Greetings,
The Arizona spring weather has been a little unsettled and unfortunately, we were forced to cancel the March Grapevine Camping weekend that was due to be hosted by our friends John and Trish McKenna from The Recreational Aviation Foundation. This was certainly disappointing, but we’ve already planned to reschedule them for the October Grapevine Camping Weekend. Please take a moment to mark your calendars in advance so that you can join us and show our support for the great partnership that we have with the team at the RAF.
Although things have been relatively quiet recently on the subject of airport landing fees, Jim Timm notes in his Executive Directors Report that the Montana legislature is considering legislation that would limit the use of ADS-B data to assess landing fees on certain aircraft. Montana House Bill 571 introduced by Rep. Shane Klakken, specifically prohibits the use of ADS-B data as a means for “calculating, generating, and collecting fees from aircraft owners or operators who operate aircraft within the geographic boundaries of the state.” The proposed legislation applies to aircraft having a gross weight of 9,000 pounds or less. The bill has been approved by the Montana House and passed on to the Senate for committee hearings and final vote. This is certainly a step in the right direction, and we will be following up with our contacts in the state legislature to explore similar legislation for Arizona. We will be sure to keep you posted on developments as we work through this process.
Finally, a reminder that our Annual Membership Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, May 10th so please mark your calendars and save the date. The meeting will be held at Highlands Church, 9050 E. Pinnacle Peak Road, near KSDL. We have a full agenda lined up and we’ll have some great door prizes as well. We’ll be getting the meeting specifics out to you beforehand, and we look forward to seeing you there!
Fly Safe,
Chris