You know you aren't welcome at the FBO when...

Deelee

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Deelee
  1. You call the phone number and the phone-tree-woman presents the options in a very proper British accent.
  2. You get the front-desk-person on the phone and ask if they are able to provide you with their finest 100LL. And they say..."We have fuel here." And you reply, "Oh, ok you have Jet-A... how about gas for, you know, small piston aeroplanes? 100 low lead?" And they pause for about a minute and then say... "Well we have some AvGas..." And then there is just silence....
True story. New FBO opened up at Manassas (HEF). Chantilly Air Jet Center. Figured I would call up to see what their fuel prices are since there is only one other seller-of-petrol there. Didn't even get to ask what the price is. Said thanks and hung up. (I later checked and FF lists their price as $6.26!!... L O L! This is a class D, mind you...)

I think next time I am at the airport, maybe after changing oil and in coveralls smeared with oil/grease/dirt... I'll walk in and ask for a tour of the new place...
 
Phone tree woman used AI to route you to the hard case desk. Call back, change your accent, inquire about renting a limo and overnight hangar space for your G5 and see what happens.
 
Probably a new hire off the street that doesn't know the difference between a Cessna and a Boeing.
 
@GRG55 I cried.. I laughed so hard I frigging cried... I forgot about those cartoon thingy-s.... omg.... so so many funny videos to make now...
 
Were you not allowed to ask

I probably was allowed. But I was knocked off my game a bit. And by then I figured it was an, "If you have to ask you can't afford it" situation. And it was. Is. The price is $6.26. And I thought paying $5.40 from the other FBO at HEF was a bit much.... yikes.

Gotta find a good day to stop by and see the inside of this place. I bet they have marble floors in there...
 
You welcome there, just bring your American Express Card and quite the bitching and moaning.
 
You welcome there, just bring your American Express Card and quite the bitching and moaning.

I don't think I am. I don't have enough epaulets on my white captain's shirt. Nor do I have a Gulfstream. Or even an Amex card! But we shall find out soon enough. I will poke my disheveled, single-engine-piston self in there this weekend to say hi.

And I agree. It is quite the bitching and moaning.
 
I thought that I wouldn't be welcome at Millionair, what with their Jaguar crew cars and all. But, they were more than happy to let me hangar an aircraft there on a month to month basis. The plane was essentially junk, having been in a hangar fire. It was a turbine powered aircraft, so there's that, I guess.
 
I’ve been treated the same at every airport I’ve been to. Maybe it’s my charm:D

It's the "innocence of youth". ;)

As you get older you'll become more like the rest of us; grumpy. And set in your ways. And that will rub off on how you're treated (it'll still be the same at every airport though) :D
 
For that price, I'd make sure I get my money's worth.

I think they would be spending more than $1000 to fix the chairs. And buy new coffee cups. Sanitize the coffee pot. And get the stains out of the carpet in the pilot's lounge.
 
The result of Dulles Aviation closing down.

I'm glad I'm not based there any more.

HWY is still reasonably priced compared to either of those two.
 
Phone tree woman used AI to route you to the hard case desk. Call back, change your accent, inquire about renting a limo and overnight hangar space for your G5 and see what happens.

Nobody rents a limo anymore other than maybe high school kids going to prom.
 
Try walking into the FBO after parking your greasy old biplane next to the Gulfstream... :hairraise:
 
I stopped at KRAP this past summer. Got 17.0 + 18.0. The guy at the desk hands me an invoice for 36 gal. I thought to myself...is this worth the fight? Why yes it is. So he totaled it up on his adding machine and said “See, it’s 36 gal total”. He was ****ed that I had to show him how to add it up by hand, but I paid for my 35 gal.
 
Low-pile carpet works best for me indoors...hardwood they roll too far, shag they don’t roll far enough, and those lumpy area rugs cause extremely random bounces, so it’s hard to aim.
Marble floors only slightly less slippery than ball- bearing floors and ice amirite?

Sent from my SM-N976U using Tapatalk
 
HWY is still reasonably priced compared to either of those two

Yep. Unless I am really not in the mood to make another stop, I head to HWY to top off on the way back to HEF. $4 isn't bad. I think they charge me less since I have an account with them. Really nice, new terminal, too. Cookies. Good cookies always out. Always better if the snax are good.
 
I have had good luck On my way!lob most of my stops when doing cross countries.if you treat people with respect you will usually get respect back. Of course I have been ignored at a few jet centers.
 
I probably was allowed. But I was knocked off my game a bit. And by then I figured it was an, "If you have to ask you can't afford it" situation. And it was. Is. The price is $6.26. And I thought paying $5.40 from the other FBO at HEF was a bit much.... yikes.

Gotta find a good day to stop by and see the inside of this place. I bet they have marble floors in there...
They probably have pricey, free popcorn. lol
 
free popcorn

Free popcorn with top-off of $7.50 100LL haha yep..

Bummer about popcorn... the good FBO at HEF used to have great popcorn. But they took it away after covid restrictions. Didn't want people reaching in with that metal scoop I guess. Man, I miss that popcorn.

They do have good nature valley granola-like bars with that peanut butter coating on one side. So so good with a cup o' dark magic keurig coffee....
 
Flew down to Temple, TX about a month ago for a funeral for my girlfriend’s grandmother. When I walked in the two FBO workers just kinda stared at me like I was from other space. I politely said hello and proceeded to the nearest table to sit and wait for my ride.

A few minutes later one of them pipes up and goes “hey dude what are you doing”. I looked up from my phone and said “umm, waiting for my ride”. Mine you it was 40°F with a 30kt wind outside. The dude proceeds to tell me to wait outside because I’m wearing a mask and then goes back to bullsh$@ing with his buddy.

WTF man?!? I didn’t comment on the fact they weren’t wearing one. Oh and by the way the doors are all plastered with “Masks Required” signs.

Next time I’ll just fly to Georgetown or use the grass strip at Salado.
 
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