Petition drive on for aviation license plate in Washington State

“The Washington State Aviation License Plate, sponsored by the Washington State Department of Transportation‘s Aviation Division, is a collaborative effort by several aviation organizations represented by the Washington State Aviation Alliance. The goal of this specialty plate is to highlight the importance of the state’s aviation system, and to raise funds to support aviation and public-use airports in Washington State,” says a news item posted Nov. 16 on the WSDOT’s website.

A minimum of 3,500 petition signatures of Washington State residents must be obtained to bring the proposal before the legislature next year. The petition may be signed online on this page, which shows an example of the “Celebrate Aviation” license plate, and reports the number of signatures gathered each day at the close of business. The specialty license plate would become available next summer.

Early response to the drive, which runs through Jan. 1, has encouraged aviation advocates.

“More than one-third of the required signatures were gathered in the first 48 hours of the petition drive,” said Warren Hendrickson, AOPA’s Northwest Mountain regional manager.

AOPA supports the petition drive, and encourages all Washington residents—not just pilots—who value aviation to sign it. Signing the online petition is not a commitment to purchase the license plate, for which the estimated cost is $40, according to WSDOT. Of that amount, $12 would cover fees for vehicle licensing with the balance going to “aviation-specific initiatives.”

Once the requisite number of signatures has been gathered, state Rep. Tom Dent (R-District 13) plans to introduce a bill in the 2017 legislative session, Hendrickson said.

“Increasing aviation awareness and supporting public use airports is good for all of us,” Hendrickson said.

For more information, contact WSDOT Aviation Planner Elizabeth Slabaugh by email or at 360-709-8028.