Aero-News: Quote of the Day

ANN's Quote of the Day usually derives from current news, though we reserve the right to pick quotes out of history that have a bearing on the day's events and issues.

Sometimes, you'll find them timely and in keeping with the content of the day's news... and sometimes, they'll just be thought-provoking.

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Aero-News Quote of the Day

“EAA delivers the Agreement and payment under protest. Further, EAA has objected to and resisted the FAA decision to seek additional payment for Air Traffic Control ("ATC) services at every possible occasion. Aside from the discussions between our executives and your agency on this subject, where our objections have been clearly stated, we attempted to insert our objections into the Agreement and to explicitly reserve our rights to challenge the Agreement in a court of law; however, our modifications were firmly rejected and we were compelled to execute the Agreement in its present form.

On May 8, 2013, EAA was emphatically and finally advised by the IFAA's Chief Operating Officer – Air Traffic Organization, J. David Grizzle, that the FAA would not provide Air Traffic Controllers for EAA AirVenture without this Agreement and the accompanying payment. EAA could not survive in anything like its present form if that were to happen.

AirVenture has been EAA's annual convention since its founding in 1953, and currently attracts more than 500,000 visitors and approximately 10,000 aircraft each year. FAA has provided Air Traffic Controllers for AirVenture, without additional compensation from IEAA, at least since AirVenture moved to Oshkosh, WI, in 1976.

After a thorough investigation, EAA has determined that there is no viable alternative source of Air Traffic Controllers this close to AirVenture, which starts on July 29,2013 and runs through August 4, 2013. AirVenture could not be held safely without a full complement of Air Traffic Controllers, because during the event and the arrival and departure periods our local airport, Wittman Regional Airport, is the world's busiest airport. It would be an irresponsible and unacceptable risk to attempt to hold AirVenture without full appropriate Air Traffic Controller support. FAA is the sole available source for Air Traffic Controllers, and has threatened to withhold the supply if EAA does not accept the Agreement and pay the amounts demanded.

AirVenture provides approximately 49% of EAA's annual gross revenue. EAA has contracted with more than 700 Exhibitors, more than 60 Sponsors and 15 food and beverage concessionaires, and numerous other contractors and vendors, for AirVenture 2013 goods, services and support. We have sold approximately $550,000 of advance admission tickets. The financial impact of dealing with all of these parties because of broken contracts would be ruinous to EAA, and would shatter our credibility and relationship with all of these vital constituent parties, making it virtually impossible to continue the event in future years.”

Source: From the gutsy, in-your-face, June 12th letter authored by EAA’s Sean Elliott, VP, Advocacy & Safety, to the FAA in protest of their demands for User Fees for AirVenture 2013. 

FMI: www.eaa.org