Clip4
Touchdown! Greaser!
I have flown commercially as a Part 91 pilot and flown XC a lot for pleasure. In over 5000 XC hours, I have had 1 flight where diverted to an airport during an emergency with an expensive FBO. The ramp fees were expensive and the repairs were relatively very expensive. You understand this is not a common occurrence and suck it up.I'm going to have to disagree on this one, at least to a point. Yes, if you leave your plane on their ramp for more than a few hours, it's reasonable to pay for storage.
However, if you declare an emergency and drop down because of weather, medical emergency or a minor mechanical failure and have no choice as to where you landed, it's simply not OK for them to arbitrarily charge a landing fee or some exorbitant "ramp fee" at a public airport. Private airport? Sure - but that's not what we're talking about. Remember, the majority of these airports were built with the public's tax dollars.
That said, if they are nice and helpful it would be good form and polite to at least top off the tanks before you leave.
As far as WX diversions, you did the flight planning and you are required to determine the alternatives if the flight cannot be completed as planned. If your only alternative is an airport with an expensive FBO, whose fault is that?
So far in 49 years of flying, I have never had to divert for a medical emergency and these events are so rare this less than a once in a lifetime issue / 10 pilots.
The vast majority of airports you land are of such low cost and extraordinary value you fail to appreciate it and expect it as the norm. If a once or twice in a lifetime fee is a deal breaker for you on an unexpected diversion, you really need to find a new hobby.
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