FBO questions?

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Sergio Gutierrez

Filing Flight Plan
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May 2, 2020
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sergio8234
Hey you guys, hopefully I am not in the wrong section but I just recently obtained my PPL and have a bunch of plans to fly with family and a couple of friends out to different places. However throughout the training they never really teach you or show you how to use and communicate with FBO.

My question is when flying to another airport, how do I get a parking spot for my plane. Do I have to call them in advance over the phone and lets say reserve a spot or do I just call them up on UNICOM and let them know I am coming in and they will guide me to a open spot? I tried scouring the internet for answers but come up with nothing. Thanks everybody!
 
It depends where you are going. If you go to a decent sized airport that has some money on the field the FBO May have someone monitoring UNICOM. You d not have to call UNICOM but you can. The only people I hear calling UNICOM are commercial operators looking for a quick turn or something like that. Just announce you intentions for landing on CTAF and land. If someone walks out to marshal you to a T great... if not just park on the T of your choice. Just remember that sometimes these smaller non towered airports can be out of fuel so be landing dry without a backup plan.

This is how it works on my neck of the woods but I’m a fairly green pilot who has really only flown a lot in a 3 state area. Might be different elsewhere idk
 
I flew in to Prescott, AZ about two weeks ago. Upon landing I asked to taxi to the FBO and for a progressive taxi. The tower controller had me stay in the runway to the end then said ok, see the fuel sign up ahead and to your left...thats it. He then told me to go left at the next taxiway and stay with him. I taxiied in to their lot and a guy came out in a golf cart to guide me to parking. Even chocked my plane and tied me up.
 
Generally speaking, just taxi to their ramp. Most of the time they're monitoring the ctaf or tower/ ground frequencies, and somebody will come out and marshal you. If not, look for a parking tee or tiedowns. If there's no obvious place, just park and figure it out later. 95% of the time someone will meet you and ask if you need anything.

If you plan to stay a few hours, need a car, or overnight parking or hanger, they'll appreciate a phone call ahead. Especially if you're staying overnight. That said, I've had to land and overnight due to weather, and the fbo was stellar, no problem at all.

The desk staff is a great resource.... they know the local area and can point you to great food or whatever you need. If you need a rental car, they can generally arrange to have it waiting for you cheaper than you could do it yourself. They usually have a preferred rate with hotels as well, just ask. I've had good luck with even tiny fbo's with ss fuel.

Sometimes it's worth paying an extra $1/gal at a bigger field or at the better fbo on the same field. Aopa, foreflight, and airnav have reviews that can be helpful to decide.

All in all, my ga travel experience has been absolutely wonderful. I've felt extremely welcome in every fbo I've used, even signature at o'hare. Just be friendly and telling them to "top it off" doesn't hurt either...
 
Like others, unless it is one I've used before, if I expect any service more than fuel and perhaps a tie-down while I use the restroom or eat at an on-airport restaurant, I contact them in advance.
 
gacoon said:
Most of the time when I go to a new fbo, I give them a call, get prices, etc, ask about any special procedures. They ask about what time you,ll show then we say see you then. Call em first, prevents surprises, maybe expensive ones.
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This^^^

Flight Plan Go, Foreflight, etc have FBO contact information for airports, and it's never a bad idea to use that information to call ahead and see what's available. You can also usually use those applications to get current fuel prices. Locally you'll find a .60 cents per gallon difference with 100 LL at airports 15 miles apart. If both are on/close to your route it's worth the time to check.

Also call about the details. For example, some airports/FBOs will waive over night time down fees with some minimum level fuel purchase, others will not, and still other have no tie down fees at all for itinerant aircraft.

Details matter, even of they don't mention them so *ask*. The first time I flew in to a small airport, the only FBO at the airport had much less expensive gas than the nearby regional airport and advised they had no tie down fees for itinerant aircraft. However, they failed to mention that was for the tie downs in the grass. They charged $25 per night (back when $25 was worth about $50) for a tie down on the ramp, with or without a fuel purchase. I found out when they mailed me a $75 bill. I also discovered on a subsequent flight that after any significant rain, the tie down area in the grass would be very soft under and inch or two of standing water. It made perfect sense from a semi bait and switch perspective.

On every future trip I called ahead and asked very specific questions about the condition of the grass tie tie down area - and looked at the forecast. If rain was a factor I just flew into a nearby larger regional airport. The more expensive fuel at the regional airport was offset by the free overnight tie downs on their concrete ramp with a minimum fuel purchase.
 
You didn't say how rich you are because at airports that have the only bizjet FBOs (like Signature) you probably don't even want to land there. I know I won't. For info you can look up FBOs using AIRNAV.COM and call by phone but usually there is not any problem: if a tower it can guide you, if unicom they will guide you otherwise look for a sign or just park. Many small airports don't even have real FBOs. Also AIRNAV can give you fuel prices which can vary enormously.
 
Sergio Gutierrez said:
Hey you guys, hopefully I am not in the wrong section but I just recently obtained my PPL and have a bunch of plans to fly with family and a couple of friends out to different places. However throughout the training they never really teach you or show you how to use and communicate with FBO.

My question is when flying to another airport, how do I get a parking spot for my plane. Do I have to call them in advance over the phone and lets say reserve a spot or do I just call them up on UNICOM and let them know I am coming in and they will guide me to a open spot? I tried scouring the internet for answers but come up with nothing. Thanks everybody!
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It is mysterious at first but it will clear up as you go. Lot’s of good information above but here’s some random reinforcement.
- There’s no standard way to communicate with them. I usually don’t call ahead unless I need their help with a rental car (every sizeable FBO can get you a room on zero notice unless there are 3 major league events on that day and even then they’ll help, maybe even have a free ticket or 3)!
- I always get topped off. Now a days that almost always gets rid of a service fee.
- Do be careful at remote and small places that may be closed or out of fuel.
- Don’t avoid big jetports with coffee bars and lounges. The may charge a bit more and the fuel may be expensive but do you stay in Motel 6? Remember the jet traffic is paying the toll, you are just fluff which leads me to the last thing...
- I occasionally still like to play the game of getting no charge or reduced charge on a convenience or pickup stop at some big jetport simply by not calling ahead, parking out of the way of the front door, chatting up the front desk, being nice to everyone and just going about my biz. The front desk doesn’t want any extra paperwork, they love to pass on a freebie to a nice guy or couple and if you need some special service like a terminal pickup or crew car, remember to tip. Works more often than you’d think but you can’t get upset at a $25-$35 handling charge if you didn’t buy any fuel and their front desk procedure is tight.

Just do it. Flying is all about being able to go where you want, when you want and to change your mind. The system is setup to handle all that. Be nice whether it all works perfectly or even when a ball is dropped. Lots of pilots and passengers can be type A A-holes.


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gacoon said:
Most of the time when I go to a new fbo, I give them a call, get prices, etc, ask about any special procedures. They ask about what time you,ll show then we say see you then. Call em first, prevents surprises, maybe expensive ones.
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And sometimes, you get additional upgraded service at no cost because they know when you are arriving. And if you are doing a compassion flight (PnP or Angel Flight), the fuel discount is already associated with your tail #.
 
PlasticCigar said:
If you need a tie down or services I think it’s courteous to call. They always seem to appreciate it.
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This. Call beforehand if you can. But there is nothing wrong with just taxiing right up to the ramp and watch the line guys sprinting out, pants falling down to marshal you where the they want(I was this very line guy years ago).

Now, big airports that cater to jets and airlines is another story. Absolutely call beforehand. Even then you may taxi up and nobody sees you if they're busy moving jets around. In that case, park, walk in and tell them it's ok to tow you plane. And if you get fuel from a jet FBO, triple check they understand you want avgas and not jet fuel.
 
I generally call ahead. In the Southeast, a few FBOs removed all the tie down ropes. I think this is a liability thing. I always carry straps but that is another question I like to ask.

I needed a courtesy car for two hours in Alabama Friday. I called ahead, explained why and what I needed. They held the car for me and had the keys and form sitting out when I arrived.
 
TheFB said:
.../
/... In the Southeast, a few FBOs removed all the tie down ropes. I think this is a liability thing. I always carry straps but that is another question I like to ask.
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When I started flying in the Wyoming, Montana, Dakotas area, I rarely saw tie downs on the ramp in front of an FBO, and if I did, the odds were high that if they looked to be in good condition, they belonged to another pilot and if they did not, they alwyas looked weathered enough that I'd never trust them enough to use them. The average wind speed for most airports in western South Dakota is around 25 mph. That's the average, which means about half the time it's higher.

Tying down the aircraft was covered in detail on my very first flight lesson. Carrying tie down ropes in the plane was reinforced well before the first solo cross country flight was made.

Here in North and South Carolina, I do see tie down ropes in front of FBOs on a fairly regular basis and they usually look less weather beaten, but average winds in the area ares still around 19 mph, so I still carry my own tie down ropes.
 
Thank you so much you guys, this alleviates a lot of the questions I had regarding FBO. I am already in the work of planning out the flights I intend to fly to. Definitely will give them a call ahead of time as I plan on staying overnight at a few!

Cheers guys! Happy flying!
 
Sergio Gutierrez said:
Thank you so much you guys, this alleviates a lot of the questions I had regarding FBO. I am already in the work of planning out the flights I intend to fly to. Definitely will give them a call ahead of time as I plan on staying overnight at a few!

Cheers guys! Happy flying!
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The other thing to know if you are staying overnight is that many FBOs have corporate preferred rates for hotels. I've been able to stay at some decent places on very short notice.
 
Snowmass said:
You didn't say how rich you are because at airports that have the only bizjet FBOs (like Signature) you probably don't even want to land there. I know I won't.
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You need to get out more. I use BizJet FBO's all the time at busy C and D airports in my 182 without issue or surprise and far from "rich".

Yeah, often more expensive than a rural uncontrolled strip but often times any gains in finding a cheaper destination to avoid fees is lost in added ground transportation costs and time.

I also call ahead to verify fees and provide an ETA (although not necessary)...that way if they are expecting you they are often listing to tower/ground and many times if they hear your tail # inbound will send lineman out to meet you for parking. Only once in a blue moon do I need to call up them on Unicom for instruction where to park
 
Larry Vrooman said:
When I started flying in the Wyoming, Montana, Dakotas area, I rarely saw tie downs on the ramp in front of an FBO, and if I did, the odds were high that if they looked to be in good condition, they belonged to another pilot and if they did not, they alwyas looked weathered enough that I'd never trust them enough to use them. The average wind speed for most airports in western South Dakota is around 25 mph. That's the average, which means about half the time it's higher.

Tying down the aircraft was covered in detail on my very first flight lesson. Carrying tie down ropes in the plane was reinforced well before the first solo cross country flight was made.

Here in North and South Carolina, I do see tie down ropes in front of FBOs on a fairly regular basis and they usually look less weather beaten, but average winds in the area ares still around 19 mph, so I still carry my own tie down ropes.
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A lot of times here in the southwest I find chains instead of ropes. Rusty chains...
 
Shawn said:
Yeah, often more expensive than a rural uncontrolled strip but often times any gains in finding a cheaper destination to avoid fees is lost in added ground transportation costs and time.
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You realize you're responding to the guy who makes his own battery chargers out of a lightbulb and some leftover baling wire, and makes his own audio panels?

Seems to me that if Signature et al were the only option for 100 miles, @Snowmass would rather land 100 miles away and hike in!
 
Going up and down the east coast every year, I have a record of the FBO,s that are good to the little guys. Also have a list of hotels close to the airport that have shuttles.
 
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