Welcome to the January 2026 edition of the APA Approach!
Happy New Year and I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season.
It’s been a busy start to the New Year, and I wanted to provide you with a brief update on the proposal to implement landing fees at Falcon Field in Mesa. APA, AOPA and the Aviation Safety Advisory Group of Arizona (ASAG) will be asking the city to delay implementation of proposed any fee changes at Falcon Field for 6 months in order to allow the tenants and users of Falcon Field the opportunity to properly evaluate the proposal and offer comments and alternatives. This is based on the extremely short time from the publication of the fee notice on January 15, 2026, and the scheduled vote by the city council on February 9, 2026. Our letter to the city will ask for the following:
- ·Establish a Falcon Field Advisory Board – We recommend the city establish a Falcon Field Advisory Board to include, but not limited to, airport tenants and businesses to provide review and oversight of airport operations, safety issues, finances and fee proposals. As a point of reference, the city has over 20 Advisory Boards and Committees to provide feedback and recommendations on various issues.
- ·Financial Transparency and Fee Structure Review – Since the city indicated that the fee increases were driven by a forecast budget deficit for Falcon Field, we recommend that the city conduct a comprehensive review of the airport finances for the past 15 years to provide a basis for review of the landing fee proposal. This would include understanding the guidelines established by the FAA under the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grant assurances for establishing user fees.
- ·Evaluate Alternate Revenue Sources – The financial review will also allow a more focused analysis of alternate revenue sources beyond landing fees. As I mentioned last month this includes the establishment of an FAA Minimum Standards fee program and which covers Specialized Aviation Service Organizations (SASO) such as flight schools to ensure they are contributing financially to the supporting the airport infrastructure. Based on the financial benefit of Falcon Field to the city, another alternative may be imposing an additional Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT) over and above the 5.6% base for airport-related transactions. There may be others.
This is a complex issue that requires a data-based approach and collaboration between the city and airport tenants and users to reach an equitable solution. In the end analysis there may be some compromise required on all sides; however, the outcome will be more equitable. We’ll keep you posted on any new developments.
And now on to a better subject – 2025 APA Scholarships. The Scholarship Committee completed their review of applications, and I’m happy to announce that we have awarded ten $3,000 scholarships to deserving students seeking aviation careers. Four are pursuing careers in aviation maintenance and six are focused on careers as professional aviators. We’ll be introducing each of them in next month’s APA Approach so stay tuned!
A few schedule reminders to wrap up for this month:
- ·January Grapevine Camping Weekend – January 16 – 18 - This will be our first event for the 2026. Keep an eye out for updates on our Facebook page and if you are interested in being a camp host reach out to Leanne Tawoda – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- ·AOPA Fly-In/Buckeye Air Fair – February 13 – 15 - APA and The RAF will have a booth in the exhibitor’s tent again this year at the AOPA Fly-In/Buckeye Air Fair. We always have a great time connecting with our members and we’re looking forward to seeing you again!
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.
Fly Safe,
Chris