User Fees

[spiderweb]

What's the status? Is this likely to go through?

And if it does, will it only mainly affect "heavy" GA, and not spam-can drivers?

 

[Jim Logajan]

So the consensus is that if AOPA ceased operation there would be no future negative consequences to general aviation?

 

[Jim Logajan]

You don't land at other airports? Don't use VORs? GPS? Navigational charts? Do you really think that what you pay in fuel tax covers any of these?

I wasn't aware that FAA funded any aspect of GPS; how much did they kick in? Also, I believe the raw data for some of what makes up navigation charts is also funded elsewhere because it is applicable to non-aviation uses. In the early decades while aviation was growing the federal government kicked in 0 (zero) dollars to build airports; but that did change some ... here's a quick history on government funding of airports:

http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Government_Role/govt_funding/POL11.htm

 

[Jim Logajan]

We GA pilots are the freeloaders, and in a big way. Our fuel tax doesn't come anywhere near paying for all the airports and navigational aids we use.

Got numbers to back that assertion up? With respect to all of aviation, historically the rest of the Feds were freeloading on fuel taxes:

[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, MS Sans Serif]"By 1980, the aviation trust fund had received about $13.8 billion but only $4.1 billion had been spent on the airport system. Many parties were fighting over how the money from the fund should be spent, so most of the money remained unused. The U.S. Treasury on occasion has “tapped” the fund to use the money for projects unrelated to airports.[/FONT]"

From: http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Government_Role/govt_funding/POL11.htm