President’s Report

There’s trouble at 35,000 feet.

Our nation is facing an impending airplane pilot shortage –according to some, to the tune of 15,000 pilots in the next ten years. More concerning, at least for us, is that rural states like South Dakota will most likely feel the brunt of the impact.

Regional commercial carriers and regional routes are South Dakota’s commercial air lifeline. If they get sliced, our access to major air service hubs will be greatly diminished.

So what do we do about it? I’m not really sure, but I’m going to find out!

Jack Dokken with the South Dakota Department of Transportation and I have both recently been appointed to the U.S. DOT Working Group on Improving Air Service to Small Communities. We will join 23 other industry and government workers from across the nation to tackle the issue.

We’ll consider airport funding, the Essential Air Service Program, the Small Air Service Development Program and efforts that could combat the pilot shortage.

I know the challenges we have faced in Pierre. Re-establishing essential air service and finding a reliable commercial air carrier required great tenacity. I’m hopeful this same level of determination combined with the knowledge and experience from the other work group members will help us identify viable solutions for securing dependable air service in rural America.

If you have thoughts or concerns relating to commercial air service in South Dakota, I welcome your input! You can reach me at laurie.gill@ci.pierre.sd.us.

Laurie Gill President