Ed Dartford
Well-Known Member
Got an EMail from AOPA... the feds are after us again. Contact your congressman.
There are many reasons that user fees are a bad idea, but the one which bothers me the most is a fee for an IFR clearance. Many IFR flights involve just going up or down through a layer, perhaps a broken layer... a few minutes at most. Even today with no fee there is some "extracurricular IFR" flown. This practice will increase.
In many cases we technically don't need ATC, but we use the system for the safety of the general public: or the airlines in particular, and they should pay most of the costs. What we pay in taxes on fuel and tires is a fair contribution.
AOPA does an excellent job of educating congress, but the strength of their argument is determined by how many letters come from the voters.
There are many reasons that user fees are a bad idea, but the one which bothers me the most is a fee for an IFR clearance. Many IFR flights involve just going up or down through a layer, perhaps a broken layer... a few minutes at most. Even today with no fee there is some "extracurricular IFR" flown. This practice will increase.
In many cases we technically don't need ATC, but we use the system for the safety of the general public: or the airlines in particular, and they should pay most of the costs. What we pay in taxes on fuel and tires is a fair contribution.
AOPA does an excellent job of educating congress, but the strength of their argument is determined by how many letters come from the voters.
