"ET" wrote in message
...
"Skylune" wrote in
lkaboutaviation.com:


Recreational flying does not serve the public at large, and
should therefore be 100% funded by the participants. At a
local airport, they charge no landing fees, charge only about
$600 per year for a tie down, and thats it. Overnight tie-down
is $5. Yet, they receive millions of dollars in AIP grants
(derived from general taxpayer dollars and commercial airline
ticket taxes), $150K annual operating subsidy, state subsidies,
etc. They even wanted the city to kick in some $$ so as not to
"burden" airport users. Hey, who subsidizes my boating: It
costs $3500 per year for the slip; transient slips will
cost upwards of $75 per night, etc. Yet, a marina has minimal
infrastructure compared to an active GA airport. Tax subsidies
make GA flying artificially cheap.

So you pay for the dredging, the shorline maintainence, and in many
cases the gazillion dollars for the dam and land costs that created that
lake??

Public funding of small city/county airport by local govt especially
makes sense because of the economic activity it generates. its a simple
$- in $$$- out equation.


We have to stop repeating this AOPA talking point, and stick with the facts.
Whenever we say this we just look like deer in the headlights; i.e. clueless
and dumbfounded. Yes, GA airports generate revenue, but measured as
dollar/acre GA revenue is abysmal. Virtually any other economic use of
airport land will produce a tremendous amount more of $$$ than GA.