Mesa unanimously approves Falcon Field landing fees

MESA, Ariz. - The Mesa City Council unanimously approved a plan to increase landing fees at Falcon Field Airport, following complaints from neighbors about increased air traffic.

What we know:

The vote followed nearly two hours of public comment both for and against the fees, which would affect both aircraft based at Falcon Field and transient aircraft.

Those who spoke in favor of the fee increase said they do not want taxpayers to foot the bill for usage at Falcon Field. They spoke of a "pay to play" system and argued the volume of flight school flights has disrupted the quality of life in nearby neighborhoods. 

The City Attorney stated that noise abatement was not a factor in this proposal, though some speakers said they did not believe that was the case.

The other side:

Those opposed to the fee changes came primarily from the aviation community that uses Falcon Field, including flight school operators and pilots who have hangars at the airport. 

Many argued the fees will create a negative domino effect, claiming flight schools will be unable to survive at Falcon Field and will have to take their business elsewhere. According to those against the proposal, a provision for 10 free landings will be used up quickly due to the nature of these trainings.

What they're saying:

Following the vote, both sides of the argument shared their reactions.

"These landings fees are really gonna harp on our ability to conduct business at Falcon Field," Carl Storckman, the owner of Legion Air Flight School said. "We are a small flight school, right, we've got four aircrafts, six employees, and we really take a mom-and-pop approach to flight training in general so, the proposed landing fees, $20, a little more, those costs are gonna be passed on to the consumer, which is gonna raise the cost of flight training by about $4,000."

"I feel like the city has put in a lot of effort into studying this and they realize that Falcon Field can't continue as is without someone picking up the slack, and I'm glad they realize that those users need to do that," Mesa resident Kaye Hunsacker said. "I think flight schools are important, I mean we need pilots, but I think there needs to be a balance, not only with their financial side but also the community and the neighbors and things like that, so hopefully that will help with that balance."

What's next:

These changes will go into effect on May 1.