Please Pay Attention

[ksu_aviator]

To the pilot that left Henderson NV with his fuel in my airplane...please pay attention. There is a reason most pilots and operators require a pilot present when the aircraft is being fueled. It took me 2:30 to get your fuel out of my airplane and the FBO tried to bill me for all of it. Had you, at the very least, checked your fuel gauges before you took off, we could have started the defueling process sooner and I wouldn't have been late and would have gotten to my destination before the scheduled runway closure and wouldn't have had to land 20 miles away and charter a small bus to take the 10 passengers to their cars and then repo the aircraft this morning.

BTW...what pre start checklist doesn't have some sort of check fuel item?

 

[Gulfstream 200]

Someone put fuel in your aircraft without you being there?

Your fuel panel/caps don't have locks?

Every single panel/baggage/fuel/lav door etc on our plane is locked, pretty much for security....but I guess for the above experience you had also!

Sounds like a mess.

 

[greed]

Wow what a nightmare, however you must realize that the other flight crew may have also been fueled. It is a possibility that line service fueled your plane and the other crew arrived later and asked why they did not have fuel. If a shift change occurred at the FBO the next shift may have fueled the other plane. I like to give the benefit of a doubt that no PROFESSIONAL CREW would depart without fuel. However, we all know FBO's do make many mistakes and all flight crews are not always professional.

Just my thoughts, sound like a bad experience.
Safe skies

 

[semperfido]

Dayum, bad day in Blackrock. I could tell a few stories about fuel issues. or Gear pins. or Doors. or Catering. or Wx. forget anything?

 

[ksu_aviator]

Wow what a nightmare, however you must realize that the other flight crew may have also been fueled. It is a possibility that line service fueled your plane and the other crew arrived later and asked why they did not have fuel. If a shift change occurred at the FBO the next shift may have fueled the other plane. I like to give the benefit of a doubt that no PROFESSIONAL CREW would depart without fuel. However, we all know FBO's do make many mistakes and all flight crews are not always professional.

Just my thoughts, sound like a bad experience.
Safe skies

Nope. He took off and then returned...I know this for a fact. The line was very honest about their mistake...the person that did it came right up to me and appologized and then worked to fix the situation.

I am 100% positive, the pilot departed without fuel.

 

[Gulfstream 200]

Dayum, bad day in Blackrock. I could tell a few stories about fuel issues. or Gear pins. or Doors. or Catering. or Wx. forget anything?

Gear pins. Worst invention ever.

They make me walk down the door and look under the plane at least 6X.

A funny one (well, after the fact)....a friend called back to the office enroute from Europe to the US and said one ADS was acting up here and there...he landed, pulled up to hangar....pitot cover still on the pilots side...

Also, those days prior to fuel doors not being monitored? never left one of those open!...

I guess its all bar talk until someone gets hurt or fired. lol.

 

[TimsKeeper]

fuel

You are a little out-of-line accusing another crew of wrong-doing. You may be 100% correct and that's fine..but just as likely, if not more, the other crew did nothing wrong.

Just because a mistake was made and you had a bad day is no reason to make the accusation another crew left "with out checking their fuel quantity". Sorry for your inconvenience but blame the right people...the pilot didn't fuel your aircraft the line-service personnel did. Even if the pilots were there they are there to watch their own, not yours.

 

[TimsKeeper]

departing without fuel

You posted that you saw the pilots come back just as I was typing my response.

The fact the pilots took off is a separate issue. Your problem is that the line-personnel fueled your airplane without a fuel order from you/your company. Your inconvenience is the FBO's fault, not the pilots. Although, that's a pretty crummy mistake to be made taking off imho.

 

[ksu_aviator]

You posted that you saw the pilots come back just as I was typing my response.

The fact the pilots took off is a separate issue. Your problem is that the line-personnel fueled your airplane without a fuel order from you/your company. Your inconvenience is the FBO's fault, not the pilots. Although, that's a pretty crummy mistake to be made taking off imho.

Oh there is no doubt that the FBO is mostly to blame...but, had the pilot been vigilant, a lot of the mess could have been avoided as well. There's plenty of blame for everyone.

I think it is a safe assumption that a pilot that takes off without checking his fuel gauges isn't being vigilant.

 

[Gulfstream 200]

I too am a bit confused as to blaming another pilot for fuel being placed into your airplane?

I could also care less what other people do with their planes or how much fuel they depart/land with etc, etc....its really not my business.

What I (and my boss?) care about is what happens to our plane. Blaming the FBO idiots usually does not go very far with bosses either....everyone knows these are the morons of the world who get NO access to anything on the airplane without supervision.

Sounds like you have the perfect opportunity to justify locks being installed on everything on your plane..