Access Is Number One Priority, Access in Washington
Seen Key
The new regime at NBAA is bringing more lobbying muscle, and the
timing is just right given the uncertainties of the post-9/11
world.
That's the word from John Ratcliff, North America aviation director
and chief pilot for Ford Motor Company and NBAA board member since
May 2001.
His main concern? "Access"-and the possibility of its
being denied again should there be another terrorist catastrophe
in the U.S. Two years ago, Ratcliff notes, "It took us a
long time to get back into the air traffic system." NBAA,
he says, should make the argument now that business aviation activity
is critical to the national economy.
"(Past NBAA president) Jack Olcott was a very strong individual
and I suspect we would have gone in a similar direction with him,"
Ratcliff told Show News on the eve of NBAA. But "the expertise
we have now," he says, "is more in the area of relations
with decision-makers."
"What we don't want to do is find ourselves sitting on the
outside of a transportation system that has ignored the needs
of business aviation."
Ratcliff is a U.S. Air Force veteran with 30 years under his belt at Ford.
He has more than 9,200 hours of civilian and 3,300 hours of military
flight time.
