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Baker, who estimates about 1,000 of his 15,000 hours are in a King Air, including 200 in his F90.
The F90 was an airplane that had caught his attention in the early 1980s when he was a young professional traveling the country. Over the years he had become friends with at least half a dozen F90 owners who all loved the distinct look and feel of the model that was produced from 1979 to 1985. Known as the “Super King Air,” the F90 incorporated the
APRIL 2020
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 11
Help AOPA Combat MEgregious Pricing
ark Baker, a pilot since 1977 and a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association since 1987,
hears from hundreds of King Air owner- operators every year in his role as president and CEO of the largest aviation association in the world.
AOPA membership gets you access to aircraft financing, legal services, safety and training programs, media and it gives you a voice in shaping the advocacy focus for the nonprofit organization.
Baker says the top complaint he hears from turbine owner-operators, in particular those flying King Air aircraft, is egregious pricing at some FB0s. AOPA has heard at least 1,500 complaints in the past few years about experiences with unfair pricing practices and cost-prohibitive airport access.
“We want, need and can’t live without profitable FBO businesses, and 90 percent do a great job,” Baker said. “We don’t think you should ever be taken advantage of because there’s potentially a monopoly. If you don’t need services and it’s your choice to go to this airport, you shouldn’t be held hostage if there’s only one place to park there.”
AOPA is working with the industry, regulators and community leaders to ensure that public airports owned by all of us provide fair pricing and access to all aircraft and pilots. So AOPA can continue to make progress on this issue, Baker asks that you report any issues you encounter with egregious FBO pricing through the AOPA website at aopa.org/fbofees.
For current fuel prices and the reported fees at FBOs that choose to report them, you can find the AOPA Airport Directory on the organization’s website at aopa.org/ destinations.