Jim,

I have a hard time with the personal car comparison but, you're right, in
Alaska there are plenty of personal aircraft.  So, if the PI flys from his
remote home to the Fairbanks International Airport for a trip to a conference,
how much does he charge per nautical mile for the use of his personal plane?

The big question for me is, Maggie, what did you mean by "volunteer" the
personal aircraft?  If it means no charge for the use of the aircraft, wouldn't
that mean unfair competition with businesses who lease small aircraft?   And
"custom-fitted with altimetry equipment".  That's an advantage for the owner
when he's using it for his personal use, isn't it?  So does he pay the
government when he uses the equipment on his personal jaunts?  Who paid to have
it custom-fitted?

I can't compare this to using a personal vehicle for transportation.  I think
of it as research equipment use.  We had a similar situation where a boat would
be customized for a research purpose.  We asked the funding agency to buy a
small boat (don't know if it will be funded yet).  Airplanes are more
expensive, obviously but maybe the equipment could be mounted on a
university-owned plane?

Ruth

James Brett wrote:

> Ruth, Maggie, et al:
>
> I really do not see the difference between using one's own personal
> automobile and one's own personal aircraft for federally-funded research.
> You would not feel compelled to call on the local car pool or rental agency
> for a car to test GPS equipment.  Why then for an aircraft, especially in
> Alaska where private aircraft are a way of life and transportation?
>
> Jim
>
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