Sunny skies prevailed for today’s NBAA Regional Forum at New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport, but the specter of yet another fight against user fees hung over the crowd. NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen welcomed attendees, saying, “The weather is good, excitement is high and we’ve already surpassed 3,000 visitors. But there are challenges.”

He went on to outline the latest proposal for a House bill to privatize ATC and fund it through user fees. “This is not a new idea,” Bolen continued. “In 2006, the airline lobby held a press conference where they said they wanted to gain control of ATC, get Congress out of it and shift $2.5- to $3 billion of the cost from them to business aviation. They’re not saying that now, but the idea is still the same.”

Bolen then put out the call to action. NBAA has a “Contact Congress” page on its website, and Bolen urged everyone present to “be vocal and be engaged.” He said, “Go to Congress. Get family, friends, coworkers and customers involved. We already pay our share through a mechanism that works—the fuel tax. In a democracy, you get the government you deserve. Participate and you shape it. Don’t participate, and you get what you are given.”