EAA Outraged over FAA’s ATC Fees for AirVenture Show

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is fighting a plan by the FAA to impose $479,000 in air traffic control fees on its annual AirVenture airshow in Oshkosh, Wis. “They are holding us hostage,” EAA chairman Jack Pelton told AIN. “This is political.” On May 14 the FAA informed EAA of its demand for contract and immediate payment allegedly to cover the cost of controller expenses and overtime. The FAA’s move came just days after Congress voted to override cuts the FAA made to the national ATC system in the wake of federal budget sequestration. EAA is mobilizing its members and Congress to block the FAA fees.