"George Patterson" wrote in message
news:6XBBf.7851$zh2.3507@trnddc01...
Jay Beckman wrote:

I didn't put a lot of emphasis on it, but what I was getting at was the
cost to register versus the cost of the vehicle being registered.

But you still seem to have missed the point. The major point of license
fees is to pay the costs of infrastructure. There's a lot of that with
cars, so the registration cost is high. There's comparatively little of
that for light aircraft, so the registration fees are low. The fees have
nothing to do with the relative values of the aircraft and autos, and
shouldn't have.

George Patterson

As it applies in your explaination, I'd have to agree.

Now, let me ask this (simply as a point of discussion):

Does our use of aviation's "infrastructure" really end when the wheels leave
the ground?

With the FAA crying poverty and the spectre of "Use Fees" looming over GA,
what happens when the argument becomes:

Pilots are using an "aviation infrastructure" anytime we're flying in the
National Airspace System."

- IFR flying?
- VFR pilots requesting flight following?
- Operations at Towered airports?
- Class B, C or D transitions?
- FSS?
- Flight Watch?

Are we ever truly free of, or without need of, the GA "infrastructure?"

Your thoughts?

Jay B