FAA wants $500,000 or No AirVenture That adds up to $10,000 per AirTraffic Controller

[martymayes]

The FAA is just bluffing. AirVenture will go on as scheduled with adequate gov. supplied staffing.

[trav8s]

EAA and AOPA need to make friends with ALPA (Air Line Pilots Association). The FAA would back off quick if ALPA threatened to have their pilots call in sick en masse on a certain day. It would get the point across. And I know there are a lot of Air Line and former Air Line pilots at OSH.
And I really never understand why the FAA wants to be so hard on GA anyway. Most airline pilots nowadays come from GA. Get rid of GA, so much for airline travel. Sure, most of the rest of the world has airlines with no GA. But guess where their pilots learn and train? It's like the FAA is biting the hand that feeds them.

[MickYoumans]

The last I heard, the senate (or at least some Senators) sent a letter to the head of the FAA and told them this was an unfair user fee since money for this was already budgeted to cover the event. Considering the scope of this event and the financial impact it has on the aviation industry this would not be a good move. I would love to see a list of which Senators supported and the ones that didn't. It would have an influence on who I vote for next election.

[Hal Bryan]

I would love to see a list of which Senators supported and the ones that didn't. It would have an influence on who I vote for next election.

Here you go:

http://www.eaa.org/news/2013/release...airventure.pdf

[Richard Warner]

Nah....then we'd have a no fly zone for 2 days! Wouldn't need ATC.

You took the words right out of my mouth. Maybe some idiot will tell him that there are 300,000+ people at Oshkosh and he should go there and make a money raising speech. Shut my mouth for even thinking that!!!!!

[MickYoumans]

Here you go:

http://www.eaa.org/news/2013/release...airventure.pdf

Thanks Hal ! I had not seen the letter but heard about it.
Their letter was exactly my thoughts on the issue. Maybe some of our politicians are good for something after all...well maybe.

[Floatsflyer]

The FAA is just bluffing. AirVenture will go on as scheduled with adequate gov. supplied staffing.

Maybe yes, maybe no but are you/EAA willing to put it all on the line and accept any and all consequences? The options available to EAA are few but all very tough calls. I would not want to make any of them. Let's hope the current political barrage of the Administrator provides the needed pressure to have the FAA back down.

[scott f]

I agree with Marty, I think they will back down. But, just like any other Playground Bully or Thief, you have to have the stones to stand up to them. You back down, he is just gonna shake you down for your lunch money again. For WAY too long we in aviation have been acting like victims. The cooperative approach to government relations may have benefited some personally, but it has done nothing but erode our privileges. Cooperate with a Bully, he still takes your money. Challenge him, he may beat the tar out of you, but he likely will leave you alone as you are no longer an easy target - I don't know about you guys, but I am sick of aviation being an easy target.

Even if the FAA does not back down the airshow could go on as planned with the normal tower staffing and the air boss system - those that would be effected most would be the people flying in for the convention (and yes I am old - I still think it is a convention). As most of the revenue generated comes from the airshow relating items there would not be a catastrophic hit to revenues. people could still fly in and I think they could safely, the arrivals would just be slower.

But, make no mistake about it - the biggest aviation lobbying group in the country paying for service sets a precedent. Lost revenue from the above is recoverable, setting that paying precedent will not be recoverable. Make no mistake, this is Chicago politics being used here, EAA best fight back with some of it's own.

While things may look bad, the FAA has actually given Mr Pelton a huge opportunity here. If he stands and fights, it will likely unite most of EAA with a new cause, few people will say he did the wrong thing by calling these guys out. I in fact think it will generate new membership. It will also send the message that we are not going to be an easy "cooperative" target anymore. Conversely, pay this blackmail money, well then you lose a whole lot of the respect you have earned this last year and the FAA will be back for more.

However I go back to my original refrain - I pay EAA to protect me from user fees and other stupid and sundry FAA stuff. If they start paying fees on their own, well I certainly am not wasting my money paying a bodyguard that is afraid of bullies. Stated differently, fight these guys I will donate generously, pay them and I quit.

[rwanttaja]

AvWeb is reporting EAA has caved in on the demand. Bad move. EAA should have cancelled the show.

Well... I can see that cancelling the show would cause a lot of problems. Issuing refunds for exhibitor spaces, some folks with non-refundable airline tickets, vacations already scheduled, having to cancel acts like Chicago, etc. I can certainly understand Scott's take on this, too.

One issue is that EAA just didn't have enough warning: Some of you probably saw Dick Knapinski's posting; he says that the FAA wouldn't confirm that EAA would be charged until EAA sent a delegation to DC to ask them point-blank in person. With less than three months to the show, they really didn't have enough time to work out an alternative.

But it's still almost 14 months until AirVenture 2014. That should be sufficient time to develop a alternative. EAA should announce something like "It's too late this year, but we're never going to pay it again" and start working on a alternative system. They'll have a year, and vendors/exhibitors/fly-in attendees will have plenty of time to decide if attendance would be worthwhile.

Most of you know, I'm a historical kind of guy, and there's a big slogan from 210+ years ago that I think is appropriate here: "Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute!" I'd like to see EAA dig deep and go it alone, vs. paying the FAA's extortion. But I think they need some time to set it up.

Ron Wanttaja

[martymayes]

Maybe yes, maybe no but are you/EAA willing to put it all on the line and accept any and all consequences?

AvWeb is reporting EAA has caved in on the demand. Bad move. EAA should have cancelled the show.

Well, looks like it's time to make alternate vacation plans. In the end, it's not EAA paying for this crap, it's EAA members. I won't be one of them.