Mid Island Pilots' Club

FW: EAA Chapter Alert - Rhode Island set to impose User Fees on Out of State aircraft

From:	JC F.
Sent on:	Thursday, October 29, 2015, 10:18 AM

i thought this was worth forwarding. let us send emails... lots of them.

From: Jack Hilditch [mailto:[address removed]]
Sent: Thursday, October 29,[masked]:42 AM
To: [address removed]
Subject: EAA Chapter Alert - Rhode Island set to impose User Fees on Out of State aircraft
Importance: High

Good morning,

Chapter 166 Tech Counsellor Greg Prentiss forwarded this alert from Henry DuPont, the Block Island ASN volunteer, for immediate circulation.

A meeting to decide this issue is scheduled for November 2, 2015 so your emails opposing it are needed now.

Rhode Island Airports Plan User Fees for Out of State Pilots

Dear Fellow Pilots, October 26, 2015

I am the AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer pilot advocate for the Block Island State Airport (BID). It has come to our attention that our FBO (Avports) who is providing FBO services at Block Island, and the four other RI outlying airports, (WST, SFZ, OQU and UUU) has decided to start charging our out-of-state visiting pilots a new $20 “Facility Fee” in addition to the normal $15 landing fee. All RI based aircraft are exempt from this fee. The new “Facility Fee” is actually the Avports former “Overnight Parking Fee” which they have renamed so that they can charge our out-of-state visiting pilots an extra fee, even if they do not spend the night! That is just wrong. You, our visiting pilots know this, and when you head out on your next trip to the shore, you will likely fly right by Block Island and visit one of the other airports in the Cape or Islands which do not charge unwarranted aircraft fees. Like some other FBOs, Avports is offering to waive their new facilities if the pilot purchases a certain minimum amount of fuel. Unfortunately Block Island does not have any fuel service, so even that method of fee reduction, will not be available here. And it gets better… the new facility fee is assessed on a calendar day basis which means that if you decide to spend the night, your overnight tiedown fee doubles at midnight!

Under the new fee scheme a day visitor to Block Island will pay $35 instead of the $15 landing fee charged before and overnight visitors will pay $40 instead of the $20 tiedown fee charged before. Needless to say, this is much higher than any of our nearby shoreline airports, most of which have no landing fee and a $10-$15 overnight fee.

It should be no surprise that our pilot visitors to Block Island, Newport, and Rhode Island’s other shore destination airports are an enormous driver for our local economies. A 2006 study found that visiting pilots provide the Block Island economy millions of dollars in revenue for Island businesses and sales tax to the State of Rhode Island.

It is therefore clear that this unwarranted fees, and its impact on our pilot visitors, will do much more harm than good to the local economy. We are working hard to get the fees rescinded but we need your help! Please write a brief email or letter to Mr. Kelly Fredricks, the CEO of the RI Airport Corporation (RIAC), with a copy to Mr. Jeremy Neilson at Avports, and ask them to abandon this excessive and unwarranted fee. An effective email or letter could include the following points:

· An introduction stating that you and your family enjoy visiting Block Island by air and why

· That you are aware of the recent fee increase by Avports and it is of concern to you

· That there are numerous other day trip airport destinations that you and your fellow pilots enjoy visiting which have either no fees or lower landing/parking fees than Block Island (give an example), and the new fee increase now makes those airports more attractive to you and your family as a flying pleasure trip destination.

· That unwarranted airport fees at any airport do more harm, than good to the local community, and that if Block Island is to remain high on your list, as a day trip or vacation destination, the unwarranted fees should be rescinded.

RIAC and Avports is meeting with the members of the Block Island aviation and business communities on November 2nd to discuss the new fee increase and armed with enough emails and letters of protest from you, our visiting pilots, we hope to make the case that this fee should be rescinded.

Let’s show the power of the AOPA Airport Support Network! Please take a minute to compose an email or letter to the contact information below and with a copy to me so that I can better present your case at the meeting.

Please sent your email or letter of opposition to the fee increase to:

Kelly J. Fredericks, P.E., A.A.E.

President and CEO

Rhode Island Airport Corporation

2000 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886

Phone:[masked]

[address removed]

With a copy to:

Jeremy Neilson

AFCO Avports Management LLC

150 Airport Street

North Kingstown RI 02852