EdFred
Taxi to Parking
I just got off the phone with my Congressman's office. Lucky for me he sits on the Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and on the aviation subcommitte. I called to talk to the person who deals with that in his office, and was told he was in a meeting, and would I like his voice mail. Sure, I can do that. So I leave a message for Matt Reifer stating that I am an airport manager, commercial pilot, flight instructor, and aircraft owner, and had some concerns over the proposal to change the FAA funding. I stated that maybe I would bring up some points that might not have been thought of, and even if they were, I think they need to be reinforced. I left my number, and expected a call in the next week or so. I was wrong. About thirty minutes later, I get a call back from Matt, and we had a great conversation. Serious, but light hearted with a couple laughs about the system and airlines.
(This is the second time I had to type this out, so I am not going into as much detail as I did the fist time typing it.)
I said I understand the need for funding the system, and I realize that the Corporate Clog, or as USA Today says, Lear Lock can be an issue, but I just have a bad feeling that once an increase happens to Coporate part 91 flights, that it will extend to all of Part 91 flights. He seemed to agree with me, and a few more things were discussed about usage and operations and after the call I feel pretty confident that the President's funding proposal won't make it to the floor, and something with positive GA considerations will.
He thanked me for calling probably 15 or 20 times, and it almost seemed by the end of the conversation if I was the one that ended the call. I'd like to think it my was personality and demeanor that made him so appreciative, but he was probably sick of reading form letters.
(This is the second time I had to type this out, so I am not going into as much detail as I did the fist time typing it.)
- Raising taxes or adding fees will not generate more revenue. I've talked to a lot of pilots, and they said they would just leave aviation and take up boating or something else. You can't collect taxes and fees if they aren't in the system.
- The proposal wants to make taxes on General Aviation fuel almost a dollar a gallon, while keeping the fuel for commercial craft at around five cents. If they want to talk about paying a fair share, I think we are already doing that with the current rates, especially since...
- GA is not as much of a burden on the system. As soon as I said that Matt jumped right in, and demonstrated some decent knowledge about the system, and the congestion, and times of day, and how we may only talk to 1 or 2 controllers, while a commercial operation may talk to 10 or 20. I chimed in and said that flying from Hastings, MI to Ludington was much different from flying from Chicago to St Louis, and made the joke that we aren't even allowed to talk to Chicago Approach right now because we don't have special transponders that identify us as a 767. He got a chuckle out of that.
- Raising taxes will have a trickle-down effect, if I can make a Reagonomics reference, that won't just affect pilots, but also the following:
- Flight Schools. Using national averages and an airplane similar to mine, the increase in cost could be around $700 just to get your private certificate. Less people will be training.
- Fuel wholesalers won't be selling as much fuel, because we won't be using as much
- On airport business will get less customers because we will be flying less to get lunch or dinner.
- Aircraft value will drop, and it will affect anyone in the business of selling planes, because no one is going to want to purchase one with all the additional taxes and fees.
- Volunteer organization such as Angel Flight, Lifeline Pilots, and WIngs of Mercy will have less pilots or less hours to fly with the increased costs. With my flights last year, a quick calculation showed fees and taxes increasing my out of pocket costs by $500, for something I am already paying out of pocket for. A tax on volunteering is crazy.
- Less airplanes flying means less work for mechanics. They will be out of business. Less people flying means less training, so not much need for instructors. Close those two professions down, and there's no need for FBOs.
- Safety. We don't have an unlimited budget like the airlines want people to believe, and if you increase the costs too much, we just can't fly enough to stay safe. Sure, we might legally be able to fly, but proficiency could become an issue. Raise our costs 25%, and we'll reduce our flight time by 20%. That's not a good thing for safety.
- User Fees is only going to cause additional overhead, and reduced efficeiency. Another department will need to be created, and that's not going to help. Plus, no one is going to use services they don't NEED, and I hate to say it, but it could turn the skies into the Wild West. Not that if fees were implemented tomorrow, that on Saturday we'll have 1400 mid air collisions, but we aren't going to use the service and they will still not have the funding they want. Matt was right on board with that, and stated that most/everyone on the aviation subcommittee was a GA pilot, and were all opposed to the fees because of those two issues with the fees.
- I help run a company, and in 20 years we have never declared bankruptcy. If five companies, all of which have declared, or will declare bankrupcty, they are the last ones I will ask for an opinion for. He got a chuckle out of that, and totally agreed.
I said I understand the need for funding the system, and I realize that the Corporate Clog, or as USA Today says, Lear Lock can be an issue, but I just have a bad feeling that once an increase happens to Coporate part 91 flights, that it will extend to all of Part 91 flights. He seemed to agree with me, and a few more things were discussed about usage and operations and after the call I feel pretty confident that the President's funding proposal won't make it to the floor, and something with positive GA considerations will.
He thanked me for calling probably 15 or 20 times, and it almost seemed by the end of the conversation if I was the one that ended the call. I'd like to think it my was personality and demeanor that made him so appreciative, but he was probably sick of reading form letters.
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