Houston Hobby FBO

[capt601]

Has anyone used Fletcher FBO at Houston Hobby? They have great contract fuel prices, but we have never been there yet.

thanks

 

[bigD]

I was just there a couple of weeks ago. Great facility, and even though I was in a light twin, was treated very very well. Supposedly they're under new management, and as such they're going out of their way to please people. I don't have anything negative to say about them.

 

[capt601]

Thanks BigD!

How is the facility and ramp space? Is it new and is the ramp space big enough for a Challenger?

thanks,

capt601

 

[bigD]

The facility seemed pretty new, and looked nice to me. While I was there, I saw a couple of Citations and a Lear parked on the ramp. Nothing as big as a Challenger, but the ramp certainly seemed big enough for one.

Of course, give them a call and find out for sure - I don't want to be telling you bad information!

 

[Rick1128]

The facility is not new or under new management. They are starting to get their act together. I used to be based there and my employer left after issues about the hangers. They tend to have a large turnover of line people.

The ramp is not super large but will handle a GV. But it can be tight. But the fuel prices are good. If you have people meeting your folks, the flight school lobby does not make a good impression. The transit lobby is difficult to get to.

 

[bigD]

Rick - how long ago were you there? The facility seemed pretty nice to me - maybe they overhauled it a bit. The desk person was the one who told me they were under new management - perhaps he was wrong?

 

[Rick1128]

I was there last month and May Bell still had an office there. There are actually three lobbies. The one off the road is the general entry. Just about everyone has to go through there. Small and narrow. Not a real good impression. From there you walk across the hanger to the flight school lobby. Not bad, but if you are flying a Challenger, it doesn't make a good impression on your people. And across the ramp is the transit lobby. It is actually very nice. Not real big, but generally large enough most of the time. If your folks are met at the aircraft or the transit lobby. It works out reasonably nice. The flight school lobby is, if I have been told correctly, the original Houston Beechcraft hanger and it is showing it's age.

May Bell, David and Ralph are nice folks and I never had any problems with them. My previous employer had issues with the hangers leaking and putting large rust stains on his aircraft. Part time line personnel that you never seemed to be able to reach after about 10PM. It sounds like they may have gotten some of this straightened out. I hope they have. Fletchers has been part of Hobby since right after WWII. But the last time I was there most of the line personnel seemed very young.

 

[100-1/2]

You forgot to mention...

They (used to) have a "recreation/snooze area" around the back of the same hangar with the tricked out lobby and conference room. 100+ degrees in the summer. Lavatory from Mexico, un-level pool table, cramped and musty "snooze" room and all the Centipede (original arcade machine) you can stand. Oh yeah, a TV with about 5 channels if you get "checked-out" on the rabbit ear operation.

Cramped ramp space with heavy helicopter operations and limited access to runways and taxi-ways depending on Flow. Go to one of the other FBO's if you can. They have better access to roads around the airport (for your pax) and taxiways/runways (for ingress/egress for the aircraft). I also noticed ATC-Ground tends to ignore the Fletcher FBO traffic during peak traffic times and opt to handle other aiport traffic first. Nothing personal against them. I would probably do the same in their shoes.

The best part about the FBO is you can have food delivered from the Texas CheeseCake Factory. Best angus beef burgers you will find anywhere. Huge, with Beer battered onion rings and a large piece of Home-made cheesecake. You and your FO can eat well for under $20 and have leftovers for the long flight back to civilization and they take AMEX. Update/upgrade your life insurance prior to taking the crew car. No brakes, No shocks, No a/c, No tread, Lousy steering, barely starts and there is really nowhere to go except downtown where the traffic sucks until after 8pm and you don't want to leave the airport property after dark anywho!

sorry, not one of my favorite fbo's. I'll take an overnight/weekend in Fargo during February before I ever go to Fletcher-HOU, again.

100-1/2

 

[DitchDriver]

Re: You forgot to mention...

Lavatory from Mexico, un-level pool table, cramped and musty "snooze" room and all the Centipede (original arcade machine) you can stand. Oh yeah, a TV with about 5 channels if you get "checked-out" on the rabbit ear operation.
100-1/2

How could you forget that collection of National Geographic? Is it still there?

 

[LJDRVR]

NO CONTEST

MillionAir Hobby is very nice these days. They just remodeled. Internet access, nice lounge, jaguar crew cars, (2 of em') pretty girls, good road access for your PAX. All the free fountain drinks you can consume, and their line staff is some of the best I've ever encountered. The Fletcher's are good folks, but their FBO is simply not in the same league.

 

[FlyingSig]

Enterprise has the nicest staff, fastest linemen, and overall best service (not to mention cheaper good fuel prices). Unfortunatly, we're stuck at Raytheon for the time being.

 

[chuychanga]

We fly frieght into Fletcher's. The description of their lobbies is accurate. One is a flight school lobby and a little trashy for corporate customers, the other is nicer but small. I've never seen the third one.

I've used their crew cars twice in the last couple of months. One was a late model Grand Am, the other was some kind of late model Chevy, maybe a Malibu. Both were about as nice as can be expected for a crew car.

Mama Ninfa's is about a five minute drive away at Monroe and I-45. Great Tex-Mex. Supposedly the first restaurant to serve fajitas in Texas.

 

[wingnutt]

sounds about right...

...watch your fuel order careful, theyve been known to "accidentally" top it off when you order less than 1,000#

...and the transient lobby is the way to go. but if your in anything less than a jet, expect to get chased out and sent over to the afore mentioned "centipede" lobby with all the other freight hauling "riff-raff"

 

[350DRIVER]

Go to Million Air, they are much more "professional" and it is a much nicer facility.

3 5 0

 

[aroundtheblock]

I'm based at Enterprise, and though I don't know the the fuel price @ Fletcher, Enterprise is hard to beat. I have to agree with FlyingSid. The line crew, maintenance and receptionists are the best. Millionair's lobby is a little nicer but you pay for it in fuel price. I used to fly into there and the price is at least $.50/gal more, their ramp is extremely tight and small and parking is minimal. Plus the owner has a terrible reputation. If it were me and I was coming into HOU alot, I'd try a couple of different ones and see which one you like the best.

Good luck.