AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 98

NEWS & NOTES

STATE & LOCAL ACTION

State snapshot: Maryland

DID YOU KNOW?

Maryland’s College Park
Airport (CGS) is the world’s
oldest continuously operating
airport. It opened in 1909.

AOPA activity in the Free State
MARYLAND DELEGATE JON CARDIN, an AOPA ally and
aviation advocate, introduced H.B.1004, which would offer
income tax credits for qualifying members of the state’s Civil
Air Patrol. “The measure not only appropriately extends
existing volunteer tax credits to the dedicated Maryland
CAP volunteers, but it also serves as an ideal opportunity
to highlight the value and importance of this historic nonprofit program to my colleagues in the legislature and all
nonflying Maryland citizens,” said Cardin.

6,274

Number of jobs
supported by
Maryland’s GA airports.

Frederick Municipal Airport
(FDK)—AOPA’s home airport—is
the state’s third biggest job
provider, with 1,286 jobs.

ESSEX SKYPARK, a charming single-runway airport located

near Baltimore, will remain open after an effort by the county
to shutter the historic field for redevelopment. Local pilots
banded together against the county plan, with the support
of AOPA, and renegotiated the lease and terms of the airport
and saved the historic aviation facility for many years to
come—99, to be exact.

A MARYLAND lawmaker

proposed levying an
additional sales surtax on
a list of items, including all
GA aircraft, categorized as
luxury items. AOPA met with
legislators to oppose and
stop the bill in committee.
The new tax, coupled with
the already high aviation
operating fees and taxes
in the state, could create
a business exodus and/or
suppression of Maryland’s
aviation industry, with a
resulting net decrease in
overall revenue collections,
contrary to the intent of
the measure.

BEWARE OF ‘SCARE-SPACE’

As multiple disoriented, out-of-town pilots have learned
the hard way—with a friendly greeting from swarming
Blackhawk helicopters or F-15s—Maryland is covered by
restricted and special use airspace, including the post-9/11
special flight rules area (SFRA) and the flight restricted
zone (FRZ) security perimeter around the nation’s capital;
three area Class B airports; and the expandable restricted
airspace ring over Camp David, known as P-40.

‘GAME-CHANGING’ GA TAX BILL INKED IN INDIANA
PILOTS FUELING GENERAL AVIATION AIRCRAFT in Indiana can
expect to see savings of $100, $250, or more each time they
taxi to the pumps now that lawmakers passed an AOPA-backed
package of aviation tax exemptions and restructurings. Savings
also will extend to lower-cost items on aircraft maintenance
bills. This should provide a shot in the arm to the state’s aviation
industry and may even rid Indiana of its reputation for imposing the highest fuel taxes in the nation. The measure removes
the state sales tax on 100LL and jet fuel and restructures the
previous excise tax on aviation fuel to a fixed state tax rate.
Based on current avgas prices, that lowers the current total
state fuel tax of 60 cents per gallon to 10 cents per gallon.
“AOPA deeply appreciates the Indiana leadership—particularly Senate Majority Leader Brandt Hershman and Speaker
Brian Bosma—for carefully examining the issue and recognizing the urgency to move forward with this game-changing tax
remedy,” said Mark Kimberling, AOPA director of state government affairs.

98 | AOPA PILOT June 2013

$102.66
The tax savings,
on a single fill-up
for a Beechcraft
Baron at South
Bend Airport,
after this measure
takes effect.

AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013