Airport usage fees

[prwood]

What should you reasonably expect to pay for airport usage fees for a 3-axis ultralight. I mean the annual fee you would pay, on top of hanger rental, to use the taxiways & runways, say on an airfield within 90 minutes drive from a major CBD.

 

 

[Jabiru Phil]

Give the CFI a ring at Penfield. He will give you the rates if any

 

Also Sue at Bacchus Marsh should have an answer

 

 

[metalman]

I pay a bit over $500pa to use the field and then hangar age on top of that, that's Coldstream

 

 

[M61A1]

Off topic I know......but I like your SaladFingers AV.

 

 

[prwood]

We were paying $550 but have just received an account (9 months late) for this financial year for $2750 !!!! No advance warning & no justification.

 

Salad Fingers is my hero M61A1. Just love the utter wierdness

 

 

[Neil_S]

What should you reasonably expect to pay for airport usage fees for a 3-axis ultralight. I mean the annual fee you would pay, on top of hanger rental, to use the taxiways & runways, say on an airfield within 90 minutes drive from a major CBD.

Hi,

I am hangared at Penfield. We don't pay anything on top of the hangar fees. Visiting planes pay a landing fee (I think it's $9).

 

Cheers

 

Neil

 

 

[ave8rr]

Bundaberg Qld. landing fees are included in the hangar site lease which is about $1800.00 per year for a 15m x 12m hangar site. I am not sure that aircraft below a certain weight and / or on private ops pay anything anyway.

 

 

[johnm]

dangerous topic this ............ unless you are getting skrewed like prwood (how could it get any worse ?)

 

airport owners were put on this earth to allow cheap flying for us all

 

to think that someone has to pay $ 2,750 for a recreational pastime ................ is a rip off

 

lets hope the other airport owners don't go crackers like prwood's airport owner

 

I'd imagine prwood's airport owner would have coin operated toilet paper dispensers in their own house (user pays)

 

JM

 

 

[fly_tornado]

^^ raw nerve there?

 

I think he is upset @ the fact that he has received a 5 year bill...

 

 

[68volksy]

Well the airport fees for one of the local flying school's aircraft at Goulburn is currently up to $3800 for this financial year to date. Really gets my goat when just down the road at Canberra it's a $1200 flat rate...

 

No toilet facilities (new owner locked them so he didn't have to clean them), no terminal building, no drinking water...

 

 

[johnm]

the worship of the all mighty dollar

 

Lets:

 

- meter rubbish bins

 

- put tolls on the footpaths

 

- license dog kennels as places of habitation

 

- put tolls on vehicle xovers

 

- meter fishing rods - double the rate if they are on a quay or fishing off a beach

 

- charge an additional fee when you get a traffic ticket written out

 

- put tolls on all public toilets, parks and any open space

 

- put tolls on all crown land, forests etc

 

- place tolls on all railway, airline, bus seats (just the ticket price if you stand)

 

- put tolls on all entry doors / gates / trapdoors / rope ladders of places of enjoyment

 

- put tolls on all places of burial - if annual payments are not made the corpse will be delevered to the next of kin

 

- place tolls on all hospital beds (just the medical fee if you stand)

 

- place tolls on all medical centres, dentists, urologists, porn shops, brothels (you'll probably be walking out happier so you should pay for it)

 

- etc

 

- etc

 

 

[fly_tornado]

http://www.clearprop.com.au/website-donation.html

[pylon500]

GREED is what drives the bean counters at most councils (so it would seem).

 

Had one airport that within 6 years, went from charging local pilots $250 a year (unlimited) to operate at the airport, to $360 a year, to $500 a year and finally to $900 a year for 100 'movements'.

 

One of the local owners (in his 70's) didn't mind paying $250 a year, even if he only flew five or six times a year.

 

Seemed like reasonable value for unlimited access, and no irregular bills coming in, but when it got to the top figure and the fact he only flew twice last year, he now pays the Avdata landing fee.

 

That means that this year, instead of the council getting between $250 to $500, they got $22.20 +GST.

 

Some councils just can't see the forrest for the trees

 

 

[jakej]

P500

 

Gee that's cheap, at Aldinga they charge $803 per year now for an "airfield maintenance fee" - cleverly not called a landing fee, so if you want somewhere to land FREE you can there. It's only 'captive' aircraft that pay. Interestingly boats, heaps of cars, motorbikes, caravans & those wanting to store anything don't pay - must be a consumer law being busted here, will have to check it out.

 

 

[PA 28]

No fees here, but I do have to mow the strip once in a while in return for the hangar...

 

 

[REastwood]

I always find it funny how people will complain about landing fees, airport maintenance etc. to the point of avoiding airports to save themselves $10 but in the next breath whinge about all the airports closing and there is nowhere to keep an aircraft within easy driving distance etc. etc. Some places may be cheap, some way over the top but I suggest to those who think it is all too expensive, go buy a couple of hundred acres, prepare a few strips, build some toilets and an office, put up fencing, buy the machinery to maintain the place, work seven days a week and listen to all the people whinge about how much you charge and how they are never coming back etc. etc. Maybe go look up the costs for keeping a boat at a marina, or the fees for living on a golf course.

 

 

[ave8rr]

Probably time to review thread....

 

http://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/landing-fees.52504/

 

Most of this has been discussed there.

 

 

[jakej]

I always find it funny how people will complain about landing fees, airport maintenance etc. to the point of avoiding airports to save themselves $10 but in the next breath whinge about all the airports closing and there is nowhere to keep an aircraft within easy driving distance etc. etc. Some places may be cheap, some way over the top but I suggest to those who think it is all too expensive, go buy a couple of hundred acres, prepare a few strips, build some toilets and an office, put up fencing, buy the machinery to maintain the place, work seven days a week and listen to all the people whinge about how much you charge and how they are never coming back etc. etc. Maybe go look up the costs for keeping a boat at a marina, or the fees for living on a golf course.

You won't close ADG because the people who have a vested interest need somewhere to park their twins and hired aircraft, interesting to see the number of vacant hangar (ie no aircraft in them) spots.

 

I have no issue with paying a landing fee, actually prefer that - I personally built & owned the 2nd largest hangar at YSCB so don't lecture me about costs as I had to pay solicitors & valuers every 2 years (rent review) to 'put a lid' on the exhorbitant rates they wanted. I'm led to believe the hangar cost is around $1000 per month now .When the airport was privatised the rates went up 100% overnight.

 

My 'whinge' is the inequitable way it's done at ADG because they are too lazy to collect landing fees so they make aircraft owner tenants pay & everyone else gets off scott free. Hangar owners pay half that amount.

 

Charge what you think you need to but it's unfair to charge a minority & the majority pay nothing as they can come & go as often as they like without paying a cent.

 

 

[johnm]

An airstrip / airport to me is like a road, a footpath, a beach, a river, an open space, a local hospital, a council run caravan park or a golf course

 

It is a public / community asset - it is not like McDonalds or KFC

 

It has a use for the betterment of society and the community. All members of the community will not use it - but, they might do at some time. Airports perform ambulance and search functions; etc etc. They can make the community safer. Thay can promote the community and some also say thay stimulate the local economy. They certainly provide employment

 

Aviaiton is an important part of 'time poor' lives. Airports are the grass roots of where the people in the pointy ends of airliners have come from

 

I think it is inappropraite to charge each individual that uses an airport an individual cost - it should be seen as a community cost

 

I'll predict that if 'user pays' continues to be applied to airports ............... they will be proved to be uneconomic - they will then close and then be occupied by buildings like houses, McDonalds or KFC .............. then, people will realise that more airports will have to be established because there 'aint enough of them

 

 

[jakej]

I always find it funny how people will complain about landing fees, airport maintenance etc. to the point of avoiding airports to save themselves $10 but in the next breath whinge about all the airports closing and there is nowhere to keep an aircraft within easy driving distance etc. etc. Some places may be cheap, some way over the top but I suggest to those who think it is all too expensive, go buy a couple of hundred acres, prepare a few strips, build some toilets and an office, put up fencing, buy the machinery to maintain the place, work seven days a week and listen to all the people whinge about how much you charge and how they are never coming back etc. etc. Maybe go look up the costs for keeping a boat at a marina, or the fees for living on a golf course.

Rick

 

You conveniently missed my point ....... I agree with airport charges if appropriate, for ALL users - I had asked the question in the past about why isn't a landing fee applied (for everyone) instead of 'hitting up' the captive few.

 

 

[boingk]

I'm all for cheaper (or free) landing fees for RAA craft, and some bills seem utterly ridiculous. I made a deal with John at YGLB for annual landing and use fees, he said $400 would cover it. I never ended up paying because I thought that AVData charges would end up being either the same or cheaper for the amount of flying I do. So far I've been correct, have just received a bill of $130 for the last 4~6 months.

 

If you are worried about the bills etc that are being levied at you then you can always chat to the owner. If they do not understand that you are a small-time, private operator who is not using the strip for profit (ie you do not have $2750 to give them!) then perhaps you should look at hangering/flying elsewhere. Probably not the most helpful of advice but there isn't really much else you can do but not pay. If you can come to an agreement with them then that would be the best way forward.

 

Cheers - boingk

 

 

[nickduncs84]

You won't close ADG because the people who have a vested interest need somewhere to park their twins and hired aircraft, interesting to see the number of vacant hangar (ie no aircraft in them) spots.I have no issue with paying a landing fee, actually prefer that - I personally built & owned the 2nd largest hangar at YSCB so don't lecture me about costs as I had to pay solicitors & valuers every 2 years (rent review) to 'put a lid' on the exhorbitant rates they wanted. I'm led to believe the hangar cost is around $1000 per month now .When the airport was privatised the rates went up 100% overnight.

My 'whinge' is the inequitable way it's done at ADG because they are too lazy to collect landing fees so they make aircraft owner tenants pay & everyone else gets off scott free. Hangar owners pay half that amount.

 

Charge what you think you need to but it's unfair to charge a minority & the majority pay nothing as they can come & go as often as they like without paying a cent.

Serious question, how do airports go about charging 'landing fees'. Without knowing the answer, I'm assuming that it would be quite labour intensive would it not? I can certainly see why an airport owner would opt for the simplicity of an annual fee than bother with all that.

 

I also think that a fair few people would rather pay an annual fee than landing fees. And $700 a year doesn't sound to bad when you compare ADG to other airports. Well maintained, good facilities, etc.

 

 

[facthunter]

Any reasonable person should be prepared to pay for facilities they use, or in lieu work to maintain etc. The landing fees thing was always a "Pain" with being billed for places you have never been near in years.. The cost of collection would be as much as the monetary value in disputed cases. Nev

 

 

[Marty_d]

Simple. Don't charge for landings, charge for take off. Once you taxi off the strip a gate comes down and you can't get back on the strip without swiping your credit card.

 

Car parks have been doing it for years.

 

 

[planedriver]

GREED is what drives the bean counters at most councils (so it would seem).Had one airport that within 6 years, went from charging local pilots $250 a year (unlimited) to operate at the airport, to $360 a year, to $500 a year and finally to $900 a year for 100 'movements'.

One of the local owners (in his 70's) didn't mind paying $250 a year, even if he only flew five or six times a year.

 

Seemed like reasonable value for unlimited access, and no irregular bills coming in, but when it got to the top figure and the fact he only flew twice last year, he now pays the Avdata landing fee.

 

That means that this year, instead of the council getting between $250 to $500, they got $22.20 +GST.

 

Some councils just can't see the forrest for the trees

Going back quite a few years, my local council used to charge you a penny- in- the- slot to use their toilets.

 

There were no questions asked regarding the number of movements, which only proves what a money grabbing society we have become.