Owning an FBO?

[Espalda Mojado]

PacoPollo has the right idea. Why not find students and other time builders to work for free in exchange for a little flight time. You can even give them the airplane dry and have them pay for the gas they use.

Cheap labor = Big profits, this country runs on it!

 

[NuGuy]

Then again, in North Perry, Fla (HWO) there is another bar,MayDay's....same story. Just can't call the bar on the radio :nuts:

There's a reason for that...they went out of business a few years ago....

Nu

 

[81Horse]

My grandparents owned FBOs from the late 30s all the way into the 70s. Maintenance, hangars, tie-downs, sales, charters, rentals, instruction -- everything. They retired comfortably well off (but not rich).

Was it the Golden Age of General Aviation? No. It was the Golden Age of California Airport Real Estate. Real estate investments aside, as the old man used to say, "Aviation's a great way to make a small fortune; but you have to start with a big fortune first."

 

[CrimsonEclipse]

There's a reason for that...they went out of business a few years ago....

Nu

ACK!!

Now what will the Pines Police do on Friday nights?

CE

 

[smellthejeta]

If that were true, why don't I get premium service at all jet centers when I taxi up in my Duchess? They should be making way more money on me than on any Gulfstream, unless he can take on 64,000 gallons of fuel.

Ooops. I was smoking something when I wrote that post. Somehow I snuck in some extra zeros. Should have written 8 gallons of Jet A for a base customer per 1 gallon of retail 100LL.

 

[McNugget]

ACK!!

Now what will the Pines Police do on Friday nights?

CE

Call the COPS t.v. film crew and head on out to the Trailer Park on US27.

 

[CrimsonEclipse]

Call the COPS t.v. film crew and head on out to the Trailer Park on US27.

Good point.

CE

 

[Slice121]

Well the way I figure it, people don't have an inherent need to aviate, but they do have to get silly drunk...and hence stumble into my restaurant at 3am to eat.
:beer:

Are you opening a Waffle House?

 

[AC560]

It is fairly easy to make money running an FBO, lots of people post about about good money making FBO's on this board. Those would be the posts about asshole FBO owners and their shoddy maintainence, poor customer service, and the horrible way in which they treat their employees.

If you want to be loved running an FBO you probably won't make any money at it, but I know a couple people who I wouldn't piss on if they were on fire who have made plenty of money doing it.

 

[JediNein]

What's it like to own an FBO?

Hours of pure paperwork boredom punctuated by occasional moments of stark raving terror accented by the knowledge that one single mistake by someone else can cause the loss of the business, your ability to earn a living, and anything you might own.

Can you really make money with it as a business, if you have rentals, instruction, fuel, maybe some hangars? Are small local FBO's decent profit makers?

Having the only fuel service on the field is a good way to do it. Flight instruction and rentals give about two choices - either the dirtiest, sleaziest, and cheapest operation out there OR the absolute top end pristine highest price operation. The middle tends to not break even.

Also....on a related note, is the high price of fuel having a negative impact on general aviation & fixed base operators, since it is getting so expensive to fly?

For the middle folks, yes. For the cheap operations, a little. For the top end operations, no.

Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein

 

[MFRskyknight]

Are you opening a Waffle House?

I would... but I can't find any 94-year-old cooks with open sores and pendulum boogers, so I guess I'm going to have to settle for hot chicks and falafel.

MFR