Wannabe
Filing Flight Plan
Imagine this scenario. You finally scrimp and save enough to buy an airplane. You’ve even convinced your family what a great idea this will be. Now that you have a plane, of course you want a place to keep it, say, a hangar, at the nearest airfield. ‘Lo and behold, there’s a hangar for sale! You look into buying it. Price seems fair. However, on top of the price you’ll need to pay state / local taxes, and carry an insurance policy for the building and liability. Oh, and the state owns the land underneath the hangar and can pull the land out from underneath you for a variety of reasons, or, as it seems, no reason at all! It is a ridiculously one-sided lease favoring the state. But it is a “take it or leave it” proposition. At least your attorney reviewed it and assures you it is cost-bounded in the way in which the lease rate can increase over time. So, deep breath and you get a 20-year lease during which the state can adjust that lease rate in accordance with increases in the CPI (no decreases are allowed!) and costs directly attributed to that airport, every 2 years during that 20-year period of the lease. You do all the arithmetic, and your dream still seems to be (barely) within reach, so you sign the lease, buy the plane, and life is good, until…
In less than two years, you get a letter from VTrans with a decree: the new land lease rate will now be 108% greater than your lease stated. Whoa! How can they do that? It says right here in my lease what the increase can be, and 108% is way out of line. The state’s answer? In a nutshell, it is this: “We forgot to raise the rate for so long before you signed your lease and we’re going to make it up all at once and at your expense.” Never mind that the lease says the increase in MY rate must be based on increases in the CPI index and costs at this specific airport within the last two years.
Do this "thought experiment" with me. You’re in line at McDonalds, and you get your hamburger and a Coke. The kid at the register says, “That’ll be $200.” “How much?”, you say incredulously. And the kid behind the register, says, “Yeah, I forgot to charge the 10 people before you, so I have to charge you to make up for it.” Welcome to my world. And every other hangar owner in the state of Vermont. We all got the shaft to varying degrees because of the malfeasance at worst, or the ineptitude at best, of a poorly administered Vermont Transportation Agency.
It was not always thus. In around 2017 and before, the Aviation Division was a separate organization under VTrans. It was run by a great team of folks who truly provided value to the stakeholders of the aviation resources in the state. The stakeholders are us – the residents of the state! We own most of the airports in this state. VTrans is supposed to run them for our benefit. Since around 2017, that has not been the perception or, as it turns out, the reality. The state has lost FBO services at important airports. They’ve lost fuel capability at other airports. They’ve allowed buildings to languish rather than to be re-purposed as FBO’s, passenger arrival lounges, CBP facilities, etc., with local, private money waiting to be poured into these projects. The state seems to ignore the potential within the state, across the border in Canada, and the potential goodwill of a very generous stakeholder base of pilots and interested community members.
This simple, contractual issue has been contested since the decree was promulgated in July 2019. There are now 13 hangars and 2 state airports in play. This issue is now, finally, on the docket to be heard by the board that oversees this state agency, the Transportation Board. Any other hangar owners in Vermont, feel free to contact us through this P of A forum to learn more about this process.
The checks and balances on this setup appear to be broken. The rubber stamp body called VAAC (Vermont Aviation Advisory Council) has almost no aviation savvy folks, and it has no “teeth” anyway, as it is “advisory” only. The real story is the lack of effective management at VTrans although piled high with titles, official sounding names and, perhaps even good intentions. Someone has to pull the curtain back on this crew! We’re surprised that AOPA, EAA, Seven Days, Vermont Digger, WCAX, PBS, local newspapers, etc. have not picked up on this yet.
In less than two years, you get a letter from VTrans with a decree: the new land lease rate will now be 108% greater than your lease stated. Whoa! How can they do that? It says right here in my lease what the increase can be, and 108% is way out of line. The state’s answer? In a nutshell, it is this: “We forgot to raise the rate for so long before you signed your lease and we’re going to make it up all at once and at your expense.” Never mind that the lease says the increase in MY rate must be based on increases in the CPI index and costs at this specific airport within the last two years.
Do this "thought experiment" with me. You’re in line at McDonalds, and you get your hamburger and a Coke. The kid at the register says, “That’ll be $200.” “How much?”, you say incredulously. And the kid behind the register, says, “Yeah, I forgot to charge the 10 people before you, so I have to charge you to make up for it.” Welcome to my world. And every other hangar owner in the state of Vermont. We all got the shaft to varying degrees because of the malfeasance at worst, or the ineptitude at best, of a poorly administered Vermont Transportation Agency.
It was not always thus. In around 2017 and before, the Aviation Division was a separate organization under VTrans. It was run by a great team of folks who truly provided value to the stakeholders of the aviation resources in the state. The stakeholders are us – the residents of the state! We own most of the airports in this state. VTrans is supposed to run them for our benefit. Since around 2017, that has not been the perception or, as it turns out, the reality. The state has lost FBO services at important airports. They’ve lost fuel capability at other airports. They’ve allowed buildings to languish rather than to be re-purposed as FBO’s, passenger arrival lounges, CBP facilities, etc., with local, private money waiting to be poured into these projects. The state seems to ignore the potential within the state, across the border in Canada, and the potential goodwill of a very generous stakeholder base of pilots and interested community members.
This simple, contractual issue has been contested since the decree was promulgated in July 2019. There are now 13 hangars and 2 state airports in play. This issue is now, finally, on the docket to be heard by the board that oversees this state agency, the Transportation Board. Any other hangar owners in Vermont, feel free to contact us through this P of A forum to learn more about this process.
The checks and balances on this setup appear to be broken. The rubber stamp body called VAAC (Vermont Aviation Advisory Council) has almost no aviation savvy folks, and it has no “teeth” anyway, as it is “advisory” only. The real story is the lack of effective management at VTrans although piled high with titles, official sounding names and, perhaps even good intentions. Someone has to pull the curtain back on this crew! We’re surprised that AOPA, EAA, Seven Days, Vermont Digger, WCAX, PBS, local newspapers, etc. have not picked up on this yet.
Last edited:
So perhaps no help to your cause.
