Extraordinary Airman Honored For Albert Whitted Airport
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ANN was pleased to be in attendance when AOPA recognized one of
the figureheads from one of the most successful and positive
GA victories of 2003. AOPA President Phil Boyer honored Jack
Tunstill, the AOPA Airport Support Network (ASN) volunteer for St.
Petersburg, Fla.'s Albert Whitted Airport, at a surprise dinner
Thursday night. Tunstill was the driving force locally behind the
triumphant effort to save the bayside airport, working in close
coordination with AOPA's Airports department.
"Jack epitomizes the ASN volunteer," said Boyer. "He spoke out
in strong defense of Albert Whitted in the face of apparently
overwhelming odds. He worked to coordinate the efforts of two
airport support groups — the Airport Advisory Council and the
Albert Whitted Airport Preservation Society — both of which
are represented here tonight. He helped St. Petersburg residents
understand the true consequences of the anti-airport ballot
initiative. In short, he supported his airport and he never gave
up."
Albert Whitted Airport
(SPG) had been under attack by a group that wanted to close the
airport and turn half of it into a waterfront park. The proposal
did not mention what was to become of the other half of the airport
property, but because backers of the park proposal included a real
estate developer, residents were concerned that more waterfront
high-rises might be in the works.
Thanks to Tunstill's efforts, in concert with the airport
support groups and AOPA, St. Petersburg voters overwhelmingly
supported keeping Albert Whitted open in perpetuity, three-to-one
in favor, and rejected a companion measure to turn the land into a
park by a similar margin.
As a result of the vote, St. Petersburg's mayor, who had never
been a strong airport backer, has recognized the will of his
constituents and has reached out to AOPA for support in
revitalizing Albert Whitted.
The Presidential Citation Boyer presented to Tunstill read in
part, "For your leadership, tenacity and advocacy for Albert
Whitted Airport. Your successful efforts ensure that SPG remains an
airport and preserve this vital transportation link in the nation's
air transportation system."
AOPA established the Airport Support Network more than five
years ago to help stem the tide of airport closures. The network
has grown to include volunteers at nearly 1,600 general aviation
airports across the country. ASN volunteers act as advocates for
their local airports in their communities and before local
governments. They are also AOPA's liaisons with individual
airports, making sure the association is aware of any issues at the
airports. In return, AOPA offers the volunteers the resources they
need to advocate on behalf of the airport, as well as technical and
tactical support if the airport is under fire.
"Our nation continues to lose too many airports every year,"
said Boyer. "We desperately need people like Jack and the rest of
our nearly 1,600 ASN volunteers to ensure that our
best-in-the-world aviation system remains strong."
E-I-C Note: This was a great night for Tunstill
and the many pilots and friends he counted on for
support and consult through one of the most persuasive GA victories
in recent memory. A cadre of true aviation advocates told stories
for several hours that recounted how intense and aggressive their
efforts were... efforts that ultimately saved an airport and showed
the world that GA can and will (from here on out) fight it's own
battles and its history of silent victimization. With truly
aggressive support from AOPA (who was smart enough to realize,
right from the get-go, how pivotal this effort might become), the
aviation world, still smarting form the impending loss of Meigs
Field finally got a chance to show its stuff in a fair fight and
won.... persuasively.
There are some amazing lessons to be learned from this victory
because there is NO question that this is a battle that will need
to be waged again and again... so do expect some future stories
from ANN about the behind-the-scenes battle that was waged by some
of the best Florida flyers and AOPA staffers we know... and how we
can use their sterling example to win more battles in the
future.