Signature Flight Support: Have you read the fine print?

I only ever allowed one FBO to tow my airplane out of my sight and I have a nice dent in the nose gear to show for it.
 
Leaving your parking brake on after leaving your airplane in the care of an FBI is a rookie mistake. Doesn't excuse the line guy from towing it without checking it first, though.
 
Palmpilot said:
Reminds me of a sign posted on the control panel of a TV station I once worked at: "Do not assume anything."
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Which cuts both ways. Don’t assume they won’t move your plane with the brakes on.
 
Its amazing how many people at Lincoln use the FBO to R&R airplanes from hangars, I almost never do.

Tying down is almost certainly a good idea in Lincoln, there is way too much jet/turbo prop traffic to risk it IMHO.
 
Rgbeard said:
On the flip-side, my wife and I got in to El Paso a couple of nights ago, and parked with Atlantic there. We didn't sign anything. I just gave them my name, tel#, fuel order, and that was that.
When we got back to our plane, I only signed a credit card receipt, as we were out the door.
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There's a self serve pump with fuel price much lower than the FBOs near the T-Hangars (north side) for those stopping at KELP. The KELP self serve is usually lower than the KDNA Dona Ana price also ...
 
Briar Rabbit said:
I will respect your opinion. And I appreciate the info from Sporty's. When I am parking and the winds are gusty I will use my parking brake to insure stability of the airframe while tying down. Should I have then removed the parking brake - ok probably. And as an A&P I am well aware of the limitations of hydraulic airplane parking brakes. Even if it is a rented ramp space I still believe if the owner secures the airplane for an 8 hour visit the FBO should not be untying and towing the airplane without the owners express permission. One of my concerns is that frequently linemen do a lousy job of tying down. They either do a terrible job with the knots, a couple of half hitches spaced a foot apart to me is not acceptable. Or they do not put enough tension on the ropes and the airplane rocks & moves in the wind. And I deplore chains which allow the airplane to move and then abruptly bang into a hard stop. So my strong preference is when I secure my bird it stays there until I return!
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Do your brakes hold for more than a few hours? Typical high wing Cessna brakes are pretty hit & miss in this regard. Hot brakes quickly lose holding power and cold brakes hold longer if set when cold but seem to bleed pressure eventually.
 
bnt83 said:
Do your brakes hold for more than a few hours? Typical high wing Cessna brakes are pretty hit & miss in this regard. Hot brakes quickly lose holding power and cold brakes hold longer if set when cold but seem to bleed pressure eventually.
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Nope. The reason I set them that day was because it was gusty and wanted it stable until I tied it down. Then did not think to take them off. Did not anticipate a line boy deciding to move my airplane for the few hours I was there.
 
Briar Rabbit said:
Nope. The reason I set them that day was because it was gusty and wanted it stable until I tied it down. Then did not think to take them off. Did not anticipate a line boy deciding to move my airplane for the few hours I was there.
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Stinson in San Antonio really watches out for pilots regarding bad weather. Thy put my Tiger in-doors years ago because of a slight THREAT of bad weather over night on day 2 of my trip and never charged. My original CFI years ago was so paranoid about a parking brake not releasing completely for take off if used at the run-up that he never allowed it's use ... I'm in a windy area - chocks and tie down have always been fine
 
I normally go places with no real FBO. Just leave me an unlocked or coded OPS building, preferable with a potty. I like cheap fuel too, no water in it either. Yeah, a car is nice at times. I do normally put some gas in it.

I’m not into parking brakes, chocks are fine.
 
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