Help me Design a Pilot Lounge

[astropilot]

Hey guys I am in charge of designing a pilot lounge for my FBO. I would like to find out from you, what are the must-have items, those WOW items and things you would not put in there. Currently, we have the Big Screen TV, Cable DVD player, Chairs and tables. Thanks Mark

 

[tdwnds1]

Ideal Pilot Lounge

Heres what I would like to see in the IDEAL FBO pilot lounge. (I flew all over the country)

1.) Snooze rooms (if possible) in a quiet area. Landmark at MDW had great ones, so you can catch a few ZZZZ. A small twin bed and clock is all you need.

2.) DVDs, preferably free (we pilots are cheap!). If you can get current movies, thats great. BLU-RAY with and HD Flat screen is awesome!

3.) Wireless internet of course! (Also free!) (Gotta use the laptop to communicate with the MRS. pay bills, get on FLTPLAN.com, etc.

4.) Some type of video game console (pilots are big kids too). Wii is fun, X-box or PS3 better. Keeps you entertained.

5.) Comfortable lounge chairs with cup holders. I prefer cloth because they dont get cold with the air conditioning, but many are leather because they are easy to clean. Multiple ones in either staggard or semi-circle for easy TV viewing.

6.) Private bathroom for the pilots (shower optional) in the Pilots Lounge area.

7.) Books, preferable aviation books and PLEASE current magazines (such as Aviation Week, Business Aviation, etc.) Sometimes you just want to read.

8.) Flat table with chairs to eat, put your laptop on, etc. Signature MIA has a small one in their lounge and it works great. You can eat in peace and quiet.

I guess thats pretty much it. If I think of anything else Ill let you know.

 

[Masterplan]

Hot flirtatious women.....everywhere.

 

[TundraT]

A coat rack

 

[semperfido]

Keurig Single cup coffee maker with large selection of coffee and tea K-cups.

 

[siucavflight]

Keurig Single cup coffee maker with large selection of coffee and tea K-cups.

Excellent suggestion, the Keurig is a must have, and pretty cheap really, I much prefer the Keurig over the Flavia which I think is disgusting.

 

[amaineiac]

What part of the country are you located in? I'm sure if you tell us that, we can suggest some good FBO's in your area and you can take a look at them and get some ideas. There are some great ones out there.

Along with what other have mentioned:

Popcorn machine

Crew car(s) with a list of places to eat

Keep it clean. I know this is hard to do since some guys are real slobs, but this is a big one for me.

Good luck.

 

[CWGrizwald]

1.) Snooze rooms (if possible) in a quiet area. Landmark at MDW had great ones, so you can catch a few ZZZZ. A small twin bed and clock is all you need.


If my former company knew there was free bed available, they'd stop paying for hotel rooms!

 

[Len]

A shower is definitely a plus. You can go for a jog or if you are lucky enough to pack the bike on some trips like me then you can get cleaned up for the trip home. Other than that, I'm happy with enough recliners to go around, wireless internet and a TV.

 

[DrProc]

Forget couches and any type of chair that doesn't recline. La-z-boy recliners are the only way to go. Who ever designed the pilot lounge at Jet Aviation TEB should be shot.

 

[siouxicide]

7.) Books, preferable aviation books and PLEASE current magazines (such as Aviation Week, Business Aviation, etc.) Sometimes you just want to read.

How about something, ANYTHING, other than aviation magazines and those Elite, Stratos, Robb Report, and everything-I-can't-afford magazines? Car and Driver, ESPN, Newsweek, etc., would be good.

And a gaming console....if it's a busy FBO you're going to piss off a lot of pilots unless you devoted a room for it.

 

[Brett Hull]

Massage Chairs

 

[BoilerUP]

Pretty much copy Atlantic MDW and add a Starbucks machine in there, and it'd be the best!

Having a WSI machine and at least one computer with a printer THAT ACTUALLY WORK MOST OF THE TIME is important, too.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

A few nice Chess sets.

(I'll show him!!!)

 

[rondo]

Air freshener. Those rooms can get funky.

 

[sydeseet]

An appropriately staffed brass pole. You'd corner the market in one week.imp:

A closed circuit television that allows the us to see the front door as well as the ramp.

Lighting that allows for reading but doesn't keep everyone else awake.

A few desks with room to spread out.

 

[jaxpilot]

Look at Falcontrust Air KTMB www.falcontrustair.com Very nice...

 

[puddlejumper]

I'm surprised how few pilot lounges have coat racks. Just a few hooks on the wall or back of a door would be fine.

 

[puddlejumper]

Oh yeah, and we need those over-sized Elite magazines to use as a laptop desk, or I suppose you could be like Hampton Inns and stock the lounge with a few of those too.

 

[phr8dawg]

Mongo want Man-cave, catered by Hooters.

 

[landlover]

an exercise room, but with real free weights. not a broken treadmill.

 

[PilotKitch]

Showers are very nice, especially if you have nearby golf courses so we can wash up after a round on a day trip. Pilots love free stuff, doesn't matter what it is, cookies, popcorn, pens, mouse pads, etc. Be careful though most of them will take anything not nailed down. Meridian at TEB is great, computers that print, movie room, snooze rooms, and a gym with showers.

 

[jasonwb]

gotta have the Otis Spunkmeyer cookie baker.
i know guys who will pick FBO's for their cookies......
i personally like the cookies, but the most important things are comfortable lazy boy recliners, good selection of TV channels, snooze rooms, and showers if possible.....
......Addison Express at ADS, which i think is now First Air(havent been there in a couple of years) had a pool table...great way to kill a couple of hours....

Good Luck!

 

[75 Driver]

A Separate Room for Netjets

Who can stand their constant bitching, and not to forget of course two Netjet nerds screaming at the top of their lungs about the bible and how they are intimately familiar with God. I need a place to relax and these guys just do not get it.:smash:

 

[peter185]

Southwest Air Services at Ellington Field has the best pilots lounge bar none, the only problem is that its for military pilots and you need a code to access the area.

 

[CA1900]

75 Driver needs a hug. :laugh: Sorry you had to see our 5%.


Take a look at the Scottsdale Air Center for an excellent place to start. It's one of my favorite FBOs, without question. Some perks of its crew lounge:

• Completely separate from the noisy FBO desk and from the passenger waiting area. That's huge. Having every seat in a pilot lounge taken by passengers is a real peeve.
  
• Has a crew bathroom (with shower), a separate excellent kitchen with full-size fridge, high-powered microwave, a soda fountain, and Keurig coffee machine.
• A separate computer area next to the lounge, with a couple WSI machines and a couple of regular internet computers.
• Wifi, of course. FBOs should all have it.
• Several sets of tables and chairs for eating lunch, working, or whatever.
  

Things I'd like to see more often:

• Real cream for the coffee. Mini-Moos (no refrigeration needed) will work, but for heaven's sake, keep that Coffee Mate (liquid or powder) far away from the coffee. Corn syrup was never meant to be in coffee.
  ​
• Coat rack, as others have said. One with individual hangers is best.
• Second microwave; they're cheap!
  
• More power outlets for charging laptops and cellphones throughout the room.
• Little rooms with doors for people to make phone calls. And a baseball bat for the guys who make calls the middle of the lounge.
  
• A laser printer that can be used on the wireless network. Lots of folks use fltplan.com and are at the mercy of an FBO computer. If we could print directly from a laptop, it'd be a big help. If not on the wireless, than one with a free USB connector would work. Make sure it's a laser, not an inkjet. It's a little more money initially, but will save a ton of money on ink versus an inkjet, and is not prone to clogging.
  
• Screen hooked up to a camera, to watch the front door of the FBO for passengers coming in. Some FBOs have this in the lounge, and it's very handy. MillionAir in ADS has one that looks straight down on the girls at the desk; that works too.
  

And please put in a TV that doesn't get Fox News or MSNBC.

 

[ksu_aviator]

If you want to go for the whiz-bang-wow, look into the sports bar tv set-up. Nothing is worse than walking into a pilot's lounge and some one is watching the history of watches....and it is a marathon...and his passengers won't be there for 5 hours.

3 or 4 tvs, with individual speakers at each chair would be great.

http://www.museumspeakers.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72&Itemid=82

Home theater seating in leather chairs (I prefer cloth until you walk into a lounge with a chair and 5 pounds of grime are stuck to the chair and you aren't sure if it was once blue or green).

At least one round table for eating lunch and/or updating charts.

A closed circuit television trained on the front door.

Wireless and convenient outlets are very helpful too.

And no where near the line...in fact...put it as far away from the line as possible. Some places miss the point in putting the crew room where the ramp noise is virtually as loud as the ramp itself. The point is to relax.

Quiet rooms are an absolute must, but I prefer chairs over beds...it is probably irrational, but I'd rather sit in a chair after someone then lay in a bed after someone.

 

[BoilerUP]

And please put in a TV that doesn't get Fox News or MSNBC.

Or those schmucks that do Fast Money on CNBC...

 

[semperfido]

gotta have the Otis Spunkmeyer cookie baker.
.[[/I]

forget the popcorn and cookie makers. you really want to get fat and out of shape? just look around at pilots that eat that crap.

 

[LR60BOY]

Pay a visit to Houston Sugarland. KSGR