AirVenture ATC Fees

In July’s issue, I discussed the FAA’s demand that the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) cover controllers’ travel, per diem and overtime costs to provide ATC services at this year’s AirVenture fly-in. Subsequently, the EAA agreed to pay the agency some $447,000. (Full disclosure: EAA compensates me to work as a freelancer on the show’s daily newspaper during AirVenture.) There are a lot of opinions on this topic, ranging from, “They can have ATC fees when they pry them from my cold, dead hands,” to the more thoughtful one on the opposite page.

Key Takeaways:

• The FAA demanded approximately $447,000 from the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) for air traffic control services at its AirVenture fly-in, which the EAA paid under protest.
• The author criticizes the FAA's conduct as unprecedented and embarrassing, citing the late demand and its apparent contradiction of congressional directives against user fees for ATC services.
• The EAA is challenging these fees in court, arguing they are "procedurally improper and substantively unlawful" given recent legislation outlawing user fees and the FAA's failure to follow proper administrative rulemaking.

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