A-Hole Pilot of the Day

[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: