Airport landing fees are acceptable but overflight charges are not. [Shutterstock]
Key Takeaways:
Privately owned airports, like DeLaurentis Airport (KOKH), are transitioning from honor-based payment systems to automated billing solutions like Vector PlanePass to address pilots' frequent refusal to pay landing and parking fees.
The move to automated billing is driven by airport owners' frustration with pilots using their privately maintained facilities without contributing financially, despite significant investments in upkeep and upgrades.
Initial implementation of the automated system has faced "growing pains," with some pilots being erroneously billed for merely overflying the airport, leading to disputes and necessitating technical adjustments to the geofencing and altitude detection.
If you have been to a private airport, you have probably asked that question. There is often a mailbox in a kiosk, or the pilot is directed to the airport manager’s office. No one is making you pay, as aviation often relies on the honor system.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
