Crew Car Usage

MDeitch1976

MDeitch1976

Line Up and Wait
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MattCanFly
As a new Pilot I have never tried this out yet. What is the etiquette? At what point would you opt to have a rental car waiting?
Yesterday, I had to go up to a friend's house in Delaware near Dover in order to knock out a little side work. My local aerodrome is GAI. I had a two hour drive there, and a two hour drive back, plus 2 hours of work. Could have been an hour, but I relaxed for a little while before turning around. I probably would have broke even on cost of flying out there, but would have been worth it.
 
MDeitch1976 said:
As a new Pilot I have never tried this out yet. What is the etiquette? At what point would you opt to have a rental car waiting?
Yesterday, I had to go up to a friend's house in Delaware near Dover in order to knock out a little side work. My local aerodrome is GAI. I had a two hour drive there, and a two hour drive back, plus 2 hours of work. Could have been an hour, but I relaxed for a little while before turning around. I probably would have broke even on cost of flying out there, but would have been worth it.
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I think two hours is pushing it for a free loaner. Just my opinion though, and I'm sure others will disagree. You could have had your friend pick you up.
 
Steve Foley said:
I think two hours is pushing it for a free loaner. Just my opinion though, and I'm sure others will disagree. You could have had your friend pick you up.
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Well, him and his wife are down in St.Thomas. Considering I will be picking them up at the airport when they come back, probably not going to work.
 
Great attitude! Always fly, even if it costs more (which it usually does).

Around here (NorCal), only the big FBOs have crew cars and they usually tell me about four hours is the cut off. Though one time they couldn't get me a rental, so they said I could have it for the day (Stockton). Always leave it with more gas than you they gave it to you with.
 
The basic rules, which are typically unwritten is to insure it it returned with more gas than you take it. There's generally no time limit, but in large or well traveled areas it's best not to take it for too long. Call first and ask, and sometimes a $20 bill when you take it back will be ok.

I've kept the crew car overnight when landing late in the day if you ask first. I left a 20 with the airport and they were fine with that. Just make sure everyone knows what's going on. If you get a call on your cell that they need it back or you an share with another pilot, try to accommodate everyone.
 
I've had a free loaner that they let me take out most of the day when I flew in to King City for a meeting several miles away. I asked the FBO for a rental car and they said "we can get you one but just take the crew car." I explained I would need it most of the day and they said "no problem." Guess they don't get a lot of traffic there. That was pretty cool.
 
Seems like calling first is the best option. If need be arrange for a rental car to meet me.

Another option, declaring an emergency, and land at the private grass field a half mile from my friend's house. :::Just Kidding:::
 
It really just depends.

I always put some gas in it (more than I used).

I have never asked to keep the car overnight, but it has been offered on numerous occasion, usually late in the day when they don't think anyone else will need it.

Of course buying fuel for your plane helps a lot as well.
 
MDeitch1976 said:
Seems like calling first is the best option. If need be arrange for a rental car to meet me.

Another option, declaring an emergency, and land at the private grass field a half mile from my friend's house.
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Or call the owner of the grass field and ask for permission to land there. That might be a problem if you're renting.
 
Put GAS in it.

I can't count the number of times I've pumped 10 gallons into a crew car that I drove 10 miles because some other cheap ass wouldn't do their part. It's a privilege, even if it's an old cop car, and I don't want to lose it.
 
If I'm going for something more than to get a meal or make a quick trip into town for something, I ask. More often than not I'll get offered the courtesy car but I ask.

As pointed out, be kind with it. Chip in some gas.

My favorite was at Garrett County MD where we were pretty much given the crew car for overnight. We came back to the airport the next day and hung out waiting for the weather to break but decided we would go get some lunch. I went to ask for the crew car again but the woman who ran the FBO pointed out the air conditioning in it didn't work so I should just take her car instead.

The most interesting time is when I was in Iowa. We had landed at Humbolt as there was a motel right off the end of the runway. When we found out some regional softball tourney had taken the rooms, the clerk in the hotel called other towns nearby with airports and got us a room in Pocahantas. Too far to walk from the airport, she called the local police there who told us where we could find the keys to the car in the unattended FBO building, but offered if we couldn't find them, to call and they'd just give us a ride to the hotel.
 
Steve Foley said:
Or call the owner of the grass field and ask for permission to land there. That might be a problem if you're renting.
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I am renting. Still awaiting them to respond to my request for a copy of the rental agreement. I wonder if they actually have one written up?
 
flyingron said:
If I'm going for something more than to get a meal or make a quick trip into town for something, I ask. More often than not I'll get offered the courtesy car but I ask.

As pointed out, be kind with it. Chip in some gas.

My favorite was at Garrett County MD where we were pretty much given the crew car for overnight. We came back to the airport the next day and hung out waiting for the weather to break but decided we would go get some lunch. I went to ask for the crew car again but the woman who ran the FBO pointed out the air conditioning in it didn't work so I should just take her car instead.

The most interesting time is when I was in Iowa. We had landed at Humbolt as there was a motel right off the end of the runway. When we found out some regional softball tourney had taken the rooms, the clerk in the hotel called other towns nearby with airports and got us a room in Pocahantas. Too far to walk from the airport, she called the local police there who told us where we could find the keys to the car in the unattended FBO building, but offered if we couldn't find them, to call and they'd just give us a ride to the hotel.
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I have only been flying for a little less than a year, but we have already done several long cross countries (really enjoy them).

One of the coolest things about our trips has been how incredible the FBO's have been. We have:

Greensboro International: Diverted late at night because of a storm. Got us a $200 a night hotel for less than $100, weather was still bad in the morning, so they loaned us the crew car for four hours (I asked to rent a car) so I could take my nephew home.

Sanford NC. Loaned us a car for the day so I could take my newphew to N.C. State. I managed to lock the keys in the loaner when we got back to the airport (after they closed). I tried to give the guy $20 for coming out on a Sunday night with the spare key, he refused.

Pine Bluff AR. Gave us the loaner car overnight so we could get to/from the hotel.

Hammond LA. (Top Flight)Stopped to let a storm pass. Put out plane in a hanger (no charge), got us a great hotel room at the Hilton cheap, loaned us there "beater" car (it was a few years old and quite nice) for the night, and only charged us for the fuel we bought

I've got a bunch of other examples, but it is really amazing how helpful, and friendly the folks have been.
 
MDeitch1976 said:
As a new Pilot I have never tried this out yet. What is the etiquette? At what point would you opt to have a rental car waiting?
Yesterday, I had to go up to a friend's house in Delaware near Dover in order to knock out a little side work. My local aerodrome is GAI. I had a two hour drive there, and a two hour drive back, plus 2 hours of work. Could have been an hour, but I relaxed for a little while before turning around. I probably would have broke even on cost of flying out there, but would have been worth it.
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Depends on the airport/FBO and how many crew cars they have as well as the time frame in which you are using it. There was a guy in N. Dakota who had a fleet of 55-57 Chevys, I kept a 56 Sedan Delivery all weekend, we had a blast in it, but that was his intent. Proper etiquette is to ask how long you can use the car for.
 
dweyant said:
I have only been flying for a little less than a year, but we have already done several long cross countries (really enjoy them).

One of the coolest things about our trips has been how incredible the FBO's have been. We have:

Greensboro International: Diverted late at night because of a storm. Got us a $200 a night hotel for less than $100, weather was still bad in the morning, so they loaned us the crew car for four hours (I asked to rent a car) so I could take my nephew home.

Sanford NC. Loaned us a car for the day so I could take my newphew to N.C. State. I managed to lock the keys in the loaner when we got back to the airport (after they closed). I tried to give the guy $20 for coming out on a Sunday night with the spare key, he refused.

Pine Bluff AR. Gave us the loaner car overnight so we could get to/from the hotel.

Hammond LA. (Top Flight)Stopped to let a storm pass. Put out plane in a hanger (no charge), got us a great hotel room at the Hilton cheap, loaned us there "beater" car (it was a few years old and quite nice) for the night, and only charged us for the fuel we bought

I've got a bunch of other examples, but it is really amazing how helpful, and friendly the folks have been.
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Yep, I have been diverted and forced to RON due to weather and been taken home and to parties by FBO staff. I've also taken FBO staff with me and let them build some multi time if I was gonna come right back through or they could find a ride back. The great benefit there was that I got to buy fuel at their price.
 
Around here crew cars aren't as populous as when I started flying. Got pretty badly stranded coming back from a POA get together because of it. Something about which I'll be a little more cautious in the future.
 
Crew cars are a courtesy that is really helpful. Here are my personal rules.
Always call ahead to see if they have one and for how long you can usually borrow it.
Just drive into town for food and back. Usually an hour.
If you are in late, you can ask to keep it overnight and bring it back in the morning.
Leave a little piece of green paper with they guy who lets you take the car.

With all that said, a pilot friend of mine leaves his "other" car at the airport he usually flies out from. He leaves the keys at the desk and anyone they trust can borrow the car as above. Hubby totaled our car and so, we have been driving the "other" car for the past 2 months. Anytime the friend needs a ride home, we go get him.
 
Henning said:
Yep, I have been diverted and forced to RON due to weather and been taken home and to parties by FBO staff. I've also taken FBO staff with me and let them build some multi time if I was gonna come right back through or they could find a ride back. The great benefit there was that I got to buy fuel at their price.
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Yep. FBO crew and pilots are great guys.
 
I used to offer my clunker as a crew car when I parked at a fairly busy airport. My only demand is that no one SMOKED in the car. Well, I got it back once with a butt in the ashtray and a stink in the car and that was the end of that. It was even printed right on the dash of the car, and being a Honda, it was pretty prominent.
 
Henning said:
You can just leave the Binford 2000 at the airport for me...:rofl::rofl::rofl:
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Get your numbers straight.. the little one in the main garage is the :"baby binford".... The other one is called "the Binford 10,000 snow removal system"..;)
 
flyingron said:
The most interesting time is when I was in Iowa. We had landed at Humbolt as there was a motel right off the end of the runway. When we found out some regional softball tourney had taken the rooms, the clerk in the hotel called other towns nearby with airports and got us a room in Pocahantas. Too far to walk from the airport, she called the local police there who told us where we could find the keys to the car in the unattended FBO building, but offered if we couldn't find them, to call and they'd just give us a ride to the hotel.
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Folks still trust and help out their fellow man in flyover country. :yes:

I do find that regardless of where I go, I'm glad I'm a pilot and I think we get treated better than the average person at the average business.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Folks still trust and help out their fellow man in flyover country. :yes:

I do find that regardless of where I go, I'm glad I'm a pilot and I think we get treated better than the average person at the average business.
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:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:..

On my way to OSH one year, I stopped for the night at Madison SD.. We were treated like a KING........
 
Coming back from Osh one year VFR got stuck by weather near Detroit. Young kid at the FBO found us a hotel nearby, drove us over there and then gave me his phone number and said call in the morning when we were ready to come back and he would come get us. Said not to worry about the time because he was off that day and had no plans. You can't ask for nicer people.
 
steingar said:
Around here crew cars aren't as populous as when I started flying.
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I've noticed the same.

Seems to me, cars only seem to be available at gold plate FBOs or county run operations in the middle of nowhere.

The former offer Crew cars, intended for the professional charter pilots who would often find themselves loitering at the airport for several hours waiting for their Pax. Since these pilots tend to has some influence on which FBO to use, and are not paying the fuel bill out of their own pocket, they may gravitate towards the amenities. I've seen some Mercedes and Jags used as crew cars...worth it for the FBO that stands to sell several hundred gallons of fuel per visit.

The latter offer courtesy cars as an incentive to attract activity at the airport. Their hope is that you spend a few bucks in town and help the local economy. The cars aren't fancy--they're the retired police cruisers or municipal auto fleet cars. You can be assured that the "check engine" light has been on since the Clinton administration. If you happen to come across a specimen where this annunciator light is not on, it means the little bulb burned out.

In between these two extremes, you don't see too many free cars. Many local operators and FBOs don't want to compete with the local rental car companies or Taxi services. Liability or profitability may scare them away as well. Either way, I find the "last mile" to often be the most challenging part of flight planning, and always appreciate it when someone throws me the car keys and points me in the direction of the local diner. I always make a point to add plenty of fuel, or even run it through a car wash if it needs it.
 
Brad Z said:
I've seen some Mercedes and Jags used as crew cars...worth it for the FBO that stands to sell several hundred gallons of fuel per visit.
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I just turned the keys to the Mercedes in to the FBO after going to lunch. :)

I don't think these high end cars are necessary at all but what other chance would I have to drive a Mercedes? :dunno:
 
I called ahead to two FBO's in the Atlanta area last weekend and the time limit for one was one hour and the other was 2 hours. I was in town for a little over 4 hours so I just had the FBO arrange a taxi for me.
 
Yea, little to no fuel (if the gas gauge works) seems to be the theme. We picked up the loaner for an overnight in St. Simmons, GA. What a wreck! I think it was an old Crown Vic that had seen much better days
 
Brad Z said:
I've noticed the same.

Seems to me, cars only seem to be available at gold plate FBOs or county run operations in the middle of nowhere.

The former offer Crew cars, intended for the professional charter pilots who would often find themselves loitering at the airport for several hours waiting for their Pax. Since these pilots tend to has some influence on which FBO to use, and are not paying the fuel bill out of their own pocket, they may gravitate towards the amenities. I've seen some Mercedes and Jags used as crew cars...worth it for the FBO that stands to sell several hundred gallons of fuel per visit.

The latter offer courtesy cars as an incentive to attract activity at the airport. Their hope is that you spend a few bucks in town and help the local economy. The cars aren't fancy--they're the retired police cruisers or municipal auto fleet cars. You can be assured that the "check engine" light has been on since the Clinton administration. If you happen to come across a specimen where this annunciator light is not on, it means the little bulb burned out.

In between these two extremes, you don't see too many free cars. Many local operators and FBOs don't want to compete with the local rental car companies or Taxi services. Liability or profitability may scare them away as well. Either way, I find the "last mile" to often be the most challenging part of flight planning, and always appreciate it when someone throws me the car keys and points me in the direction of the local diner. I always make a point to add plenty of fuel, or even run it through a car wash if it needs it.
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True, but I have yet not to be able to borrow a car or get a lift down the street for food regardless of where I land.
 
Crew car in somewhere NM was one of those old service vans from the mid 80s. They had like a 38 gallon tank in it and it was half full when we grabbed it. I got to the station put 15 bucks in and the needle didn't register. I figured it was busted. When I got back the lady asked me if I put fuel in and told her yes, but the gauge is busted, she said 'oh no, it works but it'll take another 20 gallons to make it move much'. That thing was ratty.
 
Landed at KSTS for lunch a number of years back (~2006) and Ground laughed at me since the restaurant had closed the month before. Stopped in at Sonoma Jet Center to use the facilities and the girl behind the counter offered crew car and pointed us in the direction of a good restaurant just off the airport. It was a brand new (<500 miles) Pontiac.

Scariest courtesy car was at KRZL in the early 1990s. It was an ugly green early 1970s Ford Gran Torino wagon and was mostly rust. It had less maneuverability of than a battleship.

I put crew cars and courtesy cars in different categories. Crew cars are at the fancy FBOs that cater to jets and are nice cars. Courtesy cars are beaters at the little FBOs.
 
Landed late one night in a small town in northern MN to deliver a load of records for a record store opening the next day (so you know how long ago this was!) We had buzzed the store before landing, but no one came to meet us. So we started looking for a courtesy car. After looking in a number of cars we found keys under the floor mat of an old Chrysler so figured it must be the courtesy car. Loaded up our boxes, made the delivery and stopped for a bite to eat at Perkins before putting a few gallons in it and heading back to the airport.

Sure hope it was the courtesy car.
 
Best crew car I had was at Bourne/Stage TX field. Super nice folk, we got in at 2, they gave us the keys to a nicer Explorer, got us headed for our destination, put a bottle of water inside, let us keep it overnight, and never said boo about anything. We put gas in and I was gonna run it through the car wash, but it was already clean. Great car.
 
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