The Administration's Anti-Aviation Posture Defies Common Sense... and Explanation

As you may have surmised from breaking news, our esteemed President has submitted a budget, two months late, in which his preference for anti-aviation activity and attacks on that business, is again continued.

We have reproduced below, directly from the OMB's published Budget doc, the working language used by this government to again target an All-American industry... one that needs the support of our government... not further attacks. This government is but another in the 'Death of 1000 Cuts' that the aviation world seems to be experiencing... and on a near-daily basis.

I hope we can survive this lunacy... -- Jim Campbell, ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief 

Share Payments More Equitably for Air Traffic Services.

All flights that use controlled air space require a similar level of air traffic services. However, commercial and general aviation can pay very different aviation fees for those same air traffic services. To reduce the deficit and more equitably share the cost of air traffic services across the aviation user community, the Budget proposes to create a $100 per flight fee, payable to the Federal Aviation Administration, by aviation operators who fly in controlled airspace. All piston aircraft, military aircraft, public aircraft, air ambulances, aircraft operating outside of controlled airspace, and Canada-to-Canada flights would be exempted. This fee would generate an estimated $7.3 billion over 10 years. Assuming the enactment of the fee, total charges collected from aviation users would finance roughly three fourths of airport investments and air traffic control system costs. To ensure appropriate input from stakeholders on the design of the fee, the proposal would also establish an expert Commission that could recommend to the President a replacement charge, or charges, that would raise no less in revenue than the enacted fee.

FMI:  http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Overview