A-Hole Pilot of the Day

[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!??!!

 

[JimNtexas]

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.

Of course you would. And I've asked for a crew car when I've arrived in my Cardinal and been turned down because they expected a jet to come in and need it.

Did I start crying and calling the jet pilots names? No, I rented, called a taxi, or walked. It's the FBO's car, not mine.

 

[blzr]

Man, What a relief, I thought I had made the news again when I read this thread title.

 

[Espalda Mojado]

Of course you would. And I've asked for a crew car when I've arrived in my Cardinal and been turned down because they expected a jet to come in and need it.

Did I start crying and calling the jet pilots names? No, I rented, called a taxi, or walked. It's the FBO's car, not mine.

Well, Jim, poop rolls downhill. When the biz-jet guy loses his big tip to the line guy, he needs to kick the next lowest thing. What's lower than a line guy (and poop) at a big FBO? The piston airplane pilots.

When we start our new network of professional pilots flying low-cost or free ferry service, we will be sure to leave the crew car headlights on so that the biz-jet crews can find it in the parking lot.

 

[PDH]

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.

Absolutely!! Trust me, you don't make a whole lot of money pumping Avgas. In my ten years experience in the FBO business, the little bug smashers made it difficult on you. When you are competing against another FBO for Jet A business, you need to really accomodate the crew. This means having a CREW CAR readily available or available within an hour. We eventually instituted a policy that if you were not back within the alotted time, you would be charged a full day's rental on that car. It worked well. Crew cars are not for business meetings, day trips, etc. They are a courtesy for transporting passengers, getting food, buying a new shirt, or for quick booty calls (fairly common). If a 172 guy needed lunch, no problem as long as he didn't go over his alotted time A lot of these bottom feeders will even call weeks ahead of time to reserve the car for the day. Get a rental car!! Our business should not suffer because you are too cheap to get a rental car for 4 hours.

 

[RichardRambone]

First come, first serve.

 

[Snakum]

I've been on both sides of this issue, and I can understand the original poster's point.

When I fly the bosses somewhere on a rental or a borrowed single, I may ask for the crew car to take them to a meeting and again to pick them up when they're done. But I don't take it and keep it for the duration because I don't feel that's why it's made available to pilots. I've had clients come and pick me up at the airport to save a rental and to spare the crew car when I was by myself for a meeting or function of some kind. I insisted on not taking the crew car for two or three hours because ...

Coming into smaller FBOs while doing the part-time thing on Barons and King Airs, often they may have only have one crew car. There've been a couple occasions already in my short 'career' where someone took the car and just kept it for a meeting or whatever, leaving us and any other transient pilots to eat out of the snack basket on the aircraft. I'm sure we can all agree that sucks beyond measure.

So, while the FBO certainly has a right to give their car to whomever they please for however long they like, it is just common courtesy for pilots to use the crew car for it's generally understood purpose, and to make other arrangements when they have a two or three-hour whatever to attend. Just common courtesy.

Unfortunately, the characterization of small business/aircraft owners as suited snobs who think the sun shines out of their azzes and that common courtesy does not apply to them, in the air or on the ground, is not to far removed from reality. I've seen way too many instances of it to not believe there's some basis of truth in the stereotype. Next time ... pee on the carpet of their Cirrus when you head out to preflight on the return trip. You'll feel better about the whole thing.

 

[Snakum]

Oh ... one more thing. When we get a crew car I've seen the Captains I fly with call around in a crowded FBO for anyone else wanting to ride along for lunch, whether it's an NJA crew or some kid on a Skyhawk (who probably just got turned down for a crew car).

Share the wealth man ... share the wealth. imp:

 

[Espalda Mojado]

I am going to open up a chain of taco stands at FBOs, nationwide. Then I can take the damn crew car to the beach in peace.

 

[Say Again Over]

Thank you PDH. :beer:

 

[Snakum]

I am going to open up a chain of taco stands at FBOs, nationwide. Then I can take the dang crew car to the beach in peace.

Dude! Hook us up at CHS! I be love'n me some tacos. :nuts:

I'm there, amigo, as long as you have boney beaner babes wif gold teefs serving. imp: