|
I am writing asking your opposition to the implementation of "user fees" and significantly higher fuel taxes on the general aviation community. Most of my flying in an aircraft that I own is for business purposes AND in service with the charitable medical air transportation system in the U.S.
About 10,000 volunteer pilots using their own planes, organized through Volunteer Pilot Organizations, provide American's with:
* a charitable medical air transportation system second to none...
* a compassionate charitable transportation option in times of family or community emergencies....
* the established emergency blood and blood product transport system for use when commercial services are grounded or can't meet the need.....
* the Homeland Security Emergency Air Transportation System (HSEATS) which is the volunteer pilot component of the Civil Aviation Response to Disasters System - the CARDS system.
These volunteer pilots pay all of the expenses to operate their own small aircraft serving as listed above:
* most such small plane owners in America use their aircraft for business purposes when not flying for charitable purposes.....
* volunteer pilots are part of the general aviation (non-airline) economy which supports American business in an annual amount of $150 billion annually.
Last year (2006) these volunteer pilots flew about 25,000 charitable missions serving 38,000 clients - a gift from them to those in need in our society. The commercial value of their donation was in excess of $20 million.
The proposed 300-percent increase in fuel taxes, coupled with new user fees, will cost these volunteers an additional amount of well over $1 million dollars annually - just for their charitable flying where they already pay all expenses involved.
|