Spent the night at an FBO

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madtrader

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Sep 27, 2012
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St. Joseph, MO
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madtrader
So, I am now a member of the "spent the night on the FBO couch" club. Gorgeous weather in the south east yesterday. The weather folks predicted it several days out. I booked the SkyCatcher for the whole day and figured I do a nice long x-c out to see "something". I didn't finally decide where to go until the morning of. My route -- KOLV -> 3A1 -> KGKT -> KRNC -> KOLV.

The leg from KOLV -> 3A1 was smooth and easy. Well until I got within 20nm of the field. Then the winds changed direction rapidly and it got quite bumpy. Had brunch at the Prop Diner on-field while watching the sky divers. I topped off the tanks to validate fuel burn. Then on to KGKT.

I overflew Lookout Mountain and Chattanooga, then north of the Smokies into KGKT. Traffic picked up quite a bit and Knoxville Approach had a caravan of several aircraft in trail heading into KGKT. Lots of helicopter activity in the area. I parked on the ramp at the Tennessee Museum of Aviation. The Red Bull Grumman Albatross was on the ramp too. That was cool. The museum was nice. Next on to KRNC.

I picked KRNC as a stop due to fuel prices. I thought I might be able to go direct from KGKT to KOLV if I topped off in KGKT, but it would depend significantly on the head wind. Winds aloft were quite different than forecast all day. Fuel prices were really high there too. KRNC had listed fuel at $5.29/gal. The flight from KGKT to KRNC was beautiful. I flew over a couple of ridges that got my attention, but it was gorgeous. I got a pic of the Hinch Mountain VOR as I crossed just south of it. As I got closer to KRNC the countryside against the ridges was just gorgeous. Topped off fuel (17.7 gallons). Then I couldn't get the plane started. First crank didn't get it. Second crank had me pumping the throttle, but that didn't catch (and I think flooded it). Ok, so flooded engine procedure and I noticed the starting force was getting pretty weak. I let it sit for a few minutes and tried again. Nope. Now it was struggling one cycle over the compression. Ok, stop for a while. The battery is fairly well drained. I went back in the FBO, plugged in my iPad, grabbed some water, and started to worry. I gave it 15 minutes and tried again -- nope. Again, it was struggling one cycle over the compression. Asked the lady working the desk if there was a mechanic around -- nope. It's father's day weekend and nobody is around. Called the company I rent from to let them know my situation. They had some instructors familiar with the SkyCatcher coming in that they'd have call me with suggestions. In the mean time I went looking around hangars to see if anybody was around and found a guy just finishing up cleaning the bugs off his gorgeous 150. He said he didn't have a Cessna power plug cable, but said he learned to fly in a champ and was familiar with hand-propping. He said let's give that a try. I've never done it, but I'm game. One of those instructors got back to me told me the procedures from the manual for a flooded engine, which I'd already tried. He recommended against hand-propping. We gave it a bunch of tries and even got it to pop once, but it never caught. Eventually, the helpful guy had to go. I updated the rental company and called the phone numbers for the on-field repair shop and left voice mails in case someone was checking. The lady at the desk said there was somebody coming back "soon" that might know what to do. They (Chris and Bob) came in about half an hour later in some sort of big twin. I told them my problem and asked if they knew what I might do. Bob is an older guy with lots of experience as a pilot and mechanic. Chris seemed to be one of those very serious, hard working guys on their way to the airlines. I think he was flying the twin. He was wearing a simcom shirt too. They were quite sure I'd run the battery down, but didn't have any tools to help. They suggested and tried hand-propping too. Bob decided we should pop the cowl off to see if we could get to the battery, although he figured it was probably in a box and safety wired shut. As we worked the cowl fasteners I got a call from the on-field mechanic. He was checking messages and got mine. He was over 3 hours away, but said he had the cable I needed for the Cessna power port in his hangar. Chris was a local and he knew the mechanic, so they spoke on the phone and got instructions on how to break into the hangar. So, eventually we got in, got the cable and hooked it up to a courtesy car. At this point, though, there wasn't enough daylight for me to get back to Memphis. I'm a private pilot, but day limited on my medical. After about 15 minutes hooked-up to the car, I was able to start the engine. So, we 'knew' it was just a power issue. Chris helped me get it into the FBO hangar and hooked up to a battery charger (via the borrowed Cessna power cable) for a hour.

Bob said because of Bonnaroo, there wouldn't be a hotel room available for 100 miles. So, it was time to setup "shop" in the FBO pilots lounge for the night. They gave the the access code and a key to a courtesy car. I headed to Walmart for a towel, blanket, toiletries, and change of clothes. Then I grabbed some grub and went back to the airport for the night.

The FBO opened at 08:00, and as the plane was locked in their hangar I had to wait until then to get to it. There was a line of rain west of Memphis headed east. I had to get going as quickly as possible or I might get stuck somewhere else waiting out the rain. I got loaded and the plane fired right up. Then it was 10 to 15 knot headwinds all the way back, with descending ceilings and a decent haze. Memphis Center gave me several traffic advisories that I never saw, even one that was pretty close. I have a Stratus, so I kept checking radar images for Memphis and that line of green kept creeping closer and closer. 50 miles out it really didn't look like I was going to get there in time. Big green blobs were covering north of KOLV and there were some small green ones to the west moving east. I rather expected Approach to tell me that I wasn't going to be able to get in. But as I got close, I never saw any rain. Those radar images must have been for rain that didn't reach the ground. Uneventful approach and landing, or really flight in general.

So, 7.5 hours Hobbs time, slightly extended rental, and a night on the FBO couch. Felt great.
 
Been there, done that...more than once! Welcome to the club!
 
Congrats! Spending a night somewhere other than at the intended destination is a great developmental milestone in my book :yes:
 
There must be a connection between the words "adventure" and "adversity"... if everything goes as planned, it's just not an adventure. :D
I had a similar problem with a fuel-injected 172 once: ran the battery down trying to start it after foolishly using the boost pump to prime it for a hot start (and mixture full rich). I don't recall what the checklist said, but I'd already gotten away with it that day at a fuel stop elsewhere, so I remained blissfully ignorant. Only took a few cranks to kill that battery dead. :rolleyes2:
Fortunately, though, I was at the home drome, so I slept at home that night. :D
But I did get stranded once, due to a bad alternator on an older 172... alternator light on that plane was notorious for lighting up, so the unofficial procedure was to reset the breaker. :rolleyes: This occurred a few times during the trip, and each time I was successful in making it go out. :D Did I look at the meter? I guess not... :mad2: My ticket was practically still wet, then... it is true what they say about it being a "license to learn." :D

So little did I know that when I lowered the flaps for landing at my destination, I used about the last few amps available... hours later, when I went to start the plane to head home, the battery was dead. But like you, I was stuck at a friendly place: got a ride to the nearest bus terminal from a pilot based on the field (which worked OK because I was only about 100 miles from home).
 
I managed to flood the 177RG's engine at Lee Vining landing too rich (no, not full rich -- field elevation is 7000 feet and I know better than that). No FBO, not even a taxiway. Just 4000 feet of runway and a couple of hangars, and maybe 5 or 6 tiedowns.

And the IO-360 engine likes to vapor lock. So, I couldn't start it. It was pretty clear it was going to be a problem after a few tries, so I pushed it off the runway onto the shoulder and let it sit for an hour. Then, it started right up using normal cold start procedures.

At least there are two small motels in town. No idea if there were vacancies, but it was still before the pass road opened, so there probably were. Sleeping on the FBO couch would have been equivalent to sleeping in the dirt under the stars. That might have been unpleasant.
 
looks like some time learning hot start would be well served. . .
 
comanchepilot said:
looks like some time learning hot start would be well served. . .
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It's already happened. I don't care to repeat that foxtrot uniform. I intentionally flooded a hot 172SP (with permission) and got it to start. At the home base so I could push it into parking if it failed (it didn't).
 
sorry for your troubles, but as others have mentioned, your 'adventure' turned out ok and was probably a good learning experience.
 
At least your battery didn't drain in the middle of nowhere, relatively speaking.
 
tangopapa said:
At least your battery didn't drain in the middle of nowhere, relatively speaking.
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I avoided that problem yesterday. Hit the master, checked the fuel gauges (full), dropped the flaps and turned on the lights. A quick walk around checking the lights and came back to fuel gauges reading about 1/2 tank and the TC electric gyro sounding distinctly slower than a minute or two earlier. Shut down the master and called the maintenance officer for the plane. I think the club is going to be putting a new battery in that 172.

Fortunately for our plans, the 182 in the next hangar was available.

My wife, after hearing the phone conversation with the maintenance officer, commented that I best not ever volunteer for that job on one of the club planes. :D
 
Good write-up.
We designed easy jump-ability with any type cables into my Exp. crate, particularly since hand propping attempts are not likely to achieve high enough RPM to start it.
 
eman1200 said:
sorry for your troubles, but as others have mentioned, your 'adventure' turned out ok and was probably a good learning experience.
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Don't take the story as a complaint. That's not to say I wanted to spend the night away from home, but I take it in stride. Nobody hurt, nothing bent, and I didn't even bump another reservation. Heck, the couch was comfortable and they had satellite TV (I just have the free over-the-air stuff at home).

Today I ordered my own jumper cable to add to my bag.
 
madtrader said:
Nobody ever accuses me of being brief. I actually edited this down before posting.
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Sometimes you have to include some details to tell a story. Sadly, we live in an ADHD world with reading skills averaging a third-grade level. It's not your problem when a forum user can't handle a post of more than two sentences.

I'm just mystified why they even bother to post on a thread they didn't (couldn't?) read!!

Thanks for sharing.
 
LDJones said:
Sometimes you have to include some details to tell a story. Sadly, we live in an ADHD world with reading skills averaging a third-grade level. It's not your problem when a forum user can't handle a post of more than two sentences.

I'm just mystified why they even bother to post on a thread they didn't (couldn't?) read!!

Thanks for sharing.
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If there wasn't a huge wall of text it would be a lot easier to read.
 
madtrader said:
Don't take the story as a complaint. That's not to say I wanted to spend the night away from home, but I take it in stride. Nobody hurt, nothing bent, and I didn't even bump another reservation. Heck, the couch was comfortable and they had satellite TV (I just have the free over-the-air stuff at home).

Today I ordered my own jumper cable to add to my bag.
Click to expand...

You do realize that on most Cessnas, when the cable is connected, the battery is disconnected? You can start with it, but the battery won't charge until the alternator is online.

Also if one diode fails shorted, applying power to the external port will close the starter relay and spin the prop? That's peachy.

So nice of Cessna to put that connector inches from the prop, on the older aircraft. Great place to be, trying to disconnect it after engine start, trapped between the prop and the wing strut.

Safety! We haz it! ;)

(They later moved the thing to the rear empennage where it makes a hell of a lot more sense. Never looked to see where it is on the 'Catcher.)

I was surprised to see you say the mechanic plugged into the external port to charge the Skycatcher battery. Did Cessna change their usual setup?
 
I've spent the night in Monroe, LA after the nose gear oileo gasket failed on landing. The plane started hoping all over the runway on roll out. When I got parked the lineman came up and the first thing he said was "You want to look at this" I had hydraulic oil running onto the ground and the nose gear was bottomed out against the limiter.
 
denverpilot said:
You do realize that on most Cessnas, when the cable is connected, the battery is disconnected? You can start with it, but the battery won't charge until the alternator is online.
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I've had different folks tell me different states on this. I need to see if I can find out what the case is with the 162.

denverpilot said:
Never looked to see where it is on the 'Catcher.
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It's still up front, but back toward the firewall. With the SkyCatcher, the strut attaches to the fuselage behind the door (and the doors open vertically), so you aren't exactly stuck like I'd imagine on a 152 or even a 172.

denverpilot said:
I was surprised to see you say the mechanic plugged into the external port to charge the Skycatcher battery. Did Cessna change their usual setup?
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I just wrote what I saw/experienced. I'll have to verify as to what the truth is with regard to how the power port works. Things to note that I do know:

  • The engine start checklist in the manual has a section for starting from the battery and a section for starting from external power. We switched to a custom checklist that leaves the external power version off. I'll double check what was there.
  • To minimize weight, Cessna went with a really small battery in the 162.
  • When I was looking for cables I saw several mentions of using the power port to power up the G300 without draining the battery.
  • After lots of tries, I couldn't crank the the engine with the starter past one compression cycle, but after 15 minutes hooked up to a car (and then disconnected and the car moved back), it started right up. The master switch was off while connected to the car.
 
I enjoyed that story.

It's nice to see how people do what they can to help you.

Question, is the Skycatcher battery 12 or 24 V?
 
Can't say I ever spent the night IN the FBO. One time several of us got weathered in at Garrett County, MD. The FBO used to be a house where the airport manager lived. He died and the couple who took it over have their own residence, but the woman has been going to estate sales, etc... and furnishing the bedrooms in the FBO. While I took the crew car down to the hotel, several other people stayed in the FBO building (they had their sleeping bags, etc...anyhow). The one guy (flying the Trojan A-2) even got up early and pumped gas for some people who arrived before the FBO people got there.

I've:

1. Gone to hotels (either via crew car, fbo guys giving me a lift, cab, hotel came and got me, or even hoofed it).
2. Stayed with people I knew in the town.
3. Rented a car and driven home
4. Had someone else drive me back to the airport of departure
5. Had my brother put his girlfriend on the air on the radio station he was working at so he could drive me home.
6. Flown home in someone else's plane
7. Flown home commercial (this one was when I got stuck down at my unbuilt lot at NC26. I got a lift down to CLT and flew home. I purchased a pickup truck and returned in it, leaving it at my neighbors for the next year and a half until we had a garage of our own to park it in).

The strangest escapade was coming back from my third Oshkosh (in a 172). We had met a Navion owner there who offered me a ride in his if I stopped by his place in Ohio. We arrived there and found his father waiting to apologize that Alan had an accident at work and couldn't fly. We went to the hotel and the next morning we went to the airport to again find the father waiting to tell us not to leave that Alan would be over to give us our ride.

After leaving there, we flew into decreasing visibility and landed at Moundsville WV. Also there was the Red Baron Pizza Stearman pilots giving rides to local distributors/retailers. We sat around eating free pizza and looking at the local hotels I told my wife to go get the AirGuide and find some place we could get to. After discussing going into HLG, the FBO employee said "I don't want to butt into your personal affairs, but Wheeling is really no better than here." I asked for a suggestions and she said that the runway heading and 25 miles would get us to Washington County, PA. I programmed that destination into the RNAV and off we went.

The next day we left AFJ and again found ourselves flying into heavy haze. Landing in our 172 loaded with camping equipment I started to taxi in and I could see some guys pointing and laughing at us. It was the Pizza Stearman guys. We sat around eating pizza again and then I decided to rent a car. I called the number by the FBO phone and they said they'd bring it out.

About 30 minutes later two cars pull on to the ramp. The girl in the front car tosses me the keys and gets into the back one and drives off. Incredulously, the Pizza pilot asked if I had just rented that car. I said yes. He said he had called and asked to rent a car and they said he had to go down to the office and fill out forms and he was busy giving rides. After a few more hours of eating pizza and getting weather observations from the pilots after each ride we decided the weather had cleared up enough to make it back to Dulles. I told the Pizza guy that the keys were under the seat and if I wasn't back in 30 minutes it was his. I guess he took care of it, it never showed up on my credit card.
 
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Sounds better than sleeping in the LAS terminal. Correction - NOT sleeping since the chairs are hard and the slot machines make noise all. night. long.

I will never fly on a buddy pass again.
 
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