I'm new to flying and want to land at airports with restaurants. I'm renting a 172 .
Welcome! Many (most?) of us got started the exact same way.
It seems like the restaurants should be able to answer if I get charged something for parking.
It'd certainly help, but what if they said you didn't get charged something and the FBO did charge you (possibly due to a change in policy that the restaurant didn't know about)? That may be why they don't - Or it may just be that the average restaurant hostess knows nothing about airport operations (look at what you don't know, and you're a pilot!) and they simply don't know. It might be worth mentioning to the restaurant owners/managers that it'd be helpful if they'd provide their staff with that information.
I called Perfect Landings (at KAPA) and they had to call an FBO to see if I would get charged.
Give them a little credit for doing that for you - And at KAPA there's several FBO's (four, IIRC, a few years ago). As I recall, we parked at TAC Air and walked over to Perfect Landing. That's one of the best airport restaurants anywhere, BTW...
It also seems like the restaurants should have some parking spaces for the little planes.
True... But most FBO's at airports that have restaurants are somewhat used to accommodating restaurant patrons somehow.
I don't know what to expect from airports and FBO's especially since my own FBO can't give me a straight answer when I present a similar question to them. I want to feel confident (if possible) that I'll know what I'm "using" compared to what they think I should pay and what kind of leg I have to stand on if I came only to spend money at the airport restaurant.
A great FBO will provide a lot of services for free in hopes that you'll come back and maybe buy something the next time, or spread the word to your friends. Sadly, that often (usually?) doesn't work - So if you get good service, be sure you buy something, lest that FBO not be there next time you go there, or start charging fees.
The next question is about FBO's and using their courtesy car. Is there some expectation they have about me purchasing fuel or getting some service? Is there a quantity that qualifies?
If you use the courtesy car, at the very least top it off. Getting some fuel in the plane too is a nice gesture. Do at least one of the two, if not both. I used to work at an airport whose "courtesy" car came with a $15 fee because of too many pilots doing neither.
What about places that are self-serve? If I bought fuel do they need to see the receipt to prove I'm worthy of borrowing their courtesy car?
Hopefully not, but in some cases you may be asked.
Do you ask them straight up how to get the courtesy car or is this where they need to see what you spend before they can answer that question?
Again, in most cases with good service you simply ask about a courtesy car and they'll provide it if able. It's up to you to return the favor and buy something. Keep the "courtesy" in courtesy car.
If I want to fly to a smaller airport and park for 4 hours and borrow their car to go to an evening sports game what would I expect them to tell me (if I wanted to borrow their car)? Do I speak to the owner to get a better response or to the staff?
You should be able to speak to anyone at an FBO and get the correct answers. Whoever picks up the phone should be able to answer your questions. If you find that you get the wrong answers and they don't take proper care of you, then it's worth talking to the owner and letting them know what happened, but you shouldn't need to do that as a matter of routine.
Now that I have a license I just don't know enough to go places because I don't want to get ripped off. I'll pay for what I owe but I don't know the unspoken rules.
Hopefully this will help - The other thing that will help is if you avoid anything named Atlantic or Signature - They are notoriously expensive, and I've never found a location that isn't. I've heard some complaints about some Million Air facilities being the same way, but that seems to be on a case by case basis - Call ahead. I've had some great experiences at Million Air - I've been to one Million Air in particular that had by far the nicest FBO facility I've ever seen, including a free room where I stayed overnight, and the cheapest fuel in the state.
But really, the only reliable way to know about these things is to call ahead. Sadly, there really doesn't seem to be a comprehensive resource for FBO fee information.
I have no idea who owns what at an airport and where I taxi to and all that other stuff besides what I had to do to learn fly a plane.
Generally, the city, county, or other government entity owns the airport, though there are quite a few exceptions - You can check in the A/FD to see if an airport is publicly or privately owned. An FBO generally pays to lease a piece of the airport to do business, and they often are leasing the entire terminal facility they're part of, though some own them as well. The FBO will own things like courtesy cars. However, there are also many cities that pay the FBO owner to act as the airport manager, and others where the city owns and operates the FBO (these are usually fairly obvious when you look them up in ForeFlight or on Airnav, as they'll be named "city of ____" instead of something that sounds like a business).
As far as where to taxi to, if you look on an airport diagram (either a full-size taxi diagram or a thumbnail) in the A/FD or ForeFlight you'll usually be able to see something that looks like a ramp (large area of pavement) - That's where you'll usually want to taxi. If there isn't a diagram, take a look for that stuff while you're still in the air as it's much easier to see than when you're on the ground. (Needless to say, only do this if you can still take care of all your flying responsibilities as well - See and avoid!)
I don't know if you call the FBO before you get there or after.
If you want to know all this info, you'd better call before. Lots of places (most) only have one FBO, and some of them charge exorbitant fees, to the point that you might want to plan on flying to a different airport. If you wait 'til you get there, it's too late.
I don't know if you bring your own ropes to tie down or not.
If you want to tie down, it's not a bad idea to bring a set with you. Many airports will provide them, but that's far from universal.
Learning to fly did not include this info.
I have a list of things that aren't in the PTS but would be very useful for private/sport pilots. I think this is gonna go on it!
