• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
General Aviation News

General Aviation News

Because flying is cool

  • Pictures of the Day
    • Submit Picture of the Day
  • Stories
    • News
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Products
    • NTSB Accidents
    • ASRS Reports
  • Comments
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ad
  • Events
  • Digital Archives
  • Subscribe
  • Show Search
Hide Search

NO FREE LUNCH

By General Aviation News Staff · November 23, 2007 ·

Any discussion regarding user fees would appear to require an alternative for those types of airport owners who provide community access but find it impossible to recover costs of airport operation.

The type of airport, which my surveys have shown to be at risk of closing, is the smallest type community sole proprietorship. This type is simultaneously most difficult to expand and often most desired due to the unmeasurable number of suitable locations that provide Earth to air, and return, at minimum upkeep costs.

When all other airport owner revenues fail, the airport owner does have an “out” and has been exercising it for some time. He, she or they sell the airport.

Both airport owners and users can balance their equities with appropriate user fees.

My wife and I did not achieve a perfect equity balance while creating/operating Meadow-Aire (92D) and did not have any of the screaming and bellyaching attached to current user fee discussions.

Quoting “Tricky Dickey”: “There ain’t no free lunch!”

DOUG NICHOLS
LaGrange, Ohio 

Share this story

  • Share on Twitter Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook Share on Facebook
  • Share on LinkedIn Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit Share on Reddit
  • Share via Email Share via Email

Become better informed pilot.

Join 110,000 readers each month and get the latest news and entertainment from the world of general aviation direct to your inbox, daily.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Curious to know what fellow pilots think on random stories on the General Aviation News website? Click on our Recent Comments page to find out. Read our Comment Policy here.

© 2025 Flyer Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Comment Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Writer’s Guidelines
  • Photographer’s Guidelines