what is a courtesy car?

olasek

olasek

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olasek
Courtesy car.
Advertised often at small airports. (First come first serve, etc)
How exactly does it work, what are the fees?
 
Usually no fee. Buy fuel for the airplane from the FBO and fill the gas tank on the courtesy car when you return it. Leave it clean.

Many of them are entertaining Junkers with sordid histories. Holes in the floor. Whatever. They roll.
 
I have seen them more at medium sized airports, owned by the FBO, like Millionair. Usually if you by enough gas, they will offer you one. I think they are primarily for the pilots of the business class planes that they serve.
 
Some FBOs have a car that is available for pilots to use for short trips away from the airport. Rules?
  1. Be honest about how long you'll be using it. (I'll be back in an hour vs you get back just before closing)
  2. Put some gas in it (Compared to a taxi, a fill-up is cheap)
  3. Offer to share the ride if another pilot shows up just after you.
  4. Thank the FBO - A LOT!!
It's a privilege, not a right. Don't abuse it.
 
Courtesy car.
snip
How exactly does it work
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It starts, it runs til you are a good distance from the airport but no where near town, then it quits and refuses to restart. Some of them anyway.
 
olasek said:
Sounds like they are meant to be used for hours, not days.
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Yes, definitely hours, not days... they are mostly just for lunch out or at the very most to run out to a tourist-y location for a few hours. The car is a convenience provided by the FBO and no one should abuse it, lest it goes away. If you are going to need a car for a couple of days, that is what the rental car counter is for. Definitely, put a few gallons in the car and leave it cleaner than when you got in it. Even if that is tough to do. :hairraise: I've seen quite the variety of courtesy cars in various places... from an awful ancient brown pickup truck that I wasn't sure was going to start at an airport which shall remain nameless to protect the guilty to a brand new PT Cruiser that I wished were mine. And everything else in between. :rolleyes:
 
I've used two different kinds of courtesy cars.

One kind is the basic loaner: usually a beat up former police car or some other municipal vehicle. But, the a/c works, the brake-lights work (I think). I try to repay the courtesy by topping off the airplane, or leaving a couple buck for gas money for the car. I've always described these as "crew cars".

The other kind is a rental car: the times I've used those, I've had to fill out car rental paperwork. The deal was that the first 2 hours are free. For those kind, it's a run out for lunch, bring the car back, and drop off the keys. These are the kind I describe as "courtesy cars".
 
a brand new PT Cruiser that I wished were mine.
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I raise you one Millionaire Jaguar (khou) - I was afraid my own car insurance would be inadequate to cover the slightest ding.
Amusing to take such a car to Subway for lunch.
 
This is the one at my air field:

Courtesy%20Car%20Photo.jpg


Having never needed it, I did not realize (until now) that you have to fill out and sign an agreement to use it:
http://www.ci.creswell.or.us/sites/default/files/file/Airport Courtesy Car Agreement 8-10.pdf

Background on usage:
http://www.ci.creswell.or.us/index.php?q=node/43

I have no idea if their agreement is normal or an anomaly.
 
olasek said:
Sounds like they are meant to be used for hours, not days.
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Depends on where you are... California, you're probably right, Montana... not so much, especially when the nearest rental car outlets is 120 miles away at an unattended airport with no FBO on the field. People donate/the state provides them. Sometimes even local businesses plant cars there for you.
 
On my trip to OSH I stopped at Madison SD for the night,,, filled up with fuel and hangared the toy... I got the 'police cruiser' for the night.. Topped it off with fuel the next morning and left at 0 dark thirty... Great little airport and super FBO operator..:yesnod:
 
olasek said:
Sounds like they are meant to be used for hours, not days.
Click to expand...


Depends on demand. I'm just saying if you tell them you'll be back at X o'clock, be there.
 
air 51 in klex use to have new porsche boxsters for theirs
 
At thompson falls there's an old Caprice, the sun took away all the cloth from the seats many years ago, it's just a towel on top of springs. This car will hold interstate speeds without ever touching the accelerator, I don't recall ever moving my foot off the brakes. There's a guy who lives there who owns some sort of mines here and in South America who flies a SAWEEETT pressurized 210. He'll come get you or send someone else to if you don't want to gamble with the courtesey car. Typically if I'm somewhere like that I leave a note and say "Hey, I'm hogging the car for a while, call me if you need it and you can have it"
 
dennyleeb said:
air 51 in klex use to have new porsche boxsters for theirs
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KSZT has some nice rides too (Escalade, Denali etc..) and they have a 5 or so, so you're typically not in a rush, the also only have SS fuel but I've never pumped my gas there either. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
 
olasek said:
Courtesy car.
Advertised often at small airports. (First come first serve, etc)
How exactly does it work, what are the fees?
Click to expand...

Leave it clean, toss a couple bucks in the tank, don't dawdle, no fee, that's why they call them "Courtesy Cars".
 
Some of the worst cars in the world are "courtesy" cars. Although Monarch Aviation used to have a Jaguar that was pretty nice. Below is more typical:

crazy-car-3.jpg
 
Ours was funded (I think) by the village. Fill it up, use it for an hour or so at local businesses.
courtesy_car.jpg
not the largest, but clean and reliable.
 
It depends on where in the country you are. In urban areas, yeah the big FBO usually calls them crew cars and gives them to pilots to eat or do short errands while they're waiting for the passengers for return. In rural areas, there's almost always a car of seem vintage that's available.

General courtesy is as stated, refuel the car at least what you used.
Don't take it longer if there's likely to be others who need it.

In some unattended airports, you'll find the keys usually hidden around the field somewhere (sometimes there's a sign out sheet).

We landed out in Iowa and the hotel at the airport was full up (go figure). The girl called up the next town with an airport and a hotel and then called the local police to ask how we could get from the airport to the hotel. They said there was a crew car there and the keys were in the unlocked building, but if it was out or we couldn't find it, to call them and they'd just give us a ride.

That car was like a few I have had: a former police car.
 
Dublin, GA's courtesy car was an old police cruiser a few years ago when I was there. Still had the siren. Flipping it on when stopped at a street corner and watching the kids scatter was quite entertaining.
 
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dennyleeb said:
air 51 in klex use to have new porsche boxsters for theirs
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I always got the Honda Ridgeline at Air 51 when I flew into KLEX, but I ain't complaining! However, they have since been bought my TAC Air. The previous owner of Air 51, a Physician, has a nice little collection of warbirds he flies, inclulding a P-51 (hence the name), and a T-6.
 
Pilots helping pilots.

At a local airport, the charter pilot who flies out of there tosses the keys in his car and the FBO knows where. The FBO doesn't have a car, but if a pilot needs a ride and the car is there, they will let you know where the keys are.
 
They used to be fairly ubiquitous, but these days I find them a bit thinner on the ground. Nice when you can find one, though.
 
The nicest I had was an Avis rental that was free for the first couple hours, at one of the FBOs in ICT (Wichita). I can't remember what it was, probably an Impala or similar, but it was new.

There was the old Hyundai in MHK (Manhattan, KS) that looked like it had been through the mother of all hailstorms, and the old Cavalier (I think) down in FSK (Ft Scott, KS). I think that FSK car didn't even have a back seat anymore, just a bare floor, but the a/c was cold on a 100+ day.
 
MillionAir seems to have the nicest. I've had BMW's, Jaguar's, and HumVee's. BTW, I never put gas in the crew car unless they give it to me overnight. But I'm buying hundreds of gallons of Jet A and / or paying hundreds of dollars in ramp fees.
 
There was an FBO in N Dakota that had a fleet of 55-57 Chevies of verious designation including a couple of Nomads. Very typical is getting the city/county managers old fleet Ford or some similar $700 car.
 
There's a neat entry in AIRNAV's user comments that the Brown K-Car with the keys in it is NOT the crew car (but the owner was good natured about some itinerant pilot taking it).
 
Henning said:
There was an FBO in N Dakota that had a fleet of 55-57 Chevies of verious designation including a couple of Nomads. Very typical is getting the city/county managers old fleet Ford or some similar $700 car.
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I think that pretty much shows the difference between a car you get from an FBO and one you get from the airport itself.
 
Courtesy cars are one of the best things about going cross country and to different kinds of airports. When I was first flying to different places I always looked forward to the "adventure" of the courtesy car. However, I was going to borrow a car at midland airpark once and the brakes didn't work.. Nearly ran into a jet on the ramp. Returned it carefully to it's spot, wrote a big not in the sign out book and told the kid at the desk and then walked to lunch.
 
For ten years we have owned the only hotels in America (maybe the world?) that offer courtesy cars for pilots. Right now we have two of them, and the rules are simple:

1. These vehicles are not corporately owned. Mary and I own them, and lend them to friends who fly in.

2. We expect you to actually be guests of our hotel when you use them.

3. We hope that you will put gas in them equal to what you used.

In ten years, we have had few problems. I have NEVER had to put gas in either vehicle here on Mustang Island.
 
I was thinking of trying to get a courtesy car for the ol' aerodrome. We can pitch in to find and buy one but we gotta get the airport owner/management to handle the insurance.

First, I gotta ask the Crusties.
 
Great feedback to my original question, thanks.
This is why this forum is so great - you ask a simple question and you get a ton of practical replies, shedding light on the subject at different angles.
 
This is why this forum is so great - you ask a simple question and you get a ton of practical replies, shedding light on the subject at different angles.
Click to expand...

And all the irrelevant tangents, high-horsing, smart-a$$ replies are great entertainment!
 
Jay Honeck said:
For ten years we have owned the only hotels in America (maybe the world?) that offer courtesy cars for pilots. Right now we have two of them, and the rules are simple:

1. These vehicles are not corporately owned. Mary and I own them, and lend them to friends who fly in.

2. We expect you to actually be guests of our hotel when you use them.

3. We hope that you will put gas in them equal to what you used.

In ten years, we have had few problems. I have NEVER had to put gas in either vehicle here on Mustang Island.
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I hear you also loan out other people's cars too :rofl:
 
I am the airport manager at a very small airport. I got the City( since it is a city owned airport) to buy a used Sheriff car for $1.00. It has an E license and the city insurance. The field is not manned at all times, so you use the directions on the car window to use it. There is a building there with a four number code to get in. the directions say use the CTAF for this field to open the door and get the car keys. The gate combination is inside the building with the key. Take the car the 1 mile to town or where ever. and put things back when you are through. I have had now trouble. They use it to go to the Cafe, the Sale yard. the Steel roofing business, the court house, to look at our about 30 Building sized Murals in town. http://www.valeoregonmurals.com/ There is an old ammunition box with a slot in the top, Money or gas in the car. and you are welcome come back.
 
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Matthew said:
I think that pretty much shows the difference between a car you get from an FBO and one you get from the airport itself.
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Not really, it shows what one unique individual brings to the game. Many FBO courtesy cars I have driven have been 80s vintage Big 3 mids size that should have made the recycler's years if not decades ago. Sheble's got an Olds that you'll never get a speeding ticket in lol.
 
Flew into Milledgeville GA a few times for our high school's basketball tournament, they have an old blue Dodge minivan that shakes rattles and rolls, but it's free and makes it a breeze to get to the games.:D last time we flew in, we called ahead and told them we were coming, they said they might be closed, so they left the key in the floor.:D we got there before closing and bought fuel.:D
 
If you get to our place after we close, the combination to the door is posted in "pilotese" (FSM GND) and the key is on the counter on the sign out clip board. The car is a pretty nice Taurus - a retired police car but a detectives car, not a patrol car. We limit use to about 2 hours except for night time to get to a hotel. Then it can go out overnight but bring it back at a reasonable time in the morning. Distance has to be limited to a 50 mile radius due the the insurance company.
 
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