Aviation Development Council presented a grant check of $5000 to Hour Children in their Long Island City offi ces. This organization is headed by Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, a retired Catholic School Principal, from the School Sisters of Notre Dame. Their grant goes to career training for the women who have been released from incarceration & now reunited with their children. Hour Children is committed to the compassionate and loving care of children of incarcerated women. Their outreach includes support and empowerment for mothers upon reunifi cation with their families. All persons are encouraged to live and interact with dignity and respect. The name of the organization was chosen by their dear friend, Jean Roulet, because the children’s lives are dictated by the “hour” of the mother’s arrest, the “hour” of the visit and the “hour” of her return.

Recently a group of SUNY Farmingdale aviation students visited JFK. The fi eld trip was organized by, Joseph V. Clabby, President of Corporate Loss Prevention Associates who is also an adjunct professor at SUNY Farmingdale. Approximately 30 students were in attendance and were educated on the importance of security and given the exposure to airport operations outside of a classroom. The classroom facility was provided by Robert F. Caton of AMB Property Corporation and speakers included Barry Medwed of KLM Cargo, Joseph Pesce of Air France, and Tom Aroksaar of Korean Air. They were welcomed by William Puckhaber, President of the JFK International Airport Chamber of Commerce. Students were given a guided tour of a cargo warehouse, the AOA and also viewed a demonstration of TSA’s K-9 unit. Many thanks to all that assisted with the event.

As airports throughout the United States scale back airline service and airport expansion, the South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) has formed a new coalition to expand air service and attract new airline carriers to its Atlantic City International Airport (ACY). SJTA, which owns and operates the airport, is seeking to open up new markets to support Atlantic City as a destination and to provide broadened air service through ACY. The coalition includes representatives from every major casino as well as elected offi cials, New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, and Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority. Currently, Spirit Airlines is the sole airline carrier providing service at ACY to limited destinations in Florida, South Carolina and parts of the Caribbean with connecting service to Latin America According to an airport spokesman, Atlantic City Airport has tremendous capacity for growth and development as the airport site is so large that it can contain all of Philadelphia International and Newark Liberty International Airports and 60 percent of La- Guardia Airport. Plans include an $18 million terminal expansion, a $10 million apron expansion, a hotel and conference center, and freight and cargo development.

Airspace restrictions and procedures implemented around Washington after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are now permanent. The Federal Aviation Administration announced that a fi nal rule issued by the agency makes the special fl ight rules permanent. The secure airspace is made up of a pair of concentric rings consisting of a 15-nautical mile radius and 30-nautical radius around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Within the outer ring, pilots must fi le a fl ight plan, establish two-way radio communications with air traffi c control and operate the aircraft transponder on an assigned code. But the inner ring is restricted to fl ights authorized by the FAA and the Transportation Security Administration. The area is smaller than the Air Defense Identifi cation Zone that went into effect in February 2003.