ANN's Interview With Eclipse Aviation's Vern Raburn, Coming Tuesday

In the course of ANN's coverage of the user fee issue, we've reported on a number of entities and individuals weighing in on the ATA's position on user fees. Aero-News was recently able to speak, at length, with Eclipse Aviation CEO Vern Raburn about the proposal... as well as ATA's "unmitigated falsehoods" concerning the impact that VLJs will have on national airspace.

"No one at ATA has ever talked with anyone at Eclipse Aviation" concerning the Air Transport Association's assertions that VLJs will clog the nation's airspace, requiring additional manpower and equipment to handle the increased traffic load.

Raburn is also quite outspoken about how he views ATA's proposal on using user fees to support the FAA -- especially given what Raburn calls the "phenomenally terrible job the airlines are doing in terms of serving the nation."

"The vast majority of costs are put on the system by the airlines," Raburn tells Aero-News E-I-C Jim Campbell. "...This whole "blip-is-a-blip" sounds good, and is a great oversimplification, but it's sort of 'air traffic control for dummies.'"

"And that's what the airline industry believes most of America is," Raburn continues, "dummies, who will continue to pay them exorbitant fees, and continue to subsidize an industry that, by any measurement, is an  intellectually and financially bankrupt industry."

You'll be able to hear all of ANN's chat with Vern Raburn on Tuesday, as our ANN Special Feature Aero-Cast. Be sure to check it out!

FMI: www.aero-news.net/podcasts