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 the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) pay $447,000 for air traffic control (ATC) services at AirVenture, which the EAA paid under protest.
• The EAA is challenging these fees in court, arguing they are procedurally improper and unlawful, especially as Congress recently outlawed user fees for ATC and granted the FAA funding flexibility.
• The author criticizes the FAA's conduct as unprecedented and embarrassing, questioning why the agency suddenly levied fees for an event that has received free ATC services since 1970 despite congressional directives against user fees.

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