Aviation View | Volume 1, Issue 2

18 AVIATION VIEW VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2 or LTVA, are very proactive at bringing tourists to town,” Gibbs notes. “Most recently, we had the NHL Outdoor Games. The event was the first of its kind to be hosted here in South Lake Tahoe. LTVA also bring in things like the American Century Championship Celebrity Golf Tournament. The airport plays a prominent role in bringing either the talent, the athletes, or the concerts and the musicians, to the community.” While the airport plays a functional part bringing guests in and out of the area, it is also home to one of the most visually stunning tourist experiences in the region. Tahoe Helicopters offers scenic tours over pristine wilderness areas and the blue expanse of a lake that covers nearly 200 square miles. The popular flight company understands the environmental and quality-of-life concerns in the area as well. Pilots intentionally fly specific routes at certain altitudes to avoid sensitive habitats, such as those of the American Bald Eagle. Each Tahoe Helicopters aircraft is outfitted with a global El Dorado County Office of Emergency Services to identify facilities that can be improved so the airport can play a more prominent role in emergency response. Lake Tahoe Airport is already a seasonal base for the aerial firefighting unit of the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. Every summer during fire season the airport hosts both fixed-wing and rotary craft firefighting assets. “Obviously, the more aerial assets we have here at the airport, the better we are able to respond to a fire that’s not just in the Tahoe Basin but in the entire region,” Gibbs explains, “and fire concerns are a real present threat to our community, being that we’re in the middle of a very large forest.” When it comes to economic vitality, the airport plays a key role in supporting the transportation needs for large events in the area. That typically involves coordination with the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority. “Our entire economy is underpinned by real estate and tourism and the team at the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority,