Tenants Call  Extra Charge "Outrageous"

Aircraft owners and pilots who lease space at Crystal River Airport have a serious gripe against the facility's manger. They say a new minimum $60 surcharge for aircraft parking is unfair. Tom Davis, the airport manager, says its the fee is vital to airport's survival.

Davis is president of Crystal Aero Group Inc., the company Citrus County contracts to run the Crystal River Airport.

Davis claims he has been catching some unpleasant feedback from aircraft owners since the beginning of the year, when he started making plane owners pay an additional surcharge to rent space - either tie down or hangar - at the public airport. Angry plane owners called the new facility fee "outrageous" when compared with prices to lease space at similar-sized airports.

Davis insists he continually faces rising overhead costs that require him to get more out of aircraft owners. He warns that not having the extra revenue would not allow him to offer the standard of services the public expects. Tenants warn they will go elsewhere. Marion County Airport in nearby Dunnellon, which houses five more planes than Crystal River's 50, charges$25 a month for a tie down spot and sells Avgas for $2.10 a gallon. At Crystal River, fuel costs $2.80 and, coming soon, will jump to $2.86 per gallon. It's tie-downs run $42 a month and owners must pay the new fee of at least $60 a month, which can be applied toward the purchase of services Davis' company sells, such as fuel, flight instruction, engine work and charts. Owners who rent hangars pay more.

Will everyone abandon Crystal River for cheaper services? Only time will tell, but for now, those flying into the airport should expect to pay up.

FMI: www.crystalaerogroup.com/crystal.html