In Alaska we have a saying: “Fly an hour or walk a week.”

For us, this has real meaning. There are literally hundreds of communities in Alaska that cannot be accessed by the limited road system and rely on general aviation. In my case, I use my plane for my photography business, flying to remote sites to capture landscapes and photos of Alaska, its history, its events, and its people. My plane literally supports my business and livelihood.

I’ve loved aviation since I was nine years old; my dad would fly us as a family together. But, when I moved to Alaska from California, I really began to understand that flying is more than a hobby; it is critical to many people for business and basic transportation.

For example, there are 403 public-use general aviation airports in Alaska, more than any other state in the U.S. And general aviation contributes over $1.1 billion to the state’s total economic output each year and supports 5,800 jobs in our state. General aviation allows us to transport goods, supplies and staff across long distances and make multiple stops in one day.

General aviation is also critical for services like healthcare, law enforcement, natural resource management and medical care delivery. I know doctors, dentists, and lawyers who all use aircraft to make appointments in remote towns that are otherwise only accessible in the summer. General aviation ensures that everyone in Alaska receives the care they need, no matter how far from Anchorage they are.

However, there has been growing concern among many businesses and pilots in the state that some “inside-the-beltway” want to take our air traffic control system and turn it over to a private entity controlled by the largest commercial interests. Given that routes to small and mid-size cities have already been cut by 20 percent in recent years, we can guess where that type of system would leave Alaska. 

Let’s protect general aviation and access to our air system for Alaskans by saying “no” to a privatized air traffic control.

• Rob Stapleton runs Alaskafoto, which captures Alaska’s aviation images and environmental portraits of Alaska and its people. He is a board member of the Alaska Aviation Museum and the Alaska Airmen Association.