A draft consultation paper is due out very soon from CAA/DAP .It looks at the funding of LARS issue and ask GA to consider what it feels its contribution should be. IF DAP are instructed to "bill" the only sure way of doing this is by attaching a ROAD FUND License to all aircraft and collecting the levy when the owner operator is renewing the radio license for the aircraft.....
The AOPA news section at
www.aopa.co.uk carries the associations views on the earlier discussion....all GA pilots should consider responding and if possible in a co-ordinated manner.
Any charge to GA for the availablity of LARS must be seen as the thin end of the wedge and the GA community should resist. Once a charge is introduced it will only increase each year but it also means that the GA community is now a customer who may no longer be prepared to accept a FIS. Future mandates on new equipment,changes to airspace design, the eventual loss of the exemption on Navigation charges for IFR aircraft of less than 2 tonnes,8.33kHz radios for those who want access to the IFR system, the possible increase in CAA charges as a result of a major UK airline complaining that they are cross subsidising the GA community ! In fact the LARS funding review came about as a result of an airline........complaining that they fund LARS to the tune of £600k---- all happening within the next 5 years !!
there is also the Single European Sky project as well as EASA (which has already started)
Happy landings
nosnibor