Ms. Chao has been appointed Transportation Secretary. She is in the corner with the big boys and favors ATC privatization. This has been an issue for us in GA and occasionally comes up in AOPA concerns.
Can any of you north of the border tell us what privatization would mean to us down here in the lower 48 as to cost, inconvenience and so on. Having read some comments posted elsewhere it's not a rosy picture and something to be avoided.
Cheers, Hans
I pay $70/year. That's it. There are a few airports in Canada where they charge a landing fee, but those are generally the big ones, and normally it is around $15. The only time I've paid it is flying into the airport on Toronto Island.Originally Posted by saber25
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Mark
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Privatization and user fees are two seperate issues. The government could pay efficient corporations to run the systems without imposing a user fee.
Or, the government could keep ownership and impose a user fee. The first option is best, I think, because the government already collects fuel tax.
Last edited by Bill Berson; 02-03-2017 at 09:56 PM.
RV8buildr, thanks for your input. Based on what I read here http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-bl...on-opportunity and if you read the second comment letter, it sounds like a burdensome system adding to our flight costs without any benefits. I know the EAA has not been a proponent of the concept nor has AOPA.
Cheers, Hans
The state of Illinois charges a user fee to use their airspace. When Annette the lady from the state contacted me about this fee, this is what she said it was. A tax to use the airspace in Illinois. They find you when you land and purchase fuel. This was how they got my info. When I told a fellow aviator about this he told me...This is why when you need fuel you look around and use another N number from a plane sitting on the tarmac.
Tony
lol, great strategy! The state of Illinois does not own the airspace and can not charge to use it. She probably meant something else, I'd sure like to be on the other end of her phone call....
This is strange. I have flown in and out of Illinois quite a bit over my adult life. Other than airport ramp fees at bigger airports (e.g., MDW and PIA) I have never been assessed a fee from Illinois or contacted by anyone from the State government for such a fee. When did this start?
I also agree with Marty in that the State of IL has no authority to charge for the use of "their" airspace. It is not theirs. I also imagine that it would be a matter of a state regulating interstate commerce.
Update: I just finished searching the web, to include AOPA information, Illinois Department of Transportation/Aeronautics Division, and reading through the Illinois Aviation Act. I could find no reference to such a fee. That said...I do know that IL, and other states, will look N numbers on the ramp to see if the aircraft is required to pay IL aircraft registration fees. Maybe they also use fuel receipts for that purpose.
Last edited by Mayhemxpc; 02-04-2017 at 09:24 AM. Reason: Update
I can only provide you with my experience with the privatization of Canada's air navigation system by Nav Canada. That experience is a big fat zero directly or non-directly. Nav Canada has had zero impact on me positively or negatively in the 20 years it has owned and operated Canada's air navigation system. My communications with ATC and FSS remain as they had prior to 1996. My direct aviation dealings are still only with DOT for licensing(aircraft and personnel)and medicals. My recollection is that the transfer from government to private sector operation was quite seemless for GA. I'm assuming the payment of $70 by rv8bldr is for the CFS publication yearly subscription. I no longer pay that since I subscribe to Foreflight which of course has it's own cost. I have never paid any other money to Nav Canada.
What you need to know is that Nav Canada is run as a not-for-profit private corporation. It's financed by publicly traded debt and the money it charges aircraft operators and carriers. As a not-for-profit it offers no shares and has no shareholders. The corporate structure is a BOD repped by the 4 stakeholder groups that originally created it--air carriers; GA and BA; federal government; and unions- and bought it from the Canadian government.
Based on US corporate history-take overs and otherwise-if the FAA is privatized, a giant publicly traded conglomerate or investment banker(US or not) will buy it for mega zillions and it will NOT likely be run as a not-for-profit. If such a purchase was to occur, it will be far more malevolent and IMO, you as private pilots and air carrier passengers will pay a huge price for it in the name of creating value for the stockholders. No matter your opinion of the FAA, you should probably all hope privatization doesn't happen.
Last edited by Floatsflyer; 02-07-2017 at 04:58 PM.
Thanks Floatsflyer for that response. I received an answer from a New Zealander on another forum and he is paying a tidy sum for the freedom to fly. If the eventual path here is towards privatization and additional user fees, I'm sure the ADS-B Nextgen mandate will go a long way in providing a seamless path for collection of fees. Maybe I'm overthinking this but fear that the free in freedom will be replaced by another kingdom.
I agree with rv8bldr. I register the number of hours I fly each year for each plane and get charged a fee. I think it's $70 per plane. Couldn't be simpler.
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