A-Hole Pilot of the Day

[FlyMeSWA]

I hope you guys that flew into Norfolk today are reading this! For the rest of you, there I am in the lobby waitin for Pax when these two guys come in, in a Cirrus. They're in suits w/ briefcases and walk up to the desk. I couldnt believe my f'in ears when he said, "Yeah we're here for a few hours, got a meeting. So do ya'll have a crew car or anythin'?" "Um, yeah we do, there's a 2hr limit on it but, thats okay." I was BULL SH*T. This tool comes in, asks for the crew car for his personal business??!!! What is wrong w/ this industry??? This is got me more pissed than someone jumpseating to reposition as Crew!! There are limited cars, just as seats, and this guy had the sack to ask for it for his meeting??? How broke is this company he's working for, and if its his own company than SHAME ON HIM! If you guys are reading this, I hope your crew car broke down and you had to have your company pay for a tow and a shotty rental! Its a good thing it wasnt a signature because I'm sure they would have ran out of popcorn too!!

 

[Newman55]

What is wrong w/ this industry??? This is got me more pissed than someone jumpseating to reposition as Crew!!

What is wrong with doing that? I personally jumpseat all the time when deadheading if it saves a passenger from having to be bumped. I know ALPA says we aren't supposed to do that but its my life to live and my choice to make.

 

[FlyMeSWA]

Its not the greatest thing to do but no, its not as bad as someone that has a j/s agreement on so and so air carrier, and rides j/s after dropping off a plane or something. Or if the boss says, yeah try and ride home. Still, this guy got me livid.

 

[SDCFI]

What is wrong with doing that? I personally jumpseat all the time when deadheading if it saves a passenger from having to be bumped. I know ALPA says we aren't supposed to do that but its my life to live and my choice to make.

I think he means when the company says go to XYZ to pick up a plane, and why don't you jumpseat so we don't have to buy a ticket. Moving crews for work should be on paid tickets (with exceptions for deadheaders on company-operated flights).

 

[Aerosurfer]

What is wrong with doing that? I personally jumpseat all the time when deadheading if it saves a passenger from having to be bumped. I know ALPA says we aren't supposed to do that but its my life to live and my choice to make.

Yeah... and do you at least check to make sure there is no one else looking for that Jumpseat as their way home first or just take it as soon as you check in? Pax do pay for tickets and expect to get places, but that seat is for OUR use Not Theirs, Not the Gate agents, and certainly Not the Company's!!!

 

[dhc8fo]

, "Yeah we're here for a few hours, got a meeting. So do ya'll have a crew car or anythin'?"

How do you know that he wasn't at Landmark FOR his meeting? The Cirrus dealer is right there and people have meetings there all the time. Maybe he went out for food and came back for his meeting. Sorry, I don't buy why this particular thing burned you up, but the other thing, yes.

 

[Metro752]

Cirrus pilots in general tend to be dooshbags? Flying Doctors, Lawyers, weekend warriors.

TDTurbo anyone

 

[Waldom]

Crew cars are for pilot customers of the F.B.O., which at least one of these gentleman was.

Not all pilots fly for a pay check. The fact that you do does not mean you have a greater entitlement to that transportation than they do.

Take a deep breath; it may help you recover from your tantrum.

 

[Espalda Mojado]

I took a crew car to the beach for a whole day in Naples, FL once, they didn't care. I was flying a rental Cessna and didn't even buy gas.

 

[Waldom]

....Then there are pilots like Espalda that abuse the privilege and embarrass all of us.

Hey FlymeSWA, I think you have a new pilot of the day.

 

[PacoPollo]

Every time I go Down to LRD,MFE, I take the crew car to pick up my compadres down the border to go MILF hunting in search of greencards. So far we are zip.

 

[B1900FO]

Crew car

I hope you guys that flew into Norfolk today are reading this! For the rest of you, there I am in the lobby waitin for Pax when these two guys come in, in a Cirrus. They're in suits w/ briefcases and walk up to the desk. I couldnt believe my f'in ears when he said, "Yeah we're here for a few hours, got a meeting. So do ya'll have a crew car or anythin'?" "Um, yeah we do, there's a 2hr limit on it but, thats okay." I was BULL SH*T. This tool comes in, asks for the crew car for his personal business??!!! What is wrong w/ this industry??? This is got me more pissed than someone jumpseating to reposition as Crew!! There are limited cars, just as seats, and this guy had the sack to ask for it for his meeting??? How broke is this company he's working for, and if its his own company than SHAME ON HIM! If you guys are reading this, I hope your crew car broke down and you had to have your company pay for a tow and a shotty rental! Its a good thing it wasnt a signature because I'm sure they would have ran out of popcorn too!!

I have to agree on this one. A crew car is designed for a short jaunt to get a bite to eat or quickly drop someone off. I have seen too many guys, and even passengers of my own ask for a crew car and then have it for 4+ hours when they said they would only have it for two. I'm sorry, but a rental car expense is a tax write-off if you're a business owner. A half day rental anymore will cost 30 bucks, big whoop! I just find it rude and I too try to hurry back when I know there are other crews waiting. It's just a professional courtesy, that's all.

 

[Espalda Mojado]

I have to agree on this one. A crew car is designed for a short jaunt to get a bite to eat or quickly drop someone off. I have seen too many guys, and even passengers of my own ask for a crew car and then have it for 4+ hours when they said they would only have it for two. I'm sorry, but a rental car expense is a tax write-off if you're a business owner. A half day rental anymore will cost 30 bucks, big whoop! I just find it rude and I too try to hurry back when I know there are other crews waiting. It's just a professional courtesy, that's all.

That's their problem, if they didn't get there first. We did have a good time at the beach, lots of chicks down by the pier!

 

[JimNtexas]

I hope you guys that flew into Norfolk today are reading this! For the rest of you, there I am in the lobby waitin for Pax when these two guys come in, in a Cirrus. They're in suits w/ briefcases and walk up to the desk. I couldnt believe my f'in ears when he said, "Yeah we're here for a few hours, got a meeting. So do ya'll have a crew car or anythin'?" "Um, yeah we do, there's a 2hr limit on it but, thats okay." I was BULL SH*T. This tool comes in, asks for the crew car for his personal business??!!! ...

That's just a little over the top, don't you think? The crew car is the property of the FBO. If they choose to let someone use it for a couple of hours, what business is that of yours?

It saved the FBO's customers at least 30 to 45 minutes of rental car hassel, and made it that much more likely that these two business people will be back to drop another $250 dollars on the FBO next week.

Did your employer buy the crew car? If they didn't then your comparison to jump seats is insane.

 

[FlyMeSWA]

How is the comparison insane? Instead of using company money to get them to a company function by some means of transportation, he used a freedom thats a privelage. How is that different than scooping up a jumpseat instead of paying to repo a crew?? It doesnt matter who owns it, its a cheap way of getting around a set of standards. I've gone for a long drive too, and yes the FBO can authorize whatever they want, but thats the same as a gate agent authorizing it, they dont know what the hell is going on, and the same goes for the FBO folks...but we do because its our industry that keeps getting pulled down the tubes because of these kinds of simple principals. Its not that he had it for 2+ hrs, or if he went surfing, thats not the point. If you cant figure that out then read another thread.

 

[Espalda Mojado]

We should post a list of FBOs with crew cars. We can avoid rental car fees!

 

[JimNtexas]

"?? It doesnt matter who owns it, its a cheap way of getting around a set of standards."

The difference is that the jumpseat belongs to the captain's employer. By custom and agreement, the captain can let pilots sit in the jumpseat. The fact is that the company owns the plane, the captain works for the company. When the captain needs a ride, the hope is the captain at the other carriers will return the favor.

The crew car, on the other hand, is owned by a third party, the FBO. The FBO has it to attract customers. Those customers include the Cirrus pilots, just as they include you. There is no agreement between you or the Cirrus pilots about the car. It's the FBO's car, and he or she says who gets to drive it. period.

Can I or any other pilot, or even yourself, walk into your company headquarters and ask to borrow a company car? Even if I promise to lend you my car if you need it at my home base and I'm not using it?

I could draw a picture if they allowed images here, but since I can't post the picture, just take my word for it. You're crazy.

Edited to add: Re-reading your post you seem upset because you think that someone else would pay for the Cirrus pilot's rental car. In fact, the Cirrus pilot was probably the aircraft owner, there on the business of his own company. The Cirrus owner would have had to pay for a rental car out of his own pocket. You, on the other hand, are probably an employee of the company that owns the jet you fly. Your company pays your expenses on the road, or if they don't then you ought to strike until they do. So by your own logic the Cirrus pilot has more of a claim on the car than you do.

 

[JimNtexas]

We should post a list of FBOs with crew cars. We can avoid rental car fees!

It's been done. airnav.com

 

[check6]

:yawn:

 

[Photoflight]

so there was a pilot who needed to use the crewcar and they let him and that made you angry?

 

[AngelKing]

I wanted to agree with the original poster, but jims argument made to much sense.

AK

 

[CalifDan]

The car belongs to the FBO and they get to decide who uses it. I've used crew cars four times in the last year. The first time was at San Jose jet center and it was to get to a meeting. I went in and asked for a rental car. They asked me if I were crew or passenger. I told them that I was crew and passenger. They told me to take the crew car. The other three times were all short trips lasting less than an hour.

When I fly my Duchess, I'm crew. A post in another topic suggested that the mark-up on Jet A required purchase of 8 gallons to equal the mark-up on a gallon of 100LL. If I put in 50-80 gallons (a typical situation for me), then I'm equal in profit to the FBO as someone taking on 400-640 gallons of Jet A. Perhaps not as much as a jet, but certainly competitive with most turbo-props. I also paid $75 at San Jose jet center a few months ago just to drop off a friend and use the restroom. I was not even there for 10 minutes.

It was suggested the Cirrus pilot could write off the trip, including the car rental. How do you know this? IF he flew in from someplace close enough that driving was a viable option, he might not even be able to write off the flight, let alone the car rental. Just because one wants to write off a flight, does not mean it can be done. My flight to San Jose for business could not be legitimately written off. I could have driven it in the same amount of time and at considerably less cost. Just not nearly as much fun, and less stressful given Bay Area traffic.

You described the use of the car as a "freedom". Seems to me that you are seriously uninformed as to the reason an FBO would have a crew car and extremely self centered. If there is any - - - hole of the day, it was you.

I think the real problem is a perception you have that you somehow have rights within aviation circles that exceed those of the Cirrus Pilot, or maybe you are jealous that he can afford to fly his own aircraft. The thing to recognize is that we all equally utilize the airspace and the ground infrastructure and we need to be thoughtful about the requirements of making it work the best it can.

 

[Say Again Over]

Apparently a lot of you don't understand the position of a corporate or charter pilot, the car in my opinion is for the flight crew to go grab a bite, it isn't for the aircraft owner to use because he's too f-- lazy or cheap to rent a car. I used to fly for Coca-Cola, I can just see my boss going in to borrow the crew car, not in this life, lol. As far as the jumpseat goes, only a dip sh!t would take the J/S on a reposition.

 

[CalifDan]

Let's see....at San Jose Jet Center there is a deli (very nice one, I've had lunch there) right in the building. At Sacramento, also a place I've used a crew car, there is a very nice restaurant next door in the termrinal building. I wonder how many of the "crew" have put gas in the crew cars. I've filled a few just as a way of saying thanks.

I suppose if I were the boss at Coca Cola and being sprited around the country in a company paid jet, I would not be interested in the crew car either. So far I've heard complaints in this thread only from people who don't personally write the checks. Frankly, the boss at Coca Cola does not personnly write the checks either, and he is not the aircraft owner or crew.

The FBO has the crew car as a promotional tool to get you to come back. Sometimes that can be used for the guy who writes the checks and sometimes it will be for the crew who might have control over where the stops and refueling occurs. I never thought of asking for the crew car until I was offered one. Maybe all you "misunderstood" charter pilots should have a talk with the FBO's about your requirements.

 

[Espalda Mojado]

Yeah, like "Waaah, that damn Mexican took the crew car to the beach, again!"

 

[Say Again Over]

Well, I'm not an FBO owner, but if I was, I would take extremely good care of any corporate or charter pilot for obvious reasons.

 

[iflyabeech]

I hope you guys that flew into Norfolk today are reading this! For the rest of you, there I am in the lobby waitin for Pax when these two guys come in, in a Cirrus. They're in suits w/ briefcases and walk up to the desk. I couldnt believe my f'in ears when he said, "Yeah we're here for a few hours, got a meeting. So do ya'll have a crew car or anythin'?" "Um, yeah we do, there's a 2hr limit on it but, thats okay." I was BULL SH*T. This tool comes in, asks for the crew car for his personal business??!!! What is wrong w/ this industry??? This is got me more pissed than someone jumpseating to reposition as Crew!! There are limited cars, just as seats, and this guy had the sack to ask for it for his meeting??? How broke is this company he's working for, and if its his own company than SHAME ON HIM! If you guys are reading this, I hope your crew car broke down and you had to have your company pay for a tow and a shotty rental! Its a good thing it wasnt a signature because I'm sure they would have ran out of popcorn too!!

I think we need to call the whaaaambulance. Get over it man!

 

[B1900FO]

How is that different than scooping up a jumpseat instead of paying to repo a crew??

Do Airlines do this? The Airline I flew for paid us to dead head...and we sat in the back.

 

[FlyMeSWA]

More like charter guys that have agreements on 121 carriers, no airlines wouldnt do that to each other. I still think the idea that whether he owned the cirrus or not, if its part of a business expense (part of his trip/meeting whatever), then he should not abuse a privelage to avoid incurring another business cost of getting to his meeting or whatever it was. With that said, I still think you all had good points and make sense too but this was just my opinion.

 

[JimNtexas]

Apparently a lot of you don't understand the position of a corporate or charter pilot, the car in my opinion is for the flight crew to go grab a bite, it isn't for the aircraft owner to use because he's too f-- lazy or cheap to rent a car. I used to fly for Coca-Cola, I can just see my boss going in to borrow the crew car, not in this life, lol. As far as the jumpseat goes, only a dip sh!t would take the J/S on a reposition.

So Coca Cola can't afford to rent a car or pay for a taxi for its pilot to get lunch?

But I am an 'A-hole pilot' if I ask for the crew car when I'm spending my own money to buy gas for my own airplane while on a business trip for my small business??????!!!! WTF!??!!