The Board of Aviation Commissioners indicated Tuesday that terms Warsaw Flying Club President Jon Fussle agreed to last month regarding fuel debt have already been breached. Fussle said this morning he dropped off a cashier’s check at the City Attorney’s office paying the debt in full, after attempting to pay in cash at the airport. Before attempting to pay he had claimed the debt was already taken care of. A master promissory note was drafted last month after commissioners heard that the club still owed much of the $9,000 in fuel debt to the airport it accrued between 2011 and 2012. Fussle said the debt accrued after a third-party client refused to pay the club for fuel the club had purchased from the airport for the client’s aircraft. Fussle agreed to the terms of the promissory note March 31, though he said today he was never given a copy of the note as he was told he would, and therefore had no time to review it before signing. Fussle said he was unaware of any approaching due dates. Airport Manager Nick King said the club’s account was delinquent for nearly a year before the airport and the Flying Club reached an agreement in August to have the club pay $500 per month. Payments were received most months near deadline but in February, the airport had still not received the agreed-upon monthly payment 11 days after it was due. The signed promissory note held the club legally responsible for paying approximately $488 per month for a total of 17 months until the account is brought current. The first installment was due April 1 and King said the installment was not paid. Fussle said today that the issue had been resolved. “As of this morning, the loan has been paid in full and I am working on whatever it takes to correct the situation with the lease,” he said by phone around 10 a.m. However, according to King, Fussle arrived at the airport minutes after making that claim and attempted to pay the remaining balance, $7,281.74, in cash. King said he was unable to accept the payment because the issue has now been defered to City Attorney Mike Valentine, who was not available for comment today. Fussle said about an hour later that he took a cashier’s check in that amount to the attorney’s office. The promissory note also states that if terms are not met, the airport can legally terminate the club’s land lease. Valentine has already drafted a lease termination letter. “The Flying Club is trying to run a legitimate business here and we are not an attorney club. That’s not our forte, unfortunately,” Fussle said today. “We are doing everything we can to make sure we are in compliance and that the airport board is satisfied.” King also indicated during Tuesday’s meeting that an aircraft the club is leasing for a private owner took off while King was removing debris 1,500 feet from the departure end of the runway sometime in March. Fussle said the aircraft was piloted by a student pilot, and King said the pilot’s action broke several Federal Aviation Administration regulations and has contacted the FAA about the incident. Fussle claimed this morning that the registration on the aircraft is valid. The next BOAC meeting is scheduled for May 13 at 5:15 p.m.
