We Pay, They Don’t
Yesterday we alighted in San Francisco to drop off a few passengers. Despite the fact that we were only on the ground for about twenty minutes and used no services, the FBO (fixed base operator) there still charged us $1,100 for the privilege. Contrast that with the U.S. government, which took over the office of a Boulder City FBO for four days, ran wiring, installed phone lines, confiscated his entire operation for a full day in support of a visit by President Obama, and then balked at the $50/day discounted rate that the owner asked the federal government to pay. First they refused to pay anything, later relenting and adding that they’d never use his facility again. “The one client I have today wants it for free,” Fahnespock. “It’s really baffling how...
Read MoreNon-Commercial Landing Fees
As Ronald Reagan famously uttered with a shake of his head, “there you go again…”. I’ve noticed that more and more airports are starting to charge landing fees for non-commercial aircraft. Hilton Head Airport was in the news today as the latest to announce a levy for private aircraft landing at a small general aviation field. The article notes this as the first airport in South Carolina to charge such a fee, but you can bet it won’t be the last. During the same meeting, officials learned the state’s top aviation official objected to a related proposal that would charge private pilots to fly to the airport. Money collected under the proposal would also be used to pay for future construction, including runway lengthening. The fee...
Read MoreBetter or Worse?
That’s what my optomotrist is always asking me as I peer through the phoropter during my annual eye exam. It’s also what I ask myself in the never-ending battle which pits two schools of thought against one another on the state of general aviation in the United States. On one shoulder stands a little guy who points out how flying is becoming less accessible due to escalating costs and regulatory burdens. He says, look at the number of active pilot falling each year, see how airports have become unwelcoming barbed wire fortresses, and notice how even the best primary flight schools are struggling just to survive. His nemesis on the other shoulder, however, points out things like this article heralding the availability of a instrument rating for French...
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