Question: I live in a state that has an airport stamp program. You land at the airport and put an ink stamp in the state airport passport book. According to AirNav.com, one of the airports I have yet to visit is listed as unattended but has a landing fee. Is that even legal? A few others have fees for transient parking. Don’t our tax dollars pay for airports? How do they enforce it if the airport is unattended? I am trying to build my hours and wondering about these extra costs.
Answer: Many unattended airports (those with no FBOs) have a transient overnight parking fee that is collected on the honor system. There’s usually a kiosk and a mailbox for the collection of the fee, typically paid by cash in an envelope.
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Sometimes landing fees are charged at privately owned airports, and the monies collected from them pay for the upkeep of facilities. such as the electricity, hanger maintenance, tie-downs, chocks, mowing of the grass, etc. The airport is privately owned but considered public use, which means the owner pays for its upkeep but allows pilots to use it. It passes on the costs of doing business to the pilots.
