New York Times’ Cyclopes views of General Aviation
Hurricane Melissa’s Level 5 winds, water surge and horrendous damage to Jamaica’s infrastructure wreaked havoc, the historic natural disaster in the history of this Caribbean nation. AIN published an article, below, about NBAA’s HERO, OPERATION AIR DROP, AEROBRIDGE, AIRLINK, and other organizations TREMENDOUS HUMANITARIAN AID.
So far, NO MAJOR-MARKET NEWSPAPERS like the NEW YORK TIMES, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, or Atlanta Journal-Constitution have PUBLISHED DEDICATED ARTICLES specifically about GENERAL AVIATION RELIEF FLIGHTS TO JAMAICA FOR HURRICANE MELISSA.
This absence of any coverage of these voluntary flights, in particular by the NYT, suggests that CYCLOPES may now reside at 242 W 41st St, NYC-
The New York Times, “all the news that is fit to print”, takes pride in its reputation for fair reporting. It’s “fit to print” mantra led to is editorial video titled “If You Fly Economy, You’re Paying for Someone Else to Fly Private” on their official platform here. The video, released in August 2025 by the New York Times editorial board, argues that the FAA’s funding structure DISPROPORTIONATELY BURDENS COMMERCIAL AIRLINE PASSENGERS while ALLOWING PRIVATE JET USERS TO CONTRIBUTE FAR LESS.
National Business Aviation Association’s president and CEO Ed Bolen called the editorial misleading and defended general aviation’s contributions through fuel taxes and limited system use. The disproportion claim, originated by DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg, coined the simplistic phrase– “a blip is a blip” assesses cost in way that fails to recognize that the personnel, navaids, radars, communications and facilities (ATCT, TRACON and ARTCC) REQUIRED to accommodate O’Hare’s peak hour demand of 240 to 270 operations!!! N.B. after the peak, the controllers stay on duty, thus adding to the expenses attributable to the airlines’ tendency to bunch flights. In contrast, general/business aviation have the flexibility to avoid crowded airports and hours.
So, the NYT’s vitriolic attack on GA and its failure to mention the HERO efforts are its SOLE PERSPECTIVE of this segment of aviation. The Cyclopes reference explains the newspapers’ monocular focus — these Greek characters known for their narrow-mindedness, brute force, and lack of foresight. Henry J. Raymond, founder of this heralded news source, insisted that his newspapers SHOULD REPORT BOTH SIDES OF AN ISSUE AND SHOW MODERATION, eventually became standard in American journalism.
Mr. Raymond would have insisted that his writers also report the voluntary aviation assistance provided by business aviation!!!
NBAA Activates HERO Database for Hurricane Relief Effort
NBAA advises that longer-range aircraft may be more helpful during initial relief efforts
Senior Jamaican officials, including Minister of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications Daryl Vaz (second right), Director General of the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA), Nari Williams-Singh (center), and CEO of PAC Kingston Airports Sitara English-Byfield, discuss relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. © Rudranath Fraser via the Jamaican government
By Kerry Lynch • Editor, AIN monthly magazine
October 31, 2025
NBAA has activated its Humanitarian Emergency Response Operator (HERO) Database to help connect the business aviation community with relief efforts in response to the devastation Hurricane Melissa wreaked in Jamaica. The HERO database provides basic information on people in the business aviation community who are available for disaster response efforts.
The Category 5 hurricane came ashore on the island nation on Tuesday, leaving more than half a million residents without power, severing communications throughout, and causing widespread damage, according to reports.
Along with the HERO database, NBAA noted that OPERATION AIR DROP, AEROBRIDGE, AIRLINK, and other organizations are accepting aid from the business aviation community to help with relief efforts.
By late Thursday, the only airport to remain open to commercial and general aviation operations in Jamaica was (MKJP). Operations at the facility, about 525 nm from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (KFXE), are limited.
Given the distance and uncertainty surrounding the conditions there, NBAA senior v-p of safety, security, sustainability, and international operations Doug Carr advised that LONGER-RANGE BUSINESS AND COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT MAY BE BEST SUITED FOR INITIAL HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS. “Additionally, requests for overflight permits to transit Cuban airspace may be delayed,” Carr further noted. “Operators must also secure necessary permission to fly into Jamaica.”
Work is underway to reopen Ian Fleming International Airport (MKBS) in Ocho Rios but reports from the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) are that the third major airport on the island, Montego Bay-Sangster International Airport (MKJS), was very badly hit, according to NBAA.
“We have all hands on deck to get up and running as quickly as possible,” said JCAA director general Nari Williams-Singh, noting that several critical systems are back in operation. Williams-Singh also stressed the importance of coordination: “We need to collaborate with our airport operators and the Airports Authority of Jamaica; Jamaica Customs Agency; the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency; and all relevant entities. We are all coordinated, because it’s really an ecosystem and we all have to be in sync.”
