cfiaime@ihnp3.UUCP (Jeff Williams) (09/19/85)
Several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of taking the Starhawk, an all composite airplane (see PRIVATE PILOT, February 1985), to Patuxant River, Maryland. On the trip, the service received at various airports ran from open hostility to absolute professionalism. This prompted some thinking about Fixed Base Operators in general. Ohio Aviation, Dayton, Ohio, gets my nod as one of the most pleasent FBOs in the country for transient pilots. They did everything from meet us at the airplane in a van so we would not have to carry our luggage, to driving us to get a pizza (which we shared with the line crew and the young lady behind the counter). To top of the experience of being welcome as a customer, yesterday I received a thank you letter (form letter, merged with the airplane information given at the time we ordered fuel). It doesn't take a lot to make a crew feel welcome. Clean building, friendly service, a crew van. The cost is not too much more, and the payoffs are many. Aero Services, Richmond, Virginia, is also quite good. On the way down to Pax, we had ignition problems (which turned out to be a bad spark plug), and Aero Services was quite helpful in giving us priority service to get the airplane flying. Friendly service, good facilities (old, but clean), and good mechanics. However, we had the pleasure of stopping in Petersburg, Virginia, for a meeting with some area leaders. The FBO was very unpleasent, to the point of calling the FAA and complaining that I was doing illegal low-level aerobatics in an illegal airplane. (I saw the FAA arrive in a State of Virginia King Air on my first take off.) While I supposedly was endangering life and limb at the airport, I was snarffing up some good biscuits and gravy in downtown Petersburg. Truely not a friendly reception. With the three different FBOs that stand out on the trip, I could not help but think that maybe the way to do business includes giving good service at a fair price, with a smile or a thank you. As a customer, I should expect some service (although, Aero Services, Memphis Aero, Duncan Aviation, Combes-Gates, and the like certainly make service at other FBOs look bad) and a whole bunch of courtesy. If I run into a surly person or bad service, I don't go back (unless forced), and I write a letter to the company president. If you fly, you spend a lot of money at an FBO, and should be treated accordingly. Even in a 150. And, you best believe, when I have the occasion to work at an FBO, the customer is ALWAYS king/queen. It may not be a literal red carpet (like happened at Flower's in Salina to one of my students), but the attitude is there. Comments? Places to avoid?? Places to go??? Jeff Williams AT&T-Bell Laboratories ihnp3!cfiaime
aps@decwrl.UUCP (Armando P. Stettner) (09/21/85)
Jeff Williams makes some good points about FBO's and their good and/or bad service. I feel really lucky to have had mostly good experiences. I highly recommend Butler Aviations services at SFO and BOS for the kind of service they offer (nice pilot lounges, pleasent/professional line crews, and courtesy shuttles [I can fly in, park for the landing fee only, and get a shuttle to and from an airline terminal to pick up a friend, all for no extra charge!!]). At OAK, I like Executive Air. (I am based at PAO (Palo Alto) and use the Palo Alto Flying Club; highly recommended!) aps.
wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (09/23/85)
In article <156@ihnp3.UUCP> cfiaime@ihnp3.UUCP (Jeff Williams) writes: > >...in Petersburg, Virginia, ... The FBO was very unpleasant, to the >point of calling the FAA and complaining that I was doing illegal >low-level aerobatics in an illegal airplane. (I saw the FAA arrive >in a State of Virginia King Air on my first take off.) While I supposedly >was endangering life and limb at the airport, I was snarffing up some >good biscuits and gravy in downtown Petersburg. Truely not a friendly >reception. > Well, you've left us hanging on this one... What happened?!?! Did he mistake some other aircraft that really was doing illegal things for yours? Or did he make it up out of meanness or an inherently evil nature? How did you find out about it -- did the FAA contact you? I hope you are suing this FBO! Will
RBD@psuvm.BITNET (09/26/85)
best: PDQ Aviation, Pontiac, Michigan
worst: Butler Aviation, various airports in Michigan, New York, New Jersey
-- Larry Riffle (814)-863-0422
{akgua,allegra,ihnp4,cbosgd}!psuvax1!psuvm.bitnet!rbd
rbd@psuvm (bitnet)
cfiaime@ihnp3.UUCP (Jeff Williams) (09/27/85)
In article <1668@brl-tgr.ARPA> wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin (DRXAL-RI) <wmartin>) writes: >In article <156@ihnp3.UUCP> cfiaime@ihnp3.UUCP (Jeff Williams) writes: >> >>...in Petersburg, Virginia, ... The FBO was very unpleasant, to the >>point of calling the FAA and complaining that I was doing illegal >>low-level aerobatics in an illegal airplane. (I saw the FAA arrive >>in a State of Virginia King Air on my first take off.) While I supposedly >>was endangering life and limb at the airport, I was snarffing up some >>good biscuits and gravy in downtown Petersburg. Truely not a friendly >>reception. >> >Well, you've left us hanging on this one... What happened?!?! Did he >mistake some other aircraft that really was doing illegal things for >yours? Or did he make it up out of meanness or an inherently evil >nature? How did you find out about it -- did the FAA contact you? > >I hope you are suing this FBO! > More on the Petersburg incident. Those of you who remember the February Private Pilot magazine have seen a picture of the Starhawk. As mentioned in the magazine, Condor Enterprises of Sugar Grove is wanting to put the airplane into production. The powers that exist in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, are making a bid for the factory. When we arrived from Patuxant River, Maryland, the FBO was to wash the airplane and generally get it ready for the county and state officials to look at. There was very little time to do this, seeing that the Navy extended the test program up to the last possible instant. Anyway, when we arrived at Petersburg, the FBO started making comments about how any homebuilder could make an airplane such as this, and why is it so special, and how tatty it was looking. (As for tatty, if you had spend a week with the Navy at Pax River, you would look tatty, too. They worked that poor airplane, and crew, to death.) The county officials had arranged for the FBO to wash, and hangar the airplane, and to give the crew a lift to the local HoJo's to get cleaned up for the evening's meetings. They did wash the airplane, but did not care for the crew as they promised. On the following morning, he called the FAA about the Starhawk before we even started flying. When I landed after the first flight, the FAA asked me to get out of the airplane and show them my license, logbook (which never travels with me), medical, pack date on the parachutes, the airplane papers, and the like. The FED then proceeded to lecture me on proper aerobatics (not over towns, over 1500 feet AGL, in VFR conditions, with a parachute, in a properly certificated airplane). Because the FAA did not witness the "illegal" display, they would not violate me. There were also some fairly ironclad alibis, such as the county adminstrator and representatives of the governer's office, and the press, and other county officials. I got off with a slap on the wrist, or a talking to. About this time, several Marine helecopters landed. They were from Pax River, and were wondering what we were up to? They also explained the facts of life to the FAA as to what the airplane was doing on the east coast. Later, the FAA apologized for the misunderstanding. Matter of fact, the GADO staff in Richmond are pretty nice people. The FBO is in business, but the county officials (who signed the lease) are angered. The president and vice president of Condor are both lawyers, and will handle the legal aspects of the situation. jeff williams ihnp3!cfiaime