GA Should Pay "Fair Share" For Services

[cynic]

From http://www.avweb.com/newswire/10_23a/briefs/187392-1.html

GA Should Pay "Fair Share" For Services
By Russ Niles</a>
Newswriter, Editor

Another prominent airline-industry executive has joined Northwest Airlines CEO Richard Anderson in the call for higher fees for general aviation. In anopinion piece, Jim May, president and CEO of the Air Transport Association, claims GA accounts for 40 percent of the flights handled by FAA centers and 69 percent of tower work but contributes only 2 percent of the revenue (through gasoline tax) needed to keep the systems operating. "The fees general aviation operators pay today don't even come close to covering the costs of the federal aviation services they receive," May wrote. About two months ago, Northwest Airlines CEO Richard Anderson shared similar views with the captive audience reading the airline's in-flight magazine. However, while Anderson's opinions grew from a dispute with the Metropolitan Airports Commission over the subsidization of GA airports from money earned (a large proportion of it Northwest's) at Minneapolis-St. Paul International, May's comments are broadly based and aimed at GA in general. "Each user should pay its fair share," he wrote. May doesn't say what that fair share is and how it might be collected but he's sure to hear about his comments from the alphabets.

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[TrafficInSight]

my over-simplified model:

There are 3 airplanes, one is GA, one is an Airliner, one is everything else.

Airliner thinks GA and Everything Else should pay equal to what it pays to use the system.

Airliner makes oh... say... 20 billion a year using the system to carry loads of paying passengers.

Everything else makes eh... 20 million a year using the system to run tour flights, air taxi, etc. etc.

GA makes 20 thousand a year using the system for flight training so that Airliner and Everything else have pilots to make them money.

obviously the exact numbers are way off but I would bet you that the relationship does exist.

the way I see it Airliner should pay more because Airliner makes more. And, probably 80 percent of GA's 40% that the article mentions makes ZERO money as it's pleasure flying.

 

[Publishers]

Right

What Mr. Anderson forgets is that what we have today was set up for the airlines because that is what they wanted.

The general aviation reliever airports as example were set up not to be profit centers but at the airlines request to move small aircraft from larger airports so their Boeing 797 Super jet would not have to be doing 80 knots staying behind some Cessna 150. They wanted it and agreed to pay for it.

The ATC system that we have come to know and love was the result of several commercial airline accidents resulting in fatalities, one on the east coast and one on the west near the Grand Canyon. Again the system was set up at their request and things like the aviation trust fund were implemented to pay for them.

Now years later, current management who was not around at the time says we do not want to pay for what we agreed to pay for it. Of course they are using the system for profit while the poor slob flying around in his Cessna 310 is not.

Another testamont to the fact that ignorance is bliss.

 

[pilotman2105]

And what about your Federal taxes that you turn in every April 15? I thought that these went to pay for government functions. Granted, some user fees are understandable, such as landing fees at the major airports, as well as the postage stamp that I have to use to send a piece of mail. But at some point, you've got to step back and let those tax dollars do something.

BTW, Anderson's article was horribly biased. After reading it, if I was non-aviation general public member, I would have thought that GA does nothing other than a $0.02/gal tax on avgas to pay for the resources they use.

 

[s0ldier93]

Lowly PPL working on IFR/CPL here. . . . . . how do we keep these people from screwing the system up?

 

[Timebuilder]

People like AOPA help to keep them in check.



Join.



http://www.aopa.org/prez/prespos.html

 

[Flying Illini]

I second the above. Without AOPA, we (all GA flyers) would, IMHO, be in a world of hurt. They do good stuff, and it's pretty darn cheap. Good article in this months AOPA Pilot..Phil Boyer addresses this exact issue.

 

[TEXAN AVIATOR]

Right, everyone should join AOPA.

 

[FN FAL]

I think the actions of the Chicago Mayor in tearing up Meigs is a prime example of what Democrats think of General Aviation. Their viewpoint is "why would anyone NEED to just generally fly a plane around?". Especially when there are so many other things to do, like adopt colored children and lobby for laws against things.

 

[C210drvr]

TrafficInSight: the way I see it Airliner should pay more because Airliner makes more. And, probably 80 percent of GA's 40% that the article mentions makes ZERO money as it's pleasure flying.

Obviously a democrat!

I agree that Airliner should pay it, but not because he makes more. That is a Democrat thinking!

C210

 

[SupraZachAir]

Obviously a democrat!

I agree that Airliner should pay it, but not because he makes more. That is a Democrat thinking!

C210

Not necessarily. Airliner will pay more because they make more. Its simple mathematics. If there was a flat tax, 5%, airliner pays $50k for the $1 million they make, whereas GA pays $5 for the $100 they make. Like was said before, most GA aren't even making a buck, so naturally they aren't paying back. Its not that airliner SHOULD pay more, they just DO. So we agree, I'm just nit-picking.

 

[Gulfstream 200]

just another excuse poor airline management has as to why they are going broke.

If you cant stay in business, please, just shutdown...stop being a taxpayer burden, begging for money from the gubment' like a crack mommy.

Dont worry, another airline will step in and carry your disgruntled passengers.

 

[s0ldier93]

AAAHHHhhhhh

AOPA. . . .got it. Already a member. I hope they continue to gain support against "uninformed" people like this.

 

[suen1843]

This guy must be getting his numbers from the Enron accounting firm. According to FAA published data for 2003, GA accounts for 18.3% of total Center traffic counts and 32 percent of Tower counts . Look it up.

http://www.apo.data.faa.gov/faaatadsall.HTM