|
July 4, 2013 - Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the
Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) has
filed a
lawsuit against the FAA with the US Court of
Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago,
Illinois on Wednesday. The suit filed is in
response to fees assessed by the FAA for
providing air traffic control services during
the 2013, EAA AirVenture, commonly known as the
"Oshkosh Airshow".
In court filings EAA states that over the past
60 years taxes collected from aviation fuel
sales at the show covered the cost of FAA air
traffic control staffing needed to ensure safe
arrival and departure from the airshow. However,
this year the FAA requested the payment of
$450,000 for providing such services.
In 1953, the EAA was founded as a flying club.
At the time aircraft that were modified or built
from scratch were required to display an
EXPERIMENTAL placard where it could be seen on
the door or cockpit. So it was natural that the
club would call its self the Experimental
Aircraft Association. Since its inception, the
club has grown into an organization of 175,000
members and nearly 1,000 chapters worldwide.
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is America's largest
annual gathering of aviation enthusiasts held
each summer at Wittman Regional Airport in
Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The airshow is seven days
long and typically begins on the last Monday in
July. The airport's control tower is the busiest
control tower in the world during the gathering.
|
