Letter To The Editor

by Jack Ryan

August 12,2006

As a lifelong aviation enthusiast I found Ray Beck's article [in the Columbia Business Times] to be both interesting and instructive. It was a fine history lesson about the early development of the "regional airport" and identified the origin of problems facing the airport today. A history lesson is fine, but what we need now is a hard look at the present and a clear-eyed search for the future.

In another issue of this publication, Al Germond suggested that federal funding for the proposed Mesa service is "money down the rat hole." I agree wholeheartedly. It's simply the prelude to another failure. The economics of commercial aircraft operations assure the failure of any attempt to provide service based on 125-mile legs. About 80 percent of the cost of a commercial flight is accrued from the beginning of the descent, through the approach, landing, ground operation, taxi, take off and climb to cruise altitude. That fact demands that you spend some time at altitude if you're going to make a buck. Another way of looking at it is that you've got to move the freight further downstream if you're going to be economically viable. You've got to move passengers to Chicago and Dallas or other hubs further downstream than Kansas City or St. Louis.

That kind of extended service is essential but is not the silver bullet to end our woes. The service area must be expanded! To make that happen, the errors of judgment made 50 years ago must be corrected. That means that the thinking of people in both Columbia and Jefferson City, steeped in 50 years of "We'll do it our way," must be changed. If those hard-headed attitudes could be softened, several essential actions might be effected.

First, we might ameliorate the thought that "Columbia owns the airport." Though perhaps that's legally true, the fact remains that "we the people" — the taxpayers
— spent a lot of money to build it, we've spent a lot of money to expand and improve it, and we spend a lot of money each year to maintain it and subsidize the service. We, the people of mid-Missouri, have a right to expect good service, and we should willingly assume responsibility for supporting it. The solution to the problem lies within and beyond the cities of Columbia and Jefferson City. Changing the name to "Mid-Missouri Regional Airport" could show recognition of that concept. A regional airport commission should be created with representation from entities, public and private, within a 40-mile radius to encourage, promote and support the airport. Ground access to the airport should be improved to make it easier to reach from all directions. The dominant theme in support of this approach is "The economic potential of mid-Missouri will never be achieved without good, direct commercial connections to the outside world." All communities of mid-Missouri stand to benefit greatly from the services of a real, regional airport. To get the ball rolling, we could consider establishing a region-wide ground transportation system with mini-hubs in Jefferson City and Columbia and with a central hub at the airport. If that were done, it would go a long way toward getting people in outlying areas physically and mentally connected with the airport.

These thoughts may seem far out to some, but — let's face it, folks — the history of the "Columbia Regional Airport" is a history of some occasional success but, to date, is essentially a story of failure! It does not serve the purpose envisioned five decades ago. Concepts that were sound 50 years ago are unsound today. Future success of our regional airport requires that we think outside the box — a box defined by Kansas City and St. Louis and containing only the communities of Columbia and Jefferson City.

— Jack ryan, Jefferson City

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