Fees

A local newspaper in Hazleton (Pennsylvania) has reported that a luxury twin-engine Rockwell Sabreliner jet parked at the Hazleton Municipal Airport has not paid $625 or five months worth of aircraft parking fees and that the airport manager has responded by ordering fuel trucks to be parked around the aircraft to prevent it from taking off.

That move came after two pilots arrived at the airport with documents showing they were hired to fly the aircraft to St. Louis (Missouri) for refurbishment on behalf of someone in Pittsburgh who had made a $35,000 deposit for the refurbishment.

However, just who owns the aircraft and is thus responsible for paying the airport fees is not exactly unclear. According to FAA records (which are often not be up-to-date), a lawyer bought the aircraft in 2005 for $2.6 million through a corporation formed with a former mayor of the town and apparently the corporation still owns the aircraft with its office address being the same as that of the lawyer’s law firm. The problem is the lawyer is now sitting in prison for paying $2.8 million in bribes to judges and had agreed to forfeit the jet as part of a plea agreement. His law firm has also stated that he has had nothing to do with the jet for two or three years – meaning he has no intention of paying the fees.

Meanwhile, the person in Pittsburgh who attempted to have the jet flown out shares the same last name as a Pittsburgh real estate developer who wants to build a massive airport in the area and whose firm the lawyer is a former principle of while the former mayor of the town still remains a principle of.

As for the jet itself sitting at the Hazleton Municipal Airport, it would not be a good idea for any pilot to try and start a jet engined aircraft surrounded by fuel trucks but it looks like at least the airport has a pretty good shot at collecting those fees! After all, it’s a $2.6 million jet that someone obviously now wants while the fees owed are just $625.

Over in the USA, general aviation pilots are increasingly up in arms over the Obama administration’s proposal for a $100 per flight fee for any aircraft operating a flight plan in controlled airspace (with an exemption for piston aircraft). And while the proposal has the potential to really stick it to general aviation pilots (after all, how hard will it then be to later remove the exemption?), it also sticks to the Obama administration’s fairness in taxation doctrine (e.g. soak the rich private jet owners and users) and will further have the US resembling Europe when it comes to both taxation and general aviation.

Obviously, the aviation press and blogosphere is up in arms with Richard Collins on Air Facts and Paul Bertorelli on AVwebinsider all have extensive articles with plenty of reader comments about the current proposal. Paul asked in his article whether anyone can make a convincing argument that the FAA spends the money it already gets wisely and that it needs even more revenue. He also pointed out that a sleepy neighboring airport of his that has “proven unusually adept in navigating the government grant business” now has a 12-story control tower worthy of a busy metro airport – without the aviation traffic to match it.

However and as Richard Collins pointed out on Air Facts, just because corporate jets are being singled out and have been thoroughly demonized by the media and politicians, don’t think for a moment that your propeller airplane won’t be included. Richard then asked his readers if they think user fees in addition to fuel taxes are justified and what the best arguments to use against these fees are.

Of course, a few European pilots posted comments about how general aviation user fees have decimated general aviation in Europe, with Javier summarizing the situation by writing:

Well, the best example to not put these fees is how the general aviation works in Europe, where you have to pay for everything, making GA really expensive as you usually have to add around 40-60$ per flight just to have the privilege to take off and land in a controlled airport.(30$ in a non towered) Then add the fee for parking or the fbo services plus the fuel. Here in europe you won’t find GA traffic at all as it’s ridiculously expensive to fly an a/c, I’ve been flying in CA and it was a great experience, please save GA as you know it.

Another reader also commented that when user fees kill general aviation in the US like in Europe, there will be huge fuel tax losses for the government plus a few other readers noted that it becomes a safety issue as some pilots will inevitably try to avoid the user fees by not using ATC.

In other words, American pilots should enjoy general aviation in the USA as they know it right now because is may soon go the way of general aviation in Europe.