The FBO is watching your flight?

Pi1otguy

Pi1otguy

Pattern Altitude
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Fontana, CA
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Fox McCloud
Yesterday I learned that the FBO is watching us. I was west of 29 Palms (TNP) trying to return but the Banning Pass was looking marginal at best. Like the kind of marginal where you'd have to wonder if a town is densely populated while dodging windmills.

I'm 20 minutes from the pass considering my options when I get a text.
"It's K.... from (FBO). The Banning pass doesn't look good for VFR"
K wasn't wrong but it was obvious from the context they knew exactly where I was and the options I was weighing.

Now that we all have ADBS, are our FBOs and/or CFIs watching our flights in near real time?
 
I guess I'd find that pretty normal if you were in an FBO 'plane. Much less so if you were not, unless you're mates with them.
 
Pi1otguy said:
Yesterday I learned that the FBO is watching us. I was west of 29 Palms (TNP) trying to return but the Banning Pass was looking marginal at best. Like the kind of marginal where you'd have to wonder if a town is densely populated while dodging windmills.

I'm 20 minutes from the pass considering my options when I get a text.
"It's K.... from (FBO). The Banning pass doesn't look good for VFR"
K wasn't wrong but it was obvious from the context they knew exactly where I was and the options I was weighing.

Now that we all have ADBS, are our FBOs and/or CFIs watching our flights in near real time?
Click to expand...
Have they fixed the AWOS at Banning airport yet?
 
At one FBO, cannot remember where, they had a map of all the planes locations flying to them that day. I thought if was pretty cool. I think they had my rental car all ready to go on the tarmac.
 
When I did my solo XC for Sport Pilot, my CFI watched my whole flight on FlightAware. I had to alter my return leg to avoid some weather and he and I talked about it when I got down. He'd seen the rain showers and watched me deviate north to avoid them. He was pleased to see how I'd handled it and adjusted, but I suspect that if I hadn't he would have been on the radio advising me.
 
The FBO didn't track planes with ADS-B, but the CTAF was always on, and sometimes, they'd call you up and ask about the weather, or if you were coming in for a full-stop and other stuff.

I discovered my CFI tracked the plane, though, because once after I went down to the airport to practice some landings and some airwork, she texted me and complimented me on my air and pattern work.
 
So, am I weird that I still call FBOs up on ASRI or UNICOM when I’m 15 out?
 
Pi1otguy said:
Yesterday I learned that the FBO is watching us. I was west of 29 Palms (TNP) trying to return but the Banning Pass was looking marginal at best. Like the kind of marginal where you'd have to wonder if a town is densely populated while dodging windmills.

I'm 20 minutes from the pass considering my options when I get a text.
"It's K.... from (FBO). The Banning pass doesn't look good for VFR"
K wasn't wrong but it was obvious from the context they knew exactly where I was and the options I was weighing.

Now that we all have ADBS, are our FBOs and/or CFIs watching our flights in near real time?
Click to expand...
How’d they get your cell phone number?
 
Kelvin said:
Flightaware has given them the ability for decades...
Click to expand...

I had to look this up. Apparently Flightaware has been around since 2005. Not quite "decades" but clearly a long time. The amount of information on the site in the early days pales in comparison to what it provides now, post 2020 ADSB mandate.
 
I've seen a few FBOs that had put flightaware up on a big screen TV in their lobby so it showed arrivals airline style.
 
I monitor my students & renters all the time. The FBO owns the airplanes & if they're student pilots I'm responsible while they're flying supervised solo. We've had couple of sketchy renters that would shut the ADSB off so they lost their rental privileges. We believe one of them was shooting coyotes from our Grumman. He shut off the ADSB & later we found empty .223 brass in the cockpit.
 
So if they send a text that says don’t come back here due to WX, divert to XYZ and you crash and die, was this a good thing? Sounds like a law suit waiting to happen.
 
You should definitely monitor your students, takes not much time to turn on flightaware on a computer. Didn’t realize FBOs did though, I find they are often surprised of my arrival even when I called in advance.
 
cowman said:
I've seen a few FBOs that had put flightaware up on a big screen TV in their lobby so it showed arrivals airline style.
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Not Flightaware, but our FBO has a large screen of real time arrivals and departures.

My favorite FBO call is the pilot doing pattern work. FBO comes in the radio. "N1234X. Think you better land. The FAA called. They want to talk with you." We were at the edge of a 2016 presidential campaign TFR.
 
Pi1otguy said:
What other number is there? Do people still have land lines?
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Yes, but most people don't have land lines with them in the airplane.

But how did they know who YOU were, and how did they get YOUR phone number?
 
JOhnH said:
But how did they know who YOU were, and how did they get YOUR phone number?
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Presumably he's a customer of the FBO.

Wow, to think I survived my [pre adsb, pre flight aware, pre cellphone] student XCs with my CFI knowing nothing until I returned to my home field!
 
I know our FBO uses Flightaware and ADSBexchange to track arrivals. They are extremely useful so the FBO can be prepared to service customers as they arrive, preplan parking, fueling, rental cars, etc.
 
eman1200 said:
“Someone who had my personal cell phone # was paying attention to me and looking out for my safety and best interest. what is wrong with people these days?!?!?”
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While I agree with that, I’d also submit that they aren’t seeing what I’m seeing, nor do they know what my personal minimums are for the situation (assuming what I’m doing/contemplating is legal.) “The Banning Pass doesn’t look good for VFR” sounds way too much like a “full, standard briefing” I got from Wichita FSS years ago… “It’s IFR, you can’t go.”

I’m assuming that the OP was flying a rental, and the FBO was looking out for their best interest, not his.
 
Dana said:
Presumably he's a customer of the FBO.
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Yeah, I assumed that too. I was just wondering why he didn't say that. I guess it sounds more conspiratorial if it is some random FBO.
 
Clip4 said:
So if they send a text that says don’t come back here due to WX, divert to XYZ and you crash and die, was this a good thing? Sounds like a law suit waiting to happen.
Click to expand...
Good thing nobody did that, eh?
 
MauleSkinner said:
While I agree with that, I’d also submit that they aren’t seeing what I’m seeing, nor do they know what my personal minimums are for the situation (assuming what I’m doing/contemplating is legal.) “The Banning Pass doesn’t look good for VFR” sounds way too much like a “full, standard briefing” I got from Wichita FSS years ago… “It’s IFR, you can’t go.”

I’m assuming that the OP was flying a rental, and the FBO was looking out for their best interest, not his.
Click to expand...
Seriously? "The Banning Pass doesn’t look good for VFR" sounds authoritative to you? Sounds like good information to have to me. Just another piece of the situational awareness puzzle. I think you're reading way too much into it.
 
MauleSkinner said:
While I agree with that, I’d also submit that they aren’t seeing what I’m seeing, nor do they know what my personal minimums are for the situation (assuming what I’m doing/contemplating is legal.) “The Banning Pass doesn’t look good for VFR” sounds way too much like a “full, standard briefing” I got from Wichita FSS years ago… “It’s IFR, you can’t go.”

I’m assuming that the OP was flying a rental, and the FBO was looking out for their best interest, not his.
Click to expand...

the OP was the PIC, the decision was his on what to do. the FBO was simply offering an opinion to try to help him make the best decision on what to do. FBO pirep is not regulatory.
 
eman1200 said:
FBO pirep is not regulatory.
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Quite true.

OTOH, were the plane an FBO rental, the FBO certainly can assert some ownership authority and say, “You are prohibited from taking our plane through the pass. If you choose to do, and survive, you will not be allowed to rent from us in the future and we will report your actions to your renter’s insurance company.”
:devil:

But it seems to me the FBO was merely being helpful. I would have appreciated it.
 
Salty said:
Seriously? "The Banning Pass doesn’t look good for VFR" sounds authoritative to you? Sounds like good information to have to me. Just another piece of the situational awareness puzzle. I think you're reading way too much into it.
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It says absolutely nothing useful to me.

BUT the S in ADS-B does stand for safety, I guess.
 
I earned my PPL in 2015-16. When returned from my solo long XC my instructor questioned me if I actually landed at the airports I guess since I got back so fast? I guess he wasn't watching me online?

Lately flying my own plane flightaware is missing some of my flights since I am flying so low. I like that! lol
 
Pi1otguy said:
Yesterday I learned that the FBO is watching us. I was west of 29 Palms (TNP) trying to return but the Banning Pass was looking marginal at best. Like the kind of marginal where you'd have to wonder if a town is densely populated while dodging windmills.

I'm 20 minutes from the pass considering my options when I get a text.
"It's K.... from (FBO). The Banning pass doesn't look good for VFR"
K wasn't wrong but it was obvious from the context they knew exactly where I was and the options I was weighing.

Now that we all have ADBS, are our FBOs and/or CFIs watching our flights in near real time?
Click to expand...
Just wondering, looking marginal as you were approaching or did you check weather from some source? With Banning airport AWOS still unavailable just curious if you found some alternate source of information to review?
 
FPK1 said:
Just wondering, looking marginal as you were approaching or did you check weather from some source? With Banning airport AWOS still unavailable just curious if you found some alternate source of information to review?
Click to expand...
The FBO apparently did. ;)
 
mandm said:
You should definitely monitor your students, takes not much time to turn on flightaware on a computer. Didn’t realize FBOs did though, I find they are often surprised of my arrival even when I called in advance.
Click to expand...

perhaps being selective ? they just choose to not pay attention to you? Haha
 
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