EAA Government Advocacy Campaign To Prevent User Fees

What Can I Do

EAA strongly encourages you to contact your US Senators and Representatives, informing them of how, if enacted, user fees will affect you, your family, and your community. We have provided the following information to aid you in making a very positive and effective argument to back your message.

1. Contact your US Senators and Representatives in Washington and directly ask them to support NO USERS FEES for general aviation.
2. When contacting your US Senators and Representatives in Washington let them know that you support the House version of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2007 (HR 2881) because it does not contain users fees.
3. Educate your US Senators and Representatives in Washington on the direct impact users fees will have on you, your family, your business, your community, and the economic well being of your community airport.
4. When discussing the user fee issue with your US Senators and Representatives in Washington, It is equally important to remind them that all airspace users must share in the cost of operating within the National Airspace System. That it is critically important that Congress continue to demand airlines pay their fair share by retaining their 4.3-cent fuel tax, or to increase the airline fuel tax by the same percentage the general aviation fuel tax may be increased. To do otherwise would cripple the Trust Fund.
5. Even though e-mails are a convenient means of getting your message to your US Senators and Representatives in Washington, a well-informed, personal letter or phone call from a constituent in their home district is the most effective way to express your opinion. Guidance on what to say in a letter can be found in the EAA Briefing Paper.
6. When contacting your US Senators and Representatives in Washington by letter, the letter does not need to be long. A short letter containing 3 to 5 bullet points is sufficient to make your point. In this case, the bullet points could be:
   • In your own words - The effect user fees will have on you, your family, your business, your community, and the economic well being of your community airport.
   • I am opposed to general aviation user fees – I urge you to support the no user fee proposal in HR 2881.
   • The Aviation Trust Fund must be maintained to ensure continued improvement of the systems that support the National Airspace System and all who operate in it. Retain. Increase the airline fuel tax at the same rate as proposed for general aviation – taxes must be equal for all users!
7. When writing your US Representatives in Washington remember to thank them for their efforts in drafting H.R. Bill 2881 to eliminate FAA Administration user fee proposals.
8. EAA has provided a sample letter to both the House of Representatives and the Senate that could be used.
9. Be informative, respectful and polite in all your correspondence or calls. Explain the issue, express your personal concerns, express how this issue will directly affect you and your community, and by all means, directly ask for their active support of you and your community on the user fee issue.
10. Congressional Directories. Find the address to your local Congressional leaders – U.S. Senate & U.S. House of Representatives.
11. Tell other pilots, aircraft owners, and aviation enthusiasts about this issue. Share this information at EAA Chapter meetings and other pilot gatherings. Refer them to EAA’s briefing paper for more information.

Finally, the best was to continue to fight the FAA proposed user fees is to Support EAA and other general aviation organizations through your continued membership and donations. Give Wings to the EAA Advocacy mission - donations.