[GoldCountryRedneck]

An airline aviation industry power and funding grab is in the works!!!

[Finny]

Wow! Thanks for posting.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

PING!

[af_vet_rr]

I don’t know why (well I can guess that it’s campaign $$), but the Bush administration has been one of the unfriendliest administrations when it comes to General Aviation. At one point after 9/11 some feds were making it pretty clear that they would gladly cut GA in the name of fighting terrorism (even though it was clear that 9/11 was just an excuse).

[ZGuy]

I’m flying next week. I’m sure I’ll be able to put these in at least a half dozen seat pockets without any trouble.

[Seaplaner]

Part of their funding would be provided by the imposition of crushing user-fees on General Aviation...via aviation fuel taxes ... Weather reports, flightplans, Instrument clearances, more landing fees, etc...

Here's the part I don't understand.

In 1990, Congress voted in a huge luxury tax, which crippled the aviation industry, nearly wiped out the boat-building industry, and several other alleged "luxury"-type manufacturers and sellers.

The cost in U.S. jobs was astounding and the penalty in taxes NOT collected was significant.

The so-called idle rich just elected not to pay the heavy taxes on yachts, airplanes, furs and the like; and, the only people hurt were the workers in those industries.

The same dynamic is patiently waiting to smack down the U.S. aviation-related economy if this "fee" thing is enacted.

There would be no gain in money collected from GA, net receipts would be down.

Aviation jobs, everything from wx briefers, fuelers, airport restaurateurs, hotel/motel, taxi-services, would be in a steep descent. The inverse multipliers would have a deep effect here.

[austinmark]

Bump

[Bogeygolfer]

The following is in part to be the devil’s advocate but partly to understand better. As I understood it the airlines pay a small fortune per flight with as many as several hundred passengers or 100x the amount paid by a single seater or small four seater and yet both use the same amount of services from the FAA. If that’s true (and it may not be) then from a purely conservative point of view this is much like our income taxes where the big money is subsidizing the private pilots. While that may hurt private aviation or even deal a death blow I’m not so sure I don’t agree based on principal. The bit about transferring the authority to a private or quasi govt organization is also a generally sound principal in most areas. In short I’m a bit lost and would appreciate more detail.

[Regulator]

Ping to this:

Senators threaten GA

I think I saw an e-pilot email from AOPA on this, so you may know about it.

I'm really beginning to hate that dimwit Lott. Hard to think of him as a 'Republican'.