Curious about this

This is akin to not letting someone illiterate use the library. Public space. Public use. That’s all.
 
This is akin to not letting someone illiterate use the library. Public space. Public use. That’s all.
I mean...I think that depends what they're using the library for...
 
I think my boss would consider a CFI departing here, even if not instructing until elsewhere, was not an "approved vendor" and would therefore be violating the contract he has with the city.

That argument is getting into reductio ad absurdum territory. Enforcement would require checking all departing aircraft with more than 1 person aboard to make sure no one is a CFI, lest they provide instruction somewhere else.
 
I would guess that before anybody signed an FBO lease agreement with the city, they'd have had a lot to say about the terms and probably expected this sort of activity would not be allowed unless their own investment in ramp space, hangar space and other facilities is at least matched by the competitor. Paved square footage of parking areas and mandatory hours of operation are too costly to allow somebody to come in and skim off their few chances to pay for them. That said, an aircraft owner is probably allowed to engage the CFI or mechanic of their own choosing. Heck, even provide their own fuel. Just not run a business. The contract is probably publicly available and discussion in the City Council minutes too.
 
As a public-funds receiving airport:

1) There is nothing, nada, they can do about transient instruction, other than barring flight instruction from happening within the physical building owned or leased by the FBO.

2) Reasonable business licensing and insurance requirements are permitted, but need to be consistent with those imposed on other businesses based in that locale and non-discriminatory.

I know our airport manager spent a lot of time developing commercial operations rules that are interpreted as "fair" by the vast majority of the airport users. See here for our airport's policies: https://www.cityoffullerton.com/government/departments/airport/commercial-operations
 
Seems like they can to me, if payment is involved:

This does not, in anyway, impact instructors when the flight training is not originating from our airport. It says that clearly in the first sentence.
 
It is over-reach to claim that training inside the aircraft of a private citizen is prohibited just because it happens to be on their ramp. It is over-reach to claim that I cannot hire an independent instructor to go with me on a flight if I'm departing from that airport.

As @Half Fast said, if I as an aircraft owner and my independent instructor are not parties to the contract, we cannot be held to it.
 
Seems like they can to me, if payment is involved:



It looks like they're trying to prevent an independent CFI from using the airport as a base of business operations, which might be reasonable, but I'm not sure they could enforce it. Just because somebody writes something down doesn't mean it will hold up. They have no prohibition about a student getting instruction in the student's own airplane from an independent CFI. I assume that final statement overrides the first one:
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There's no way they can tell an owner who can or can't ride in the owner's plane (or even find out, for that matter), nor what they do in flight.
 
I have been instructing for several decades and numerous airports. I have never been asked not to instruct the owner of an aircraft based at the airport or while on a flight school flight to another airport. It’s really a common courtesy thing.
 
A local airport, KMBT, about thirty years ago, had this taken to court. First, they signed an exclusive agreement with an FBO flight school. Then, they were asked to lease space to another flight school. They said no, #1 has exclusive rights. #2 went to the FAA, and they said to the city, you took public funds, you must. So, they did. #1 sued, got a huge settlement from the city, and retired. This is all from memory and a long time ago.
 
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