Photo Courtesy of No Plane No Gain
For rural communities across the country, the import of supplies and basic necessities can be completely dependent on general aviation. Read more, below, about areas in Maine where general aviation provides a vital link to survival.
Without general aviation, communities in rural areas of Maine would be shut off from supplies, necessities and services in the event of an emergency, Kevin Waters, owner and chief pilot of Penobscot Island Air (PIA), based at the Knox County Regional Airport, wrote for the Village Soup website.
“In 1998, an ice storm swept through Maine, quietly burying roads and towns. Some communities became completely inaccessible,” he noted. “Without general aviation, many towns and island communities would have been cut off from resources for an unknown period of time. It was general aviation pilots who stepped up to the plate, providing a vital link to ensure transportation of emergency personnel, emergency equipment and individuals requiring emergency care.”
Waters’ company, Penobscot Island Air, is an on-demand air taxi company, which provides air service to six island communities in Penobscot Bay.
This article originally posted on NoPlaneNoGain.org.
