Pilots in California County Opposed to Landing Fees

They feel ADS-B is being used as a governmental revenue stream.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, April 30, 2025 at 12:05 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

A look at Murray Field in Humboldt County, California. [Credit: Gene Joyce]

Key Takeaways:

Humboldt County has contracted Vector Airport Systems' PlanePass to track aircraft via ADS-B and bill transient pilots for landing and parking fees at four of its airports, exempting locally based aircraft.
Pilots are strongly objecting to the new fees, perceiving them as high for minimal services, and plan to avoid the county, raising concerns about potential negative impacts on local businesses and aviation safety.
This initiative is part of a national trend where pilots and organizations like AOPA are fighting against the use of ADS-B, a safety system, for revenue generation, advocating for policies to limit its use to its intended safety and air traffic efficiency purposes.

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Would you pay $23 for self-serve fuel and a portable toilet? That’s a question for pilots who intend to fly into California’s Humboldt County need to ask themselves because the county has contracted with Vector Airport Systems’ PlanePass to manage the landing and transient parking tracking and billing program at the four county-run airports.

As of March 1, transient pilots received a bill for landing at California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport (KACV), Murray Field (KEKA), Rohnerville Airport (KFOT), and Garberville Airport (O16).