WHEREAS, in Arkansas, general aviation brings over four hundred sixty-
28 seven million dollars ($467,000,000) in economic activity and supports five
29 thousand one hundred (5,100) jobs,
30
31 NOW THEREFORE,
32 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL
33 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
34
35 THAT the House of Representatives recognize that the National
36 Celebration of General Aviation Flyover in Washington D.C.:
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 HR1047
1 (1) Presents a tremendous opportunity to seize the public
2 imagination;
3 (2) Presents an opportunity to reflect on general aviation's
4 ability to safely achieve innovative technological advancements; and
5 (3) Will be a defining moment in remembering the past, present,
6 and future significance of general aviation in the United States.
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