First time FBO meltdown

Robert M. Gary wrote:
Are you by chance flying out of Lincoln, CA?

Well...not any more. Yes, I *was* flying out of LHM :-( That may
change, depending on what I can find in terms of flying clubs, other
FBOs, etc.

Are you a local Robert? I seem to remember you posting about flying
in/out of Minden, NV...then again, maybe I have you confused with
someone else.


--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL, Wanna-be IA Student

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

BTIZ wrote:
So once they train a student and he has a rating.. if he is not taking
lessons towards additional ratings they won't rent to him?

Yep, after talking to one of the CFIs that's how I understand it works.


mmmm.. I thought part of the "training" marketing strategy was to build a
client renter pilot base..

As Robert mentioned (and has the FBO pegged), they're primarily a
charter outfit. They seem to do quite a bit of training but for some
reason they're not tapped into the rental market.


--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL, Wanna-be IA Student

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

It's ugly, ain't it, Jack?

We are STILL hurting in Iowa City because of what PSAir (the people who
bought Iowa City Flying Service, and then jumped ship in the middle of the
night) did to us a couple of years ago.

One day the FBO was there, the next day the building was empty. Right down
to the maps on the walls.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

I'd rather pay more
$$ an hour and know that the aircraft is better maintained, looks
cleaner, flies better and wont leave you hanging when you need it.

I usually rent the two most expensive (and newest) well-equipped 172s on the
field - one has maybe 2500 (2001+/- model year with a 'new' engine - $95/hr
plus tax) hrs TT, the 'new' one (2003 model year $105/hr plus tax) has about
500 hrsTT.

I WANT him to be profitable and keep on having such planes available. Keep me
out of those old wrecks.

Jay Honeck wrote:
It's ugly, ain't it, Jack?

Yep, sure is. Now, LHM has no rental business unless you're a student
at the only other FBO (now the only FBO) on the field. A decent sized
chunk of business completely gone.


One day the FBO was there, the next day the building was empty. Right down
to the maps on the walls.

This incident wasn't quite as dramatic. The office is still there, I
can still get into the lounge/computer/bathroom area. The strange thing
that happened to me is that all of a sudden, phone calls and e-mail were
not being returned.

Who knows though...this whole thing may move me toward a flying club or
perhaps co-ownership, either of which would be fine with me. The good
news is that I'm still in touch with my CFI from my PPL days and have a
small network of folks that I met over the last couple of years.
Something will work out. It's just a matter of time and money.

--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL, IA Student/flying club member/co-owner wanna-be,

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

Who knows though...this whole thing may move me toward a flying club or
perhaps co-ownership, either of which would be fine with me.

You, perhaps more than any renter pilot I've ever known, are ready for
ownership. Anyone who is jumping the mountains in Spam cans every year to
attend Oshkosh has no business flying rental birds.

I don't care HOW much you trust the FBO maintaining the planes, rental
planes are necessarily seen by management as a disposable commodity with a
limited life span, no different than their vending machines or parts
washers. This stands in stark contrast to an owner's attitude toward their
steeds, and is why I won't hesitate to fly over the Rocky Mountains in
Atlas, but wouldn't dream of doing so in a rental bird.

Get thee a partner, and buy thee an airplane, Jack! Your FBO shutting down
is "the sign" you've been waiting for!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:

You, perhaps more than any renter pilot I've ever known, are ready for
ownership. Anyone who is jumping the mountains in Spam cans every year to
attend Oshkosh has no business flying rental birds.
Well, they were very nice, fairly new rental spam cans...but, yes, I'd
agree that a typical ratted out 30+ year old C-172 isn't something I'd
want to use jumping over the Sierras.

Get thee a partner, and buy thee an airplane, Jack! Your FBO shutting down
is "the sign" you've been waiting for!
Yep, it might be. I'm going to poke around a bit to see what may be
available in terms of flying clubs. In addition, there are other rental
pilots from my former FBO that may be interested in co-owning.
So...we'll see. This very well could be a push toward ownership. Now,
can you create a nice uptick in the stock market for me? Sure would
make co-ownership right now easier. :-)

--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL, IA Student/flying club member/co-owner wanna-be,

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

Now, can you create a nice uptick in the stock market for me?

I used to make money in the stock market. Now I make money in the basement.

Jose
--
for Email, make the obvious change in the address

Dave S wrote:

I'd rather pay more $$ an hour and know that the aircraft is better
maintained, looks cleaner, flies better and wont leave you hanging
when you need it.

Or falling!?

--
Chris W

Not getting the gifts you want? The Wish Zone can help.
http://thewishzone.com

"They that can give up essential liberty
to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-- Benjamin Franklin, 1759 Historical Review of Pennsylvania

Get thee a partner, and buy thee an airplane, Jack! Your FBO shutting
down is "the sign" you've been waiting for!
Yep, it might be. I'm going to poke around a bit to see what may be
available in terms of flying clubs. In addition, there are other rental
pilots from my former FBO that may be interested in co-owning. So...we'll
see. This very well could be a push toward ownership. Now, can you
create a nice uptick in the stock market for me? Sure would make
co-ownership right now easier. :-)


Hmmmmmm, Jack, the answer might be right in front of your nose. I'll bet
you aren't the only pilot left in a lurch there.

Why not run the N# of your favorite airplane at the now defunct FBO and
determine the ownership. Do a little work and contact the owner. He or she
is probably bemoaning the loss of rental time if it was a leaseback. Or, it
may even belong to the FBO. It may be for sale in either case.

Once you get some details, and since you have access to the office area,
make up a couple of posters detailing a scheme to buy that airplane above
and ask interested pilots to send you an email. If you don't like the idea
of displaying your email address publicly, sign up for one at Hotmail or
Yahoo that you can throw away in the future.