My wife, Lois, claims our 1977 Cessna 172 is her airplane, even though my name is on the registration and I get stuck with the tiedown, insurance, and maintenance bills. For the most part, over the three years we've owned "Echo-Yankee," it's been a training and proficiency machine for her, plus a means for both of us to enjoy short day trips. With the recent addition of an Insight Strike Finder, the airplane was equipped and ready for some serious cross-country trips during the remaining summer months, usually riddled with afternoon thunderstorms. She decided her first really long trip would be to see relatives in the Midwest, some 600 nautical miles from home. I would accompany her on this odyssey. Late on a Friday afternoon, we headed west, with me in the right seat. There were storm cells off to our south during the first couple of hours, and the Strike Finder worked just as advertised.
Our first planned stop for fuel was some three hours out, at Ohio State University Airport just northwest of Columbus — a great GA facility operated by the school. Rather than leaving another three hours to fly in the morning, I convinced Lois that since she was current at night, we might proceed farther west, getting that much closer to our western Illinois destination.
Using AOPA's Aviation USA, I looked at "hours of operation" for a place to set down overnight and for a hotel either on the field or close by. We decided on Champaign, Illinois. A helpful lady at the Flightstar operations desk worked at getting us a rental car and a hotel room. It turns out that we had picked the one weekend of the year when the town was booked solid because of a football game. She worked diligently for more than 15 minutes on our behalf, in spite of several corporate arrivals and departures and numerous fuel orders. We were the smallest customer in terms of the size of both the aircraft and fuel order. We took on a grand total of 19 gallons of avgas, certainly costing Flightstar more in labor for all the service they provided us than the profit on this small fuel quantity.
Finding a room this particular night seemed somewhat futile, so we decided to make a short 20-minute flight to Decatur, Illinois, where we confirmed that the FBO was still open. Upon arrival, two linemen at Decatur Aviation quickly responded to our need for a hotel room. They made two good recommendations and followed up on them by calling for a reservation and requesting both a van and taxicab. The coffee pot was on, and the caffeine was just what I needed to keep going after a long workday followed by this flight. Decatur Aviation's two night employees provided all this personal service; and we didn't purchase a thing from them, since we had just refueled some 50 nm earlier at Champaign.
The return trip was just as uneventful as far as weather was concerned, but just as time-consuming as before because of an eastbound headwind. This time, as a proper copilot, I was determined to make advance arrangements. With a single telephone call to OSU, our planned overnight stop, a friendly employee took care of a rental car and hotel reservation at the "crew rate." We arrived there around 10:30 p.m. and welcomed the attention of a lineman who tied down the airplane and helped us with our luggage. Sure enough, the rental car was waiting, along with a map and guaranteed reservation at a comfortable nearby hotel. My total fuel purchase here: 25 gallons.
Some 13 hours of flight time later I reflected on how even those of us flying light airplanes — like Lois' 172 — strictly for pleasure depend so heavily on a network of FBOs to provide facilities, coffee, weather briefing rooms, telephones, and helpful service — in addition to selling us the small amount of fuel we require. AOPA has been well aware of the fact that it has become harder for an FBO to provide services and amenities while making a reasonable profit. Environmental regulations, insurance, and rising rents all have increased FBO costs, and FBOs are trying to recover their costs however they can. Some now require every aircraft crossing the ramp to buy a minimum amount of fuel or pay a fee to help offset the costs of providing various amenities. But a lot of general aviation pilots are steamed about the way that policy has been implemented at some large FBOs. The issue isn't whether FBOs have the right to charge enough to assure their survival. They do. The issue is what charges are reasonable for both FBO survival and customer acceptance, both of which affect general aviation's future. What is reasonable is non-predatory pricing, particularly at airports with only one FBO.
Also reasonable are realistic minimum fuel purchase requirements — at a reasonable price — for the particular aircraft involved. For example, a majority of AOPA members in a recent survey said that they would prefer purchasing the equivalent of one hour's fuel instead of paying a fee. This survey information was useful in AOPA's dialogue with Signature Flight Support. The discussions resulted in Signature's amending its policy for light aircraft at a majority of its operations. Signature will now charge a lower, fixed "fee" only to those not purchasing one hour's worth of fuel for their particular aircraft.
An important point: GA pilots need to understand that many fees are not imposed by the FBO. Landing and parking fees frequently go directly to the airport authority; the FBO is merely the collection agency.
So what's the bottom line? We as pilots should respond with understanding and appreciation for the FBOs and their situation, particularly those that offer good service and do not overcharge on fuel and fees. But if we encounter high prices or outlandish fees, we should take our business elsewhere.
Most turbine operators, who use many more of the amenities at a typical FBO than we do, plan their fuel load to allow for what they call "courtesy fuel." Most often this is in excess of 100 gallons, more than twice what our 172 will hold. Those of us who fly beyond home base might consider using this concept, whether it avoids a fee or not. "Courtesy fuel" sends a loud and clear message that we as pilots and owners understand that we're all in general aviation together and believe that fair treatment on both sides can help the industry survive.
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