General Aviation User Fees

Senator Ted Stevens at 202/224-3004 is a member of the Commerce Committee. It might be a good idea to urge his support of the Nelson/Sununu amendment that strikes all user fees from the Senate FAA funding bill. This bill is scheduled for a vote by the Committee tomorrow, Wednesday, May 16 at 2:30 p.m. (EDT). This amendment, if offered during the Commerce Committee’s consideration of the Aviation Investment and Modernization Act of 2007 “S.1300,” would eliminate the $25 per flight "Air Traffic Modernization Surcharge" from the bill.

Based on experiences around the world, this $25 user fee will escalate and expand to all segments of GA. Even though piston engine aircraft are exempted from this user fee, once a user fee or surcharge is imposed it is only a matter of time before it applies to all aircraft. Float-planes might escape in remote areas, but not on Lake Hood. (Within Anchorage International)

This problem would be especially onerous to Alaskans who fly to the grocery store. The history of FAA missmanagement and neglect of Alaska speaks for itself. Modernization of facilities is a joke, however to their credit, Capstone is a triumph of Traffic Modernization. Both Hawaii and Alaska especially need heavy subsidy in order to achieve anything like parity with facilities down below.

I rather imagine that Ted already has something to say. Unfortunately he is badly maligned for his attempts to gain anything like Alaska's fair share of infrastructure. There is much need for understanding Alaska's unique needs both politically and economically.