When he signed the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill that funds the federal government through the remainder of this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, President Donald Trump changed everything at SUN ’n FUN — at least for this year.
That’s because included in the bill is a requirement that the FAA cover all costs of ATC services at general aviation events that promote aviation, like SUN ’n FUN and EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh.
That saves SUN ’n FUN $280,000 this year.
That’s another $280,000 that can go towards more scholarships and more educational programs to inspire more kids to choose aviation as a career, according to John “Lites” Leenhouts, SUN ’n FUN president.
That’s means another 24 more pilots or another 56 $5,000 college scholarships, he said, doing a bit of quick math.
“These scholarships help students go to college, learn to fly and learn to fix airplanes,” he said.
Proceeds from SUN ’n FUN — and other activities throughout the year on the SUN ’n FUN campus — go towards educational activities to create more pilots and aviation professionals.
And many of those scholarships go to kids who never would have considered aviation as a career, according to Leenhouts.
“They couldn’t afford to get into aviation,” he said.
So, at a time when pilots, mechanics and other aviation professionals are in such demand, these scholarships help kids afford the training needed to have a career in the aerospace industry, he explained.
It was in 2013 when the FAA, under then-administrator Michael Huerta, first forced the big airshows to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover the costs of providing air traffic control services at the fly-ins.
Outraged that the FAA was essentially taxing events to promote aviation, GA advocates started lobbying in Washington, D.C., against the requirement.
The loudest — and most persistent — voice against the requirement was Experimental Aircraft Association President Jack Pelton. His tireless lobbying efforts made the difference, according to Leenhouts.
But, it’s not time to celebrate just yet, according to Pelton.
He said it’s important to realize that the language in the omnibus bill provides relief to the airshows for just this fiscal year, lapsing at the end of September.
Lobbying will continue to get the provision written into the FAA reauthorization bill, Leenhouts noted. This would give relief to the airshows for several years from an expense that grows every year, adding up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Leenhouts is quick to add that the controllers who work SUN ’n FUN are, without a doubt, the best of the best.
“They’re great folks. They really are top-notch controllers, and we enjoy working with them,” he said.
Mandating required so called safety issues ( temp FAA control towers at gatherings ) should be paid for by the government. What I would like to know is how in the blank can it cost that much for a few days of a controllers time that is already on the payroll. A much more frustrating government expenditure is the Navy’s blowing of 7.8 million to equip 267 Beech Talon trainers with ADS-B systems. That is over $27,000 per airplane for a government mandate. That is what I think is a waste of taxpayer money. They should be able to do it for a lot less.
If I remember right, the FAA charter (1958) requires the FAA to promote aviation.
I agree the FAA should pay these expenses. The FAA requires all flying into events like these & should pay. Until a few years ago they always did until a new administrator decided to make his budget look good and make the events pay.
These events are educational and provide many safety seminars and forums. Even the FAA puts on safety forums.
Several have posted that these events and many smaller events use precedes to run programs to encourage youth to get into aviation, along with offering scholarships for flight and mechanic training. Even the U S Congress recently passed legislation to help mechanics further their training. We all know there is a mechanic and pilot shortage and the training is very expensive.
It’s now well over $20 trillion of debt we now owe the Chinese, the Saudis, Americans, etc. And thanks to crazy spending and tax cuts we will be adding well over $1B a year to that debt, something never before done in peacetime with a booming economy. When the economy slows, which it inevitably will, that number will probably double. During the “Great Recession” we went through a few years ago, we deficit spent about $10 trillion alone. Of course this FAA expenditure on SnF is mere pocket lint, but we have a problem more generally: we all want more stuff than we are willing to pay for. The debt chickens will come home to roost sometime, we just don’t know when. Meantime, let’s enjoy our “freedom” to fly!
I understand some will be irritated that fed dollars go to a small group’s hobby.
No different than state dollars, which are
used for security, traffic, etc at NFL, MLB and NBA ganes not to mention collegiate sporting events.
Fact is, tax dollars from all levels go towards activities we agree with, and activities we don’t agree with. My guess is the tax generated by the 300,000 or so
that attend SnF making purchases at the show ( I bought two shirts and a vertical card compass) will more than pay its way.
General Aviation is important to the grow of young future aviators and the economy. Currently, we have a shortage of pilots in the Commercial field of aviation. I have had my certificate since 1973. The VA use to provide benefits to the pilot for ratings all the way thru ATP by paying for 90% of the training at FAA & VA approved flight schools.
Our government should help general aviation, not penalize.
$280,000 for a weekend of fun for a very small group of individuals . . .
Contrast that to $130,000 for a few minutes of “fun” for ONE individual (plus the costs of the coverup and ongoing legal fees) and that $280,000 becomes a real bargain. Sun and Fun had 200,000 attendees in 2017, so that’s $1.40 for each person, and I’m willing to bet WE had a far better and certainly more wholesome time than he did.
I’d rather our government spent that money on making something safe and enjoyable for a fifth of a million people (hardly a “very small group”) than spending it on blowing up piles of sand in some foreign desert.
You do not understand the national debt. The public ‘debt’ is the private sector surplus. They are basically mirror images of each other. Shrink the national debt, and money is subtracted from the economy and ‘it’ contracts, leading to a depression. This has been demonstrated by historical data. The fears of China (and/or “bond vigilantes”) have always been a mirage. If they cash in their T-bills they get cash in return and have to spend that in America. The problem if the trade deficit is also a mirage, as America gets real resources (things) from China and in return, China just gets numbers to add to a ledger. I would rather that continues than return Americans to mindless cogs in factories. That’s not to say manufacturing is not desirable, heck yeah some manufacturing jobs (or maybe a lot of them) may be desirable, but let’s get real about economics without all the moralizing and straw-man baiting.
Bill, it would be nice if you could so designate your tax money, but unfortunately the government has already spent all of its tax revenue and much more, much of it in places where it should not have been spent.
Jon,
The government requires FAA presence at these events so I think the government budget, I.e. Taxpayers, should pay for it. My federal income tax for 2017 covers about half of the SNF bill so I designate my money go there.
And so it’s a good thing that the tax payers are on the hook for over a quarter of a million dollars to pay for a weekend of fun for a very small group of individuals and their hobby? It’s reckless spending such as this that has caused this country to be over $12 trillion dollars in debt and hope Trump follows through with his statement to NEVER AGAIN sign such a drunken spending bill.
Jon , having a aviation show helps the economy and keeps many business going ,it’s not just about having fun , keeping all involved safe is worth the money
Jon, events such as Sun n Fun spark more than just a hobby for a few individuals. My own son is one example (and there are many thousands of others) of professional pilots who caught the spark at airshows and events such as Sun n Fun, local fly-ins and gatherings of aviation people. Imagine going to your next flight and there’s no one to fly or maintain the airplane. Look at the news, it’s happening. If we as a nation are to maintain the air transportation system we now enjoy, it has to start with bringing young people into the professions that support it. A quarter of a million dollars a couple of times each year is a small price to pay. Farmers have an expression: You don’t want to get into your seed corn. These young people are the seed corn of the industry. Grow it.
And the “Man” who signed the bill that funds “a very small group of individuals and their hobby” is not adverse to closing down flight schools and shutting down airport operations on a whim around Mara Largo. That costs local tax payers millions in lost revenue and security. Best to look at the BIG picture Jon.
See my reply to Miami Mike above.
Jon, we already pay for the ATC services every time we put fuel in our aircraft! And thousands of aircraft owners who fly to OSH pay that money year in and out in all their flying even if, like myself, we fly from our own airstrips VFR and rarely go into airports with towers. To attend OSH I fly 1400 miles one way vfr, paying fuel taxes all the way and back. Ten thousand aircraft flying to OSH put a lot of money into the system. Then the FAA wants to nick us again because they claim the extra ATC services there for one week are not paid for? Give me a break!!!