Welcome to the December 2025 APA Newsletter!
You'll notice on this month's cover page that we have rebranded the newsletter as the "APA Approach". Our Executive Director, Jim Timm, suggested this change to recognize the long history of the APA and revert back to the original 1978 title of our monthly newsletter. As Jim tells the story, the newsletter was put together by various members scattered around Arizona and printed in Tucson. It was then flown by a member or loaded on a Greyhound bus for the trip back to Phoenix for distribution via US Mail.
We've come a long way since that time and even though the newsletter process is now digital, we have the same commitment to content and quality.
I know that most of you have seen my messages regarding the recent news that Mesa’s Falcon Field (KFFZ), has proposed the implementation of landing fees starting in March 2026. As you might expect, there are a number of factors that drove this decision, but the primary factor is the increase in the number of flight schools that are based at Falcon, sixteen at last count, and inevitable pattern congestion and noise complaints from the communities surrounding the airport. Falcon Field is now the third busiest airport in Arizona behind Phoenix Deer Valley and Phoenix Sky Harbor.
To be clear, I don’t diminish the concerns of the residents as it relates to the daily tempo of pattern operations, noise, and concerns related to the fact that the GA fleet continues to use leaded aviation fuel (which is a complex issue the GA community knows well). From their perspective, these are real impacts, and they need to be addressed factually and not with emotion. As you might expect, the Mesa city government and city councilmembers have been deeply involved in this issue with the residents for some time so there is a lot of political momentum behind the landing fee proposal.
The city recently revealed that it had convened a stakeholders committee earlier this year to “evaluate the issues surrounding training flights, including noise impacts, safety concerns, fuel emissions and potential mitigation strategies – landing fees among them. The committee includes representatives from the community, flight schools, Falcon Field staff, and subject matter experts.” To the best of our knowledge, the existence of this committee was not well known by the airport users and tenants.
As I outlined in my original message to the membership, APA and the Aviation Safety Advisory Group of Arizona (ASAG) met with the airport management and city council representatives in early November to get a better understanding of the issues, objectives of the stakeholders committee, and proposed actions going forward. We were told that although the airport is currently financially self-sustaining, the committee was focused on addressing a shortfall in the financial forecast which was based on increased costs for airfield maintenance that is not eligible for FAA grants. Consequently, they were looking at additional revenue sources including increased hangar and tie-down rents, increased fuel flowage fees, and of course landing fees. We asked that APA and ASAG be included in the stakeholders’ meetings, but that request was denied.
We made it clear that landing fees are overwhelmingly opposed by the general aviation community and they pose a significant safety risk since they will discourage necessary training and concentrate traffic at other airports in the area increasing the risk of mid-air collisions. In the end analysis, the airport has announced a proposal to implement landing fees - $29.95 for based aircraft < 6,000 lbs. MLW (5 free landings per month) and $33.95 for transient aircraft < 6,000 lbs. MLW with fees for heavier aircraft charged per 1,000 lbs. MLW. Additionally, hangar and tie-down rents, fuel flowage fees and other administrative charges will see year-over-year increases for at least the next five years. Our assumption is that the airport will use cameras to record aircraft movements for billing purposes to sidestep pending national legislation which would prohibit using ADS-B data for this purpose.
Of course, these landing fees are far from fair and reasonable and not consistent with peer municipal airports that charge landing fees. Because we have not had any visibility into the financial model that was used to develop the fee structure, we can only assume that fees at this level are solely intended to drive flight school and transient traffic away from Falcon Field.
APA and ASAG have been engaged with the advocacy team at AOPA to develop an alternative proposal which clarifies the ability of airports to establish landing fees that are not discriminatory, comply with FAA grant restrictions, and don’t punish the non-flight school pilot/tenant and business community. This will also include a discussion of the use of FAA Minimum Standards fee programs which cover Specialized Aviation Service Organizations (SASO) such as flight schools to ensure they contribute financially to supporting the airport infrastructure. SASO agreements impose a per hour fee for flight training operations and give the airport more visibility and management control over high volume operations.
However, the real tragedy of imposing this kind of punitive landing fee program is the collateral damage to general aviation and the local economy. As we all know, the pilot community at Falcon participates very heavily in community service flying and donate their time and aircraft to support groups such as Lighthawk Conservation Flying, Angel Flight, Flying Samaritans, Flights for Life, and Navajo Airlift among others, and landing fees will diminish the availability of these volunteer services to the community. It will also impact the ability of non-profit organizations such as the Boy Scouts Aviation Posts and EAA to bring aviation education opportunities to students in the community. Landing fees almost certainly mean there will be no more EAA Young Eagles Flights at Falcon Field.
Advocacy is a team sport, and it requires action on your part. Be sure to look at the City of Mesa meeting schedule that was included in our email to the membership and plan to attend the City Council meeting on 9 February to show a strong presence from the pilot community. If you are a Falcon tenant or Mesa resident, email the mayor or your city councilmember and provide your constructive feedback directly. You can find your district and councilmember at https://www.mesaaz.gov/Government/Mayor-City-Council. If you live elsewhere, reach out to your legislative representatives and urge them to prevent this kind of program from being implemented at other general aviation airports in Arizona https://www.azleg.gov/findmylegislator/.
The Falcon Field pilot community has also started a Change.org petition opposing the landing fee proposal which as of today has over 2,500 signatures. Please consider signing the petition and let them know if you are a tenant or GA user of the airport or its businesses in the comments - Change.Org - Stop Landing Fees at Falcon Field
Thank you for supporting APA’s mission through your membership and please feel free to reach out to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any comments, concerns or questions.
Happy Holidays and Fly Safe, Fly Safe,
Chris