Mysterious Inhofe Amendment In Works

Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., is asking those opposing user fees to time it right when expressing that opposition. In a session at the EAA’s members’ village on Saturday at AirVenture, the veteran pilot and politician indicated he has something up his sleeve that he’ll introduce when the Senate votes on its reauthorization bill.The Senate bill, S.1300, contains a $25-per-leg fee on turbine aircraft using the IFR system, which has prompted general aviation leaders to be very concerned. The worry is that the fee is just the beginning of a massive bureaucracy to directly tax the movement of aircraft. Inhofe has been contacting his colleagues in the Senate, but he’s not letting anyone know what his amendment will say until the time is right. Likewise, he doesn’t want anyone writing their senator in advance because it will alert the senators that are adamantly in favor of user fees that some kind of organized oppposition is being mounted. “That’ll just tip them off,” he said. Instead, he’s telling those opposed to user fees to wait until they are alerted by EAA and AOPA and to then write their senators urging them to “support the Inhofe amendment.” Inhofe, who’s a commercial-rated pilot and has been flying for 51 years, said that while he generally supports the airlines, the Senate bill is “a bit too much of a sweetheart deal.” He also said that user fees will not automatically increase revenue for the FAA, and that’s been borne out by studies done by the Government Accountability Office.