That's it, I'm dropping my AOPA membership.

Reason #3,487 not to join the Teamsters: having to depend on AOPA's pathetic legal assistance if you get into some sort of trouble while flying the line.

This really sucks for the Polar guys. You deserve better.
 
MikeD said:
LOL, I don't know the in's and out's of it enough vis-a-vis what kind of taxes support infrastructure specifically. Just interesting that both sides use the same argument.
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Except that the airlines don't pay the same fuel tax.

edit: missed a word.
 
Oh and I was wrong, the FAA actually proposed a user fee for airway use in 1965, AOPA helped to defeat it. In 1975 they proposed charging to take off or land at a towered airport, and again, AOPA's action caused it to be dropped.
 
ATN_Pilot said:
Opposing user fees, opposing restrictions on small aircraft in high-traffic areas, proposing diversion of infrastructure funding to tiny airports that are of no use to 99.9% of the population, opposing slot restrictions based on aircraft size, etc...
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SteveC said:
Sounds like a bunch of good reasons to support AOPA.
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:yeahthat: Its obvious I am not going to change yoru mind based on those remakrs. I would wager a guess that you are Ex-military and never flew GA. I am going to agree with SteveC and continue to support AOPA and GA aviation for that reason. I will get signing up for their legal plan too since I am non-union and thankfully no longer involved with Teamsters.
 
Bandit_Driver said:
:yeahthat: Its obvious I am not going to change yoru mind based on those remakrs. I would wager a guess that you are Ex-military and never flew GA.
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Wrong. Started flying about 13 years ago out of a small airport in the Atlanta suburbs called Falcon Field in Cessna 150s. Never joined the military. My vision was too poor to get a flying slot at the time. Not sure what their requirements are nowadays.

My support of user fees is mainly aimed at getting at the fractionals, corporate 91 operators, and rich guys with their turboprops and VLJs. I support the plans that have been proposed that would exempt true GA aircraft. But the rest of them need to pay up and reduce the tax burden on the airlines.

I am going to agree with SteveC and continue to support AOPA and GA aviation for that reason. I will get signing up for their legal plan too since I am non-union and thankfully no longer involved with Teamsters.
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Where do you work that is still non-union?
 
I'm not saying it's bad to support the AOPA and every thing they do for GA but what I was saying is all i've seen is a bunch of paper in the mail and nothing else.

Maybe thats a good thing though. It means they are doing their job. It's that no news is good news philosophy.

Like i said before, "I hope my $39 bucks is kicking ass in Washington!"
 
ATN_Pilot said:
Wrong. Started flying about 13 years ago out of a small airport in the Atlanta suburbs called Falcon Field in Cessna 150s. Never joined the military. My vision was too poor to get a flying slot at the time. Not sure what their requirements are nowadays.

My support of user fees is mainly aimed at getting at the fractionals, corporate 91 operators, and rich guys with their turboprops and VLJs. I support the plans that have been proposed that would exempt true GA aircraft. But the rest of them need to pay up and reduce the tax burden on the airlines.

Where do you work that is still non-union?
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That is a little different than "user fees" everything I have read on user fees is for the gov't to charge everyone for any service. Which is bad all around and especially GA.

We all pay landing fees, ramp fee, fuel taxes etc. How are the airlines getting hurt by the Corporate and Fractionals? The airlines just pass the taxes thru to the end user. What am I missing here?
 
ATN_Pilot said:
Reason #3,487 not to join the Teamsters: having to depend on AOPA's pathetic legal assistance if you get into some sort of trouble while flying the line.

This really sucks for the Polar guys. You deserve better.
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Have you ever needed the services? Or are you just talking out of your backside, again?
 
I was getting phonecalls from them for a while almost everyday. They hired some telemarketing company or something.:mad:
 
Bandit_Driver said:
That is a little different than "user fees" everything I have read on user fees is for the gov't to charge everyone for any service. Which is bad all around and especially GA.
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Do some more reading. Virtually every "user fee" proposal that has ever been made has excluded true GA aircraft and kept it to the corporate and fractional operators. The guy buzzing around in his Cessna on the weekends would be untouched. AOPA is using you and your membership dollars to defend the rich guys with their airplanes that you'll never be able to afford.

How are the airlines getting hurt by the Corporate and Fractionals? The airlines just pass the taxes thru to the end user. What am I missing here?
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Each flight has a maximum fare price that can be charged without losing revenue due to lost bookings. That's what airline yield management departments are paid to figure out. If the market can only bear a $250 fare, and you're forced to pay $50 of that in taxes, then your margin has been sizably reduced. If you could shift some of the tax burden to the fractionals and the corporate operators, then the possible profit margin increases. You can't just "pass on" costs to the customer. The market will only bear so much.

BajtheJino said:
Have you ever needed the services? Or are you just talking out of your backside, again?
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What services? AOPA? No, I have ALPA's support. I don't need AOPA.
 
So wait a second. . .

A union (Teamsters) doesn't have any legal assistance to their members?

Now ain't that rich. . .

What services do the Teamsters have for their pilots? Just contract negotiation?
 
BajtheJino said:
So then you have no idea what services they offer but are more than willing to pass judgment on said services?
Sweet.
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Their services are spelled out quite clearly. I used to be a member, remember? Their basic legal plan that comes with membership only provides for a few hours of basic consultation. Anything beyond that comes out of your own pocket. If you have to actually fight an LOI, then you'll be paying big bucks. It isn't funded from your basic membership fees.
 
surreal1221 said:
So wait a second. . .

A union (Teamsters) doesn't have any legal assistance to their members?

Now ain't that rich. . .

What services do the Teamsters have for their pilots? Just contract negotiation?
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The IBT does have legal support for the members. The problem is that they don't have very many attorneys for the Airline Division, so you'll usually get stuck with a general labor attorney from the International that isn't very familiar with pilot issues.
 
ATN_Pilot said:
Their services are spelled out quite clearly. I used to be a member, remember? Their basic legal plan that comes with membership only provides for a few hours of basic consultation. Anything beyond that comes out of your own pocket. If you have to actually fight an LOI, then you'll be paying big bucks. It isn't funded from your basic membership fees.
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Your right about the $39. For $99 dollars a year they'll cover 80% of costs up to $167/hour. Is it the greatest in the world? No. But then again not all of us have the precious ALPA at our backs. Then again I'm not paying $1500 a year or whatever union dues are.
 
I just signed up 2 days ago because of all the bogus mail stuff I would get weekly! I better not get more
 
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