Readers have responded to the January article in AOPA Pilot with a list of airports in 20 states and the Virgin Islands that give away neat things. You’ve heard of the $100 hamburger, now meet the $100 free lunch. You still have to fly to Lebanon, Mo., or Pecos, Texas, but once there, lunch is free.
Here’s the list. We’ll update it as needed.
FBO Freebies List
Alabama
Gulf Shores, KJKA
Gulf Air Center, Jack Edwards Airport, free T-shirts, hats, glass mug, or cooler with 100 gallon purchase. Water bottles, plastic glasses, key chains, playing cards, and bottle openers with 50 gallons.
Arizona
Lake Havasu City, KHII
Desert Skies Executive Air, Lake Havasu City Airport, free slush drinks in two flavors (machine is broken at the moment), coffee, bottled water. Waldo’s Barbeque next door gives restaurant discounts to pilots.
Yuma, KNYL
Million Air Yuma, Yuma MCAS/Yuma International, free soda, bottled water, coffee, tea, and a $1 meal at the in-house Jet-a-way Café restaurant. The “Million Air Buck” is given to crew only, but a Cessna 172 owner can claim anyone sitting up front as the co-pilot. Those in the back must pay. (The crew car is a BMW.)
California
Boonville, D83
T-shirt for sale from Boonville resident Kirk Wilder that reads, “The place to go; Boonville Airport,” and a picture of the airport outhouse. It was due for renovation at last report. E-mail Wilder at kewcbw@gmail to order and for pricing information.
South Lake Tahoe, KTVL
Mountain West Aviation, Lake Tahoe Airport, free tea, coffee, pretzels, soda, squares of chocolate with caramel inside, bottled water. With a 500-gallon purchase of jet fuel, you get $50 in cash, or with 1,000 gallons, you get $100.
Colorado
Grand Junction, KGJT
West Star Aviation, Walker Field Airport, one-half-pound of Enstrom’s Almond Toffee.
Pueblo, KPUB
Flower Aviation, Pueblo Memorial Airport, one steak per 100 gallons, wine or beer when making a unicom call asking for a “quick spin” or “quick turnaround,” homemade cookies.
Telluride, KTEX
Telluride Regional Airport sells high-quality T-shirts that read, “Some Fly at 9,070 feet. We Land.” There is also a poster, “The Best Pilots Land in Telluride.” In addition, there are free cookies, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.
Florida
Boca Raton, KBCT
Signature Flight Support, Boca Raton Airport, warm muffins every morning, coffee and warm cookies. (This used to be Avitat. Same friendly people, same free stuff.)
Fort Lauderdale, KFLL
Jetscape Services, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International, free slush drinks, coffee, and cookies.
Fort Myers, KFMY
Base Ops, Page Field, customer appreciation day every Friday with free hotdogs, soda, chips, and cookies.
West Palm Beach, KPBI
Jet Aviation Palm Beach, Palm Beach International, free ice cream including cones, sandwiches, and strawberry-shortcake ice cream on a stick.
Georgia
Moultrie, KMGR
Eagles of America, Moultrie Municipal Airport, free chocolate cookies every day, hotdogs on Saturday.
Waycross, KAYS
Waycross-Ware County Airport (also the name of the FBO). If you come during Sun `n Fun, you will get free barbecue, chips, and sweet tea. If you come on any Saturday or Sunday when local pilots meet, you will get free cake and ice cream, and during winter, free hot chocolate. See the antique Coke machine (but sodas are not free).
Kansas
Goodland, KGLD
Butterfly Aviation, Goodland Municipal Airport, bag with several pieces of candy.
Salina, KSLN
Flower Aviation, Salina Municipal, one steak per 100 gallons, wine or beer with unicom call for “spin” or “quick turnaround,” and homemade cookies. (America Jet, another Salina FBO, has bacon-wrapped steak fillets that are flash frozen at the local meat market—they can be exchanged for wine or T-shirts. The company also has iced tea, lemonade, coffee, candy, and fresh-baked cookies.)
Michigan
Clare, 48D
City of Clare, Clare Municipal. Dick Acker has winter freebies and summer freebies. In summer, you’ll find free ice cream sundaes, chocolate malts, and ice-cream cones. In winter, you call on unicom and tell him how many “souls” are on board, and he heats up chocolate chip cookies in the oven, and then puts a little ice cream on them. Either season, you have access to windscreen cleaner, coffee, and a tool kit for emergency repairs. Acker and his wife fly around the country in their Cessna 120, getting ideas for FBO service.
Mississippi
Meridian, KMEI
Meridian Aviation, Kay Field, free hotdogs, waffles (that’s a first for this list), Starbuck’s coffee machine, and soft-serve ice cream. The ice cream machine is changed out three times a week, so the flavor varies depending on the day you are there.
Missouri
Lebanon, KLBO
Lebanon Aviation Service, Floyd W. Jones Lebanon Airport, free home-cooked meal every single day. They used to have cold cuts for sandwiches, and thought, why not just cook a meal? The new terminal has a kitchen, and they have a woman making fresh pie. On the day this was written it was ham-and-beans day, and Fridays are fried-chicken day. They hope you’ll buy fuel. (Hint: Buy some fuel. This is a deal!)
New Mexico
Roswell, KROW
Roswell International Air Center, Greater Southwest Aviation, sells a T-shirt that says, “I Beat the Widow Maker.” Refers to a very difficult instrument approach.
Santa Fe, KSAF
Santa Fe Air Center, Santa Fe Municipal, coffee machine that makes free cappuccino in three flavors—hazelnut, vanilla, and Irish cream—plus cocoa.
New York
White Plains, KHPN
Panorama Flight Service, Westchester County Airport, Cheesecake Aly cheesecake in second floor refrigerator. Cookies early in the week. Made by FBO manager’s wife.
Ohio
Columbus, KCMH
Land Aviation, Port Columbus International, free and warm Otis Spunkmeyer cookies, coffee, iced tea, and bottled water. The crew car is a 2011 Chrysler 300. (Used to be a Jag.)
Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, KCXY
CXY Aviation, Capitol City Airport, Hershey bars.
South Carolina
Beaufort, KARW
Beaufort County Airport sells a T-shirt that says, “Frogmore Intra-national Airport; Just a Hop, Skip, and Jump From Anywhere.” Cool picture of a frog on a biplane.
Columbia, KCAE
Eagle Aviation, Columbia Metropolitan Airport, jams and jellies, salad dressing, or hot sauce with $50 purchase. Rule loosely enforced.
Hilton Head, KHXD
Signature Flight Support, Hilton Head Airport, free Starbucks coffee, free Otis Spunkmeyer muffins in the morning, and warm cookies throughout the day.
Walterboro, KRBW
Lowcountry Regional Airport, free hot dogs, chili, chips, and drinks in the days before, during, and after Sun ‘n Fun. Free bottled water year-round.
Tennessee
Mountain City, 6A4
Doe Mountain Aviation, Johnson County Airport, one-half-pound bag of gourmet roasted coffee with fuel purchase. It is named Doe Mountain Morning in honor of the FBO. If you don’t buy fuel, a half-pound bag is $6.50. It is also served free by the cup, but donations are accepted. (Most people grab the coffee and run. Don’t be like most people.) The coffee is reported to be “a notch above Starbucks.” (Cookies, too.) Bob and Cindy Johnson are both pilots and run the airport and FBO.
Texas
Denton, KDTO
U.S. Aviation, Denton Municipal, free snack bar with sodas, coffee, cookies, and hot chocolate. Fancy pilot shop sells apparel featuring U.S. Aviation logo, handmade jewelry by a local artist, and Serengeti sunglasses.
Houston, KDWH
Gill Aviation, David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport, with a 200-gallon purchase get $1 T-shirts and a free meal. Deals for military pilots, too.
Pecos, KPEQ
Pecos Air Center, Pecos Airport, homemade burritos from a nice cook down the road. Three enthusiastic sources indicate they are “awesome.”
Vermont
Burlington, KBTV
Heritage Aviation, Burlington International, free maple syrup and brownies. They hand them out with fuel purchases, and sometimes they just hand them out. But a fuel purchase would be nice.
Virgin Islands
Christiansted, TISX
Bohlke International Airways, Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, a kit containing a flask of Cruzan Rum, a tourist guide, notepad, highlighter, and a comb!
Virginia
Gordonsville, KGVE
Gordonsville Municipal, free food most weekends, especially if the volunteer cook happens to be home. Or Skip, the flight instructor, might cook something. There has been barbecue in the past, pasta, pretty much anything.
West Virginia
Charleston, KCRW
Executive Air Terminal, Yeager Airport, get a steak with a 200 gallon purchase or one bottle of wine; $50 gift certificate at Walmart, Target, or Lowe’s with 500 gallons. Fuel purchases can be totaled over time to win awards. Save the receipts! Get them initialed!
