EAA Chapter 972

May-28 is Memorialday and a Fly-In in Mt-Pleasant from 9AM to 3 PM
Lunch will be from 11AM -till Full / Donations welcome
100 LL $ 3.00 per gal, - but on Memorialday only

(this is also listed in our event-section)

Jerry just compiled the May-Newsletter, here is the TOC:

• Thank You Chapter 972
• Roger That, by Roger Wieting
• Pictures of the Pancake Breakfast and RWY-Gumbo April 21st
• The Eagles Nest by Bill Vawter
• Young Eagles Results
• User Fees in Europe have Killed Practice
• Sun ‘N Fun Trip
• GA in the US shipped 4042 Airplanes in 2006

Enjoy & stay up to date. Click here, direct for the current edition, - or the buttons at the left side for all our download-stuff.

Dear Aviation Friends,

If you have not written your Congressman and U.S. Senators you need to do so, - or we will lose general aviation as we know it today. The letter I sent these representatives is nearly the same you see below. All you have to do is change the date, add the representative and your name and address and maybe additional reasons and opinions.

Let me give you a couple pointers on how to send this that I have learned from my Congressman:
Fax the letter.
If you mail it, it has to be screened for possible Anthrax, this will take two weeks. If you email, it will get lost in the thousands of emails they get. Fax, I was told, is the best way to send it.

Regards
Jerry
————————————————
All,

Thanks Jerry. Here are the fax numbers for Texas Senators and Representative from District One. I’ve taken the liberty of modifying Jerry’s letter a bit and attached it for your use or perusal.

Bart

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison 202 224 0776 fax DC
Senator John Cornyn 202 228 2856 fax DC

Representative Louie Gohmert 202 226 1230 fax DC

May 4, 2007

Dear Senator;

I must politely but firmly express my disagreement and opposition to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plan to revise the current method of FAA funding in which the public transportation system, (airlines) pay the majority of the cost. This proposal, which dramatically increases fuel and service costs to light, personal and general aviation will do serious damage to the general aviation infrastructure in the United States. This infrastructure is unique in the world and it would be a shame to lose the near universal access to air transport it provides to large areas of the country not served by the public air transport system (airlines). This misguided FAA funding plan would likely fall far short of the needed revenues and the FAA would be in the position of continually raising fees and fuel taxes to compensate, with the result that general aviation would cease to exist while the airlines would pass the costs on to consumers, as they do today. This has been demonstrated in every nation where this method is in use. We should continue to use the current system…it is a proven plan, it is successful, it has a low cost of administration, a low cost collection plan, and it works. Further, the cost is spread over several hundreds of millions of airline passengers each year, and thus a wide segment of the American traveling public, as well as the many millions of foreigners who travel American air carriers, are rightfully paying the bill.
The airlines receive the vast percentage, over 85%, of FAA services. The Air Traffic Control system is designed for the airlines and general aviation is served on a time permits basis. The argument that it isn’t “fair” that general aviation rides for free won’t wash. There are numerous examples of Federal expenditures which benefit specific groups. Should those Americans who enjoy water sports and fishing pay the cost of building lakes? Should the land owners whose property is protected from flooding pay for dams and levies designed for flood control? The ATC system is designed for the airlines, period. The original act which established it was passed as the result of the midair collision of two airliners over the Grand Canyon.

Senator, the bottom line is that if this plan goes through, it will eventually kill general aviation as we know it today.

Sincerely,

Barton L. Robinett