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Volunteer pilots fly over 118,000 hours a year on charitable and medical missions for disaster relief, for which they ship food, medicine and clothing where it's needed; transport patients for life-saving medical procedures; conduct emergency organ, blood and serum transfers; and provide volunteer transportation for the Red Cross and National Guard units. To see examples showing how companies are using business aviation to compete and succeed in a very demanding marketplace, and learn more about the many ways business aviation benefits the nation's economy and companies of all sizes, all across the U.S., visit: www.NoPlaneNoGain.org.

As No Plane No Gain supporters know, a host of governors from across the country have issued proclamations highlighting the value of business aviation in the time since the advocacy campaign was launched. Now, two governors have stepped forward to call upon President Obama to protect the industry. In the wake of a recent message from the White House signaling renewed support for user fees, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin and New Hampshire Governor John H. Lynch both recently sent letters to President Obama calling on the administration to recognize the vital importance of general aviation for the economy and communities around the nation. The themes articulated in the governors' letters mirror those for the No Plane, No Gain campaign. A news report about the governor's letters is posted to the No Plane No Gain web site.

As noted in last week’s report, GAMA’s Pete Bunce will highlight the importance of business aviation for national news outlets when he holds the association’s annual “State of the Industry” press conference at the National Press Club to discuss the news and trends impacting business aviation. This year's event is scheduled for Wednesday, February 22. The No Plane No Gain web site will report on the GAMA event; in the meantime, you can read more about last year’s event.

Andy Sykora, owner of Greenwood, SC-based Custom Audio and Lighting, Inc., calls his 1978 turbocharged piston single-engine airplane "indispensible," because it gives his audio and lighting company a competitive and logistical edge needed to support for major outdoor productions. "The flexibility our business airplane gives us is invaluable," he said. The 1978 turbocharged piston single-engine airplane is fully equipped for flight in most weather conditions. Sykora said. "It's a working airplane for us, a business tool we couldn't do without." What does Sykora say about the 25-percent increase his business has seen since he started using the airplane? "No Plane, No Gain." Learn more about how business aviation is working for Custom Audio and Lighting, Inc, and thousands like it across the U.S.