The Perfect Pilot Shop

murphey

murphey

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Aug 21, 2008
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Colorado
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murphey
Two categories: Online and brick & mortar.

What do you want in each? What do you NOT want in either?
 
There's no such thing as a Perfect Pilot, so why would you want to shop for one? :D
 
dmccormack said:
They've really squeezed down the total pilot stock in there ever since Winkies Toy and Hobby moved in.

:(

A neat little shop is at Greenville (4G1), PA. Why it's called "Elbow Street" aviation I don't know...
Click to expand...


The guy that owns the pilot shop at KLNS used to be the Chief Instructor/Owner of Airways, when it was a flight school. He was there when I got my PPL in '94. It used to be across the field where another operation (forget the name) is located.

I've noticed this Pilot Shop going a bit downhill as its got more hobby stuff now. Does the hobby operation sublease the space?
 
murphey said:
Two categories: Online and brick & mortar.

What do you want in each? What do you NOT want in either?
Click to expand...

Online store has to work. It seems like an obvious thing, but it's intolerable if the software fails in visible ways, like you click "add to cart" and it does not add. Separately from that, the inventory numbers have to be true. I had a spat over it with Jeff Styles, owner of Skygeek. It is otherwise a fine shop, and I understand that margins are very thin, just-in-time delivery and back-ordering is the norm, but plese do not lie to customers about it. If an item is on special order, website must not list it as "in stock". This is one thing I like about Amazon: they do not lie about inventory levels.
 
I find the on line stores carry tons of variety. However, I am a tactile shopper: I like being able to pick stuff up and look it over. Whenever I am near Nashua, NH (KASH) I stop in at: http://www.wingspilotshop.com/. Lot's of cool stuff.
 
Anthony said:
The guy that owns the pilot shop at KLNS used to be the Chief Instructor/Owner of Airways, when it was a flight school. He was there when I got my PPL in '94. It used to be across the field where another operation (forget the name) is located.

I've noticed this Pilot Shop going a bit downhill as its got more hobby stuff now. Does the hobby operation sublease the space?
Click to expand...

It was still Airways when I earned my PPL in 2002 (I flew with Advantage Aero which was absorbed into Aero-Tech).

Winkies Hobby store used to be somewhere in Lititiz. I don't know the connection, but it occupies probably 70% of the shelf space now.

Even the headset rack is thin. They used to have one of each model to try on -- no more. The bookshelf is half what it used to be. Chart stock is good but for how much longer?

Internet sales seem to be ok - there are always piles ready for shipment when I drop by.
 
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