Legislators from all around Oklahoma visited the Guthrie-Edmond Regional Airport on Oct. 7, getting to experience flying in single-engine airplanes with local pilots who donated their time.
Adam Pugh, a member of the Oklahoma Senate, attended the event and talked to the group of legislators before their flights. As a former U.S. Air Force Officer, Pugh has been a major participant in the Aerospace Caucus since he was elected in 2016.
Flying events, like the one that happened in Guthrie, are good opportunities for the Aerospace Caucus to show the significance of aviation in the state.
“There are airports, big and small, in every legislative district in the state of Oklahoma,” Pugh said. “And so, we thought why not use that as an opportunity to connect legislators to their flying communities, build a passion about flying, and also it helps good public policy because now you have legislators who understand why airports are important, why Aerospace is important (and) why our military aviation is important in the state of Oklahoma.”
“I don’t think a lot of folks realize how rich our aviation history is here in Oklahoma,” Pugh said. “So, part of this was educational for legislators, but also I think you can build good public policy when legislators understand the significance and they’re personally connected to it. So, that was kind of the impetus for starting the Aerospace Caucus.”
Pugh estimates he has visited about half of the airports in the state. He said the event has been in the works for two years. The event was supposed to be this past year, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the group to cancel.
Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission Director, Grayson Ardies, participated in the pre-flight lesson to get the legislators ready to fly. That fit the goal of the event.
“We’re hoping the day, along with all the aero caucus events that we’ve partaken in over the years, isn’t just getting legislators to understand and appreciate what aviation can mean to their community, but what it can mean to the state as a whole, being the second largest industry in Oklahoma,” Ardies said.
An end goal is to diversify the economy away from strictly oil and gas and other commodities the state has depended on for income.
“We’re trying to inspire a lot of people to become better advocates, air evangelists, and really try and be that leader for aviation aerospace,” Ardies said.
Although most caucuses meet in the capitol, the aerospace caucus is not strictly meeting there. The Guthrie-Edmond Regional Airport meets the standard of an optimal place for the legislators to observe a well-run airport, something the group could not experience from the Capitol.
“I think this is rare in that we’ve stepped away from the Capitol,” Pugh said. “We’re not in session, and we’re having just a fun event. We’re not talking about bills, we’re not talking about politics, we’re not talking about anything happening in the Capitol. We’re just here to learn how to fly, which is awesome.”