The Reason Foundation is a influential Washington think tank that
is
dedicated to free markets...opposes...subsidies to GA,

Is there a credible study somewhere as to how much is this subsidy
really is? If you start with FAA's waste of billions to get their
systems to work (documented by GAO), then you may indeed get IFR
flights at a $100 each. But ban GA completely, and how much does
ATC staffing go down, if at all? Go to fligthaware.com, pick
random airports of all sizes, and see whose doing the GA IFR. It's
mostly jets and turboprops, and the hefty fuel taxes they pay are
lost, for perhaps a net loss to gov't if ATC costs are reduced only
somewhat.

The avg recreational flyer does 30+ hours a year, perhaps $50 in
fed fuel taxes. Many of these guys avoid ATC and even FSS, by using
the Weather Channel on a nice day and a local flight. Ban them,
and gov't loses $50 a pop profit per year. So, how much is the
subsidy -- on a proper, marginal cost computation?

Fred F.