FBOs

Philip Harris

Philip Harris

Filing Flight Plan
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Dec 20, 2017
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11
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Cincinnati Ohio
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ExPatAviator
Coming from the UK, the concept of FBOs at so many fields is very new to me. Usually you’ll find a single flying school or shack, which could be considered an FBO, but they certainly don’t market themselves as such in the way I’m seeing in the USA and don’t really want to help you.

My question is, do GA pilots use them when out on a weekend flight? If so, what does it cost and do you call ahead or not? Also, what sort of service is typical? Are they tying aircraft down, fueling them or hangaring them for you? Wiping the windscreen down? What’s normal? Note that I’m not talking about flying into places like KATL here, just regular regional airports.


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Fueling, flight training, crew car, tie downs, hangars, maintenance, catering, rental cars, hookers, blow, etc. may be available from any particular FBO.

Fueling and aircraft parking are probably most common with maintenance nearly as common. Hookers n blow are rare anymore.

Call ahead if you need something like a rental car or to inquire about fees. FBOs at larger airports have a fee for everything. Smaller airports usually don’t have fees for spam cans.
 
Like everything else... it depends.

www.airnav.com is a good site to see what's available at an airport. They'll have the names and phone numbers of the FBO's available. I usually call ahead to find out prices and what to expect. Also many give service discounts with fuel purchases.

Airnav usually has an airport diagram with the FBO locations indicated too. Very helpful when going into an unfamiliar field.

Some airports have only one, so you can land and when the controller says "Say Parking" you can just say "FBO." Doesn't work as well if there are three!
 
it's different everywhere you go. here in the southish eastish of the US there are a lot of, hmmm, how to say it, "lonely" places out in the middle of nowhere. some have no one staffed, some have someone there but don't have much to offer as far as services go, a lot have self serve fuel. then there are some larger FBOs that will offer fuel trucks and some other basic services. if you consider "parking" a service, well they all have that and some charge a pretty penny for it, often waived if you buy fuel. some places have 'pilots lounges' where you can chill on a couch, watch tv, drink bad coffee, and wait out bad weather if you need to. it just really depends on where you go. I personally don't recall the last time I called an FBO, most information can be found online. on rare occasions there will be a little hottie working the desk that you can pretend like you have a shot at.
 
eman1200 said:
it's different everywhere you go. here in the southish eastish of the US there are a lot of, hmmm, how to say it, "lonely" places out in the middle of nowhere. some have no one staffed, some have someone there but don't have much to offer as far as services go, a lot have self serve fuel. then there are some larger FBOs that will offer fuel trucks and some other basic services. if you consider "parking" a service, well they all have that and some charge a pretty penny for it, often waived if you buy fuel. some places have 'pilots lounges' where you can chill on a couch, watch tv, drink bad coffee, and wait out bad weather if you need to. it just really depends on where you go. I personally don't recall the last time I called an FBO, most information can be found online. on rare occasions there will be a little hottie working the desk that you can pretend like you have a shot at.
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Caution: prices are rarely online. And the person on the phone may not know a Conquest from a contraceptive, so if price sensitive, get an email from them including your tail number.
 
Clark1961 said:
Fueling, flight training, crew car, tie downs, hangars, maintenance, catering, rental cars, hookers, blow, etc. may be available from any particular FBO.
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Please PM me with references. Thanks in advance! ;)
 
Philip Harris said:
Coming from the UK, the concept of FBOs at so many fields is very new to me. Usually you’ll find a single flying school or shack, which could be considered an FBO, but they certainly don’t market themselves as such in the way I’m seeing in the USA and don’t really want to help you.

My question is, do GA pilots use them when out on a weekend flight? If so, what does it cost and do you call ahead or not? Also, what sort of service is typical? Are they tying aircraft down, fueling them or hangaring them for you? Wiping the windscreen down? What’s normal? Note that I’m not talking about flying into places like KATL here, just regular regional airports.


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So far I've been to two types of FBO's, one is self service everything, free, you park yourself, etc. the other type they marshal you to a parking spot, full service fueling, these typically charge around $15 to park unless you purchase fuel(usually up priced to cost you more than the $15 you're saving). You can use airnav.com to read reviews from other pilots about various FBO's before you go.
 
Been to several small airports that don't really have an FBO; just a small building and an airport manager that mows the grass, makes sure the fuel pumps work, fuels your plane for you because he's bored and looking for someone to talk to, and tosses you the keys to the airport car so you can grab a bite to eat.
 
@Philip Harris - Are courtesy cars a thing in Europe?

I know when I have a new passenger along they are amazed that someone just hands me the keys to a "car" and I drive off to go get lunch. Usually if I only go a couple miles I don't even refuel it, unless it is under 1/8th tank and then I'll throw $20 in for the next guy.

I put "car" in quotes because some of them are very much not worth stealing. Many are retired police cars at the city or county owned airports. But they get the job done.

Of course, every plane I fly is worth more than the courtesy car, so it's a safe bet I'll be back. ;)
 
Ravioli said:
- Are courtesy cars a thing in Europe?
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They are not. In Europe you either get a little grass strip shoehorned in somewhere with a little wooden shed at one side, or the full "big airport" experience with bizarre and pointless security, high cost, but basically no services.
 
Katamarino said:
They are not. In Europe you either get a little grass strip shoehorned in somewhere with a little wooden shed at one side, or the full "big airport" experience with bizarre and pointless security, high cost, but basically no services.
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Yep. That sums it up. So you can see why I’m impressed with the whole FBO thing in general.

One thing I will miss about flying in the UK is due to the population density, there is almost always a fly in somewhere nearby every weekend. The downside being you’ll be lucky to get above 3000 given all the airspace !


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Crew cars are a plus, it's normally first come basis. I was flying cross country Chicago to Elko, NV and landed to grab a room for the night. Another pilot was also headed west and we landed about 5 min apart. The FBO gave us the crew car and said leave the keys under the seat in the morning. So the other pilot and I grabbed rooms at a local motel, went out to dinner and swapped aviation stories. Had breakfast in the morning, dropped off the car and continued my journey to Elko.
 
Ravioli said:
@Philip Harris

I know when I have a new passenger along they are amazed that someone just hands me the keys to a "car" and I drive off to go get lunch.
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My wife thought the same thing when she first met me and went flying. I had to point out that they are holding onto a $50,000 aircraft in exchange for a $5,000 car. If we don't come back, they win.
 
I was doing a drop off charter once in Illinois.

Single runway airport, long runway and I landed as close as I could to the threshold, exited the runway and contacted ground for taxi to the FBO. The FBO I needed was the last turn off at the far end of the runway. I taxi by all the other FBOs that had girls in bikinis trying waving me in.....:)

I get to the last turn off and there is an elderly man sitting under a beach umbrella pointing to an area for me to park......:(
 
eman1200 said:
some places have 'pilots lounges' where you can chill on a couch, watch tv, drink bad coffee, and wait out bad weather if you need to.
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Or sleep on the stupid thing if the bad weather showed up just before nightfall. :)
 
Ravioli said:
I suppose going brokeback is also out of the question? [Asking for they who may be so inclined]
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Hey, whatever floats your boat!
 
Someone once said that FBOs are basically just really fancy gas stations (petrol stations for the UK guy).

There’s really no “standard” setup but many/most operate on the premise that you’re going to rock up and fill up your tank and then for that they’ll do other nice stuff for you for ‘free.’ Give you a place to park for a day or two, a free car to take into town, some coffee and snacks inside—popcorn and slushy machines seem to be popular for whatever reason in the Northeast. I.e most FBOs I’ve been at have always let me park my plane there for free for a day or two if I bought at least 10-15 gallons of fuel.

Some FBOs / Fields do get carried away with fees and other nonsense but if you ask pilots in an area or check online resources you can usually spot those. Fuel prices can vary an amazing amount over short ranges (often almost 2x) so a bit of research up front will generally save you a few bucks and get you good treatment and a nice experience.
 
FBO's offer at least one of: tiedowns, courtesy car, fuel trucks, self fueling pumps,hangar rental, aircraft rental, aircraft repair, instruction and sometimes a restuarant. They also clean and manage the building (open and close it etc). They have a counter with a person behind it to talk to and take your money in exchange for their services.
 
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Don't feel too bad, @Philip Harris. I'm from central Oklahoma U.S.A and I hardly know what to expect at and FBO that offers services. I let an FBO in Tulsa pump some fuel once because I couldn't find a "general" parking area and they made eat their cookies. Felt bad that I ate free cookies, so I bought gas. That's the one and only service I've ever used at an airport. Pretty much everywhere I go, you pump your own fuel, tie your own plane down, and wipe your own behind. Honestly, and kind of sadly I suppose, I kind of avoid parking at places that want to do stuff for you. It just doesn't feel right letting someone put forth effort for me when I have legs and arms.

Scratch, that. I have used a few courtesy cars. After tying myself down, and pumping my own gas, of course. ;)
 
FBOs really make travel by light plane a practical and pleasurable exercise. In the US. A clean and nicely appointed bathroom is job one for my passenger. Sturdy tie downs and occasionally a hangar are a requirement though not always available. Loaner cars are nice but I’m usually looking for a Hertz rental or more recently Uber coverage. Fuel prices generally reflect the proximity to a popular destination. Where multiple FBOs are involved, the one with the lowest 100LL price is usually the right choice. Prices and charges are ‘negotiable’ to an extent. Call ahead for a full menu of prices for your flivver and you will probably get the full Monty. Treating the desk and line staff with friendly respect often results in services and freebies you didn’t even know to ask for.

Having said all that, some FBOs consistently suck (everybody at KSAV during the late 90s and early 2000s, even ATC), and a few consistently excel like Landmark at KCLT (even while operating out of shack during a rehab).

And when planning a stay somewhere, or when making an unplanned stop, no one has better access to a serviceable hotel room than the FBO. Big football game AND a dentist convention in town with every room booked? The cutie behind the desk will know who is holding a few rooms just for the likes of you. And you’ll be quoted a decent price. Aren’t you glad you didn’t hit on him when you arrived?


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denverpilot said:
Or sleep on the stupid thing if the bad weather showed up just before nightfall. :)
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BTDT

Limon
LaJunta - but not the new office, haven't been down there yet.
Mark loaned me the car so I headed to a motel in Alamosa
Landed at KCOS (going to FTG - 30 min!) because I couldn't see Denver lights. Clear below me, tho. Borrowed a car, drove home, went back in the morning for the cherokee.
Drove home from Greeley one day. Greeley! Unforecast winds of 40+
 
midwestpa24 said:
My wife thought the same thing when she first met me and went flying. I had to point out that they are holding onto a $50,000 aircraft in exchange for a $5,000 car. If we don't come back, they win.
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Or when going to a Millionaire location in a Cherokee, they hang on to your $20,000 airplane and give you a $60,000 Mercedes
 
Ravioli said:
^^^ and a bill to cover the MONTHS payment for said Mercedes
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I’m actually pretty impressed with Millionaire. Used them in KTLH and KALB. Both locations had reasonable fuel prices and waived fees.
 
Stay away from Signature and use aopa airports rather than airnav. Airnav seems to censor bad reviews of fbo s.
 
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