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United States Pilots Association |
It’s time your voice was heard! If you want to continue to have freedom of flight in America, contact your federal Congressman and Senators TODAY (for phone, fax, and email addresses, go to http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/.) Tell them that General Aviation pays its fair share of taxes, and to vote NO to user fees. Otherwise, it is very likely you will soon begin enjoying aviation as they have it in Europe and the rest of the world.
A fight is underway in Washington about how to fund the FAA. The FAA says more money needs to be brought into the system with a “consistent, predictable funding stream.” Airlines favor user fees because they would like to eliminate some of their costs and pass them on to GA. USPA, AOPA, EAA, etc., strongly and unanimously oppose user fees, especially without clearly defined system modernization plans, effective cost controls, and accountability for capital improvement programs. If the FAA operations budget was properly funded as intended—out of the general fund—and capital improvements were covered as intended—by the Aviation Trust Fund—there would be no funding “crisis.”
The Trust Fund—funded by GA fuel taxes and an airline passenger tax—was created to pay for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and Facilities and Equipment (F&E). Day-to-day operations are funded by congressional appropriation taxes. However, in recent years, the Trust Fund has been funding large portions of the FAA’s operations budget, and merely maintaining F&E, not replacing and upgrading. Therefore, there is no money for critical capital improvements and the modernization of the National Airspace System.
Contact your elected officials today, and tell them that cuts and user fees are not options. If you don’t, you may soon wish you had.
Jan Hoynacki, Executive Director
United States Pilots Association