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#1
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Thrown out of an FBO...
Decades ago, in my younger days (okay, waaaay younger), I was asked to
leave a drinking establishment or two, and I've had a few women show me the door, over time...but I never thought I'd ever be asked to leave an FBO. To our amazement, it happened to Mary and me today. It all started pleasantly enough, with a brunch flight to a small town airport in North Central Iowa. The weather today was absolutely gorgeous, with temperatures in the 70s and smooth, calm air above a low haze layer. We called ahead to make sure the FBO had a courtesy car available, and within an hour we were on the ramp chatting with the line guy. Sadly, our favorite restaurant (we visit this little town a couple of times per year) had gone belly up after over 100 years of continuous operation, so we asked the FBO owner if he had any recommendations. A large man, our conversation made it clear that he had enjoyed the culinary delights from most (if not all) of the restaurants in his small town, and we made mental note of the ones he most recommended. He then jovially sent us on our merry way. After finding the recommended locally-owned greasy spoon restaurant (always our target!), we were soon enjoying a tasty, affordable lunch accompanied by rapid-fire repartee' from our blue-haired veteran waitress. We had a great time with her caustic, slightly off-color humor, and finished off with two pieces of her home-made coconut cream pie. We were soon waddling our way back to the courtesy van. As always, we made a bee-line for the nearest gas station, and topped off the tank. In my opinion, folks who use courtesy cars and don't add a little gas are abusing a very nice system, and we always want to do our part to make sure that the traditional "airport car" lives on. Minutes later we were back inside the FBO, fat, dumb, and looking forward to another great flight home. Walking through the lobby area, I called out to the owner (who was sitting at his desk behind the counter) and thanked him for a wonderful recommendation. He stood up and walked over to the counter to bid us farewell, we chatted about the restaurant we had visited, and I mentioned to him that we had "topped off the tank" for him in his van. He replied that we "Didn't have to do that...", but Mary remarked that we ALWAYS tried to fill the tanks, in thanks for the use of their car. I then mentioned that we, too, had a courtesy van at our hotel in Iowa City, and that I hadn't had to fill the tank in three years, thanks to the generosity of our pilot guests. He laughed and said that he "Had to fill the tank more often than that!", to which I laughingly replied "Yeah, the only time the tanks don't get filled at our place is when charter pilots use our van -- those guys are the cheapest SOBs around!" His face suddenly flushed red, and his tone abruptly changed. "Well, I'm a charter pilot, and I believe you're insulting me, now..." he growled in a quiet but somehow menacing voice. Still laughing, not sure if he was joking, too, but somewhat alarmed at his sudden change of tone, I replied in a conspiratorial way "Well, we all know *why* they don't fill the tanks -- they're not making diddly squat, and those kids can't afford to shell out too much cash..." This placated him not at all. He went on to tell me how he's got "Six charter pilots working for him, and they all make a good wage, and you shouldn't be making blanket statements insulting 'em that way..." Just like *that* the atmosphere in the office changed, and I was starting to get flustered at his sudden change of personality. Mary piped up and said that this was all "Just our observation of the way some charter pilots behaved...", and I replied that I was "Just joking around..." -- to which he snarled "Okay, 'John Kerry' -- maybe you folks shouldn't be coming around here and borrowing my car anymore..." I was dumb-founded -- he was kicking us out, and asking us not to come back! Mary (for the first time in a very long time) was speechless. I simply didn't know how to handle a situation that had gone from friendly to adversarial in the span of three sentences. My surprise quickly passed, though, and I was well on my way from flustered to incredulous, bordering on the angry. I just stared at him in disbelief, but Mary quickly filled the gap, stating in her best "Mom voice" that "Avoiding this place shouldn't be too hard." He asked me if the keys were in the van, to which I replied in the affirmative. He then turned on his heel and walked away, leaving us shaking our heads. Our day ruined, it was a quiet flight home, as we pondered what could make a guy snap like that over such inconsequential banter. The only thing we could think of us was that he was having a very, very bad day -- perhaps something had gone wrong with one of his charter pilots, or a charter job had fallen through? -- and our jokes tipped him over the edge. We'll never know -- and we'll never be back. It's a shame -- with all the problems facing GA, small-town airports simply can't afford to have FBOs driving off what little business they have (we were the only plane there) -- but for us there are literally hundreds of other airports to visit, so it won't matter much. But this day will always bother me, nonetheless. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#2
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Thrown out of an FBO...
"Jay Honeck" wrote in message It's a shame -- with all
the problems facing GA, small-town airports simply can't afford to have FBOs driving off what little business they have (we were the only plane there) He has 6 charter pilots who make good wages. What does he need you for? He's been a charter pilot for a long time. Must have a good business going. Can't do that if he was tilting off the deck frequently for little reason. Must be something wrong with you. :-) Reminds me of the time I was turning final overhead of a trailer park in bumf**k, Alabama. At the FBO counter, my boss asked if I wanted a rental car, and I blurted out "seen one trailer park, seen 'em all". He and I cracked huge grins, but the fellow behind the counter was embarrassed, as was the boss's wife. Oh well- life goes on. D. |
#3
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Thrown out of an FBO...
Jay Honeck wrote:
But this day will always bother me, nonetheless. That's your conscience talking to you, Jay. I have been in a similar situation twice. Both times I was the paying customer and the other party was the small business person collecting money from me. The first time the bed and breakfast owner clearly overreacted to what was a trivial issue and overstepped the line by tersely telling me that my business was not welcome anymore. The second time a manager of a speedy oil change shop, in response to my words, did the same. These two incidents were separated by several years. In the first incident with the B&B, I wrote a very strong letter after returning home expressing the fact that I had wanted to make his B&B a yearly tradition with my wife and me, but his overreaction had made me think otherwise. However, I did apologize for my actions that caused the outburst and ended the letter with the hope that he would write back to make amends, too. He never did. In the second incident, I returned to the oil change shop an hour after storming off, parked my car, and walked up to the manager. The first words out of my mouth were, "I am very sorry for overreacting and I feel really bad for the way I acted. There is no excuse for my behavior." He accepted my apology, extended a hand, and offered me a free oil change. I politely declined, since I didn't want to take something I didn't deserve. In both cases, I felt I did what I could to correct the bad feelings. In your situation, I recommend making a phone call to the FBO owner after things cool down a bit. Offer your sincerest apology for what you hopefully realize was a thoughtless and crass remark and let him know how bad you felt on the return trip. Whether or not you ever return to the FBO is irrelevant; at least you made an attempt to rectify the bad feelings from that experience. The attempt might do your conscience good. -- Peter |
#4
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Thrown out of an FBO...
On Wed, 8 Nov 2006 23:12:29 -0500, "Peter R."
wrote in : Offer your sincerest apology for what you hopefully realize was a thoughtless and crass remark That would require insight and contrition. Doubtful. |
#5
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Thrown out of an FBO...
On Wed, 8 Nov 2006 23:12:29 -0500, "Peter R." wrote in : Offer your sincerest apology for what you hopefully realize was a thoughtless and crass remark But it was true. |
#6
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Thrown out of an FBO...
Peter R. wrote:
Jay Honeck wrote: But this day will always bother me, nonetheless. That's your conscience talking to you, Jay. I have been in a similar situation twice. Both times I was the paying customer and the other party was the small business person collecting money from me. The first time the bed and breakfast owner clearly overreacted to what was a trivial issue and overstepped the line by tersely telling me that my business was not welcome anymore. The second time a manager of a speedy oil change shop, in response to my words, did the same. These two incidents were separated by several years. In the first incident with the B&B, I wrote a very strong letter after returning home expressing the fact that I had wanted to make his B&B a yearly tradition with my wife and me, but his overreaction had made me think otherwise. However, I did apologize for my actions that caused the outburst and ended the letter with the hope that he would write back to make amends, too. He never did. In the second incident, I returned to the oil change shop an hour after storming off, parked my car, and walked up to the manager. The first words out of my mouth were, "I am very sorry for overreacting and I feel really bad for the way I acted. There is no excuse for my behavior." He accepted my apology, extended a hand, and offered me a free oil change. I politely declined, since I didn't want to take something I didn't deserve. In both cases, I felt I did what I could to correct the bad feelings. In your situation, I recommend making a phone call to the FBO owner after things cool down a bit. Offer your sincerest apology for what you hopefully realize was a thoughtless and crass remark and let him know how bad you felt on the return trip. Whether or not you ever return to the FBO is irrelevant; at least you made an attempt to rectify the bad feelings from that experience. The attempt might do your conscience good. Jay, I agree with the above also. You never really know what was going on with him that day. -- Regards, Ross C-172F 180HP KSWI |
#7
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Thrown out of an FBO...
"Yeah, the only time the tanks don't get filled
at our place is when charter pilots use our van -- those guys are the cheapest SOBs around!" He's right. It's a nasty overgeneralization. Like in flying, usually mistakes don't bite, but this one happened to hit the mark. Jose -- "Never trust anything that can think for itself, if you can't see where it keeps its brain." (chapter 10 of book 3 - Harry Potter). for Email, make the obvious change in the address. |
#8
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Thrown out of an FBO...
I'll bet that's not the only time he has lost it. I wouldn't want to
work for him or charter from him if that's the sensitivity to a minor comment. Some people and attitudes shouldn't be in aviation. |
#9
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Thrown out of an FBO...
Jay Honeck wrote: brevity snip
He laughed and said that he "Had to fill the tank more often than that!", to which I laughingly replied "Yeah, the only time the tanks don't get filled at our place is when charter pilots use our van -- those guys are the cheapest SOBs around!" His face suddenly flushed red, and his tone abruptly changed. "Well, I'm a charter pilot, and I believe you're insulting me, now..." Ouch! he growled in a quiet but somehow menacing voice. Still laughing, not sure if he was joking, too, but somewhat alarmed at his sudden change of tone, I replied in a conspiratorial way "Well, we all know *why* they don't fill the tanks -- they're not making diddly squat, and those kids can't afford to shell out too much cash..." This placated him not at all. He went on to tell me how he's got "Six charter pilots working for him, and they all make a good wage, and you shouldn't be making blanket statements insulting 'em that way..." Ouch! Just like *that* the atmosphere in the office changed, and I was starting to get flustered at his sudden change of personality. Mary piped up and said that this was all "Just our observation of the way some charter pilots behaved...", and I replied that I was "Just joking around..." -- to which he snarled "Okay, 'John Kerry' -- maybe you folks shouldn't be coming around here and borrowing my car anymore..." I was dumb-founded -- he was kicking us out, and asking us not to come back! Mary (for the first time in a very long time) was speechless. I simply didn't know how to handle a situation that had gone from friendly to adversarial in the span of three sentences. Take it from an expert, you should've just apologized at the first ouch and changed the subject to politics or religion. It it were me, and I valued this relationship, I would find out one of his favorite things, be it beer or cigars or White Castles and fly back in at my earliest opportunity with a gift of same and a contrite demeanor in tow. You are obviously nice and conscientious visiting pilots, surely a small gesture will overcome this slight misunderstanding. ----- - gpsman |
#10
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Thrown out of an FBO...
Jay Honeck wrote:
.... some charter pilots behaved...", and I replied that I was "Just joking around..." -- to which he snarled "Okay, 'John Kerry' -- maybe you folks shouldn't be coming around here and borrowing my car anymore..." Perhaps you missed that big election in some part of the world yesterday, could well be the cause of his mood - I think I can guess his political allegience, it's not a happy one ;-) |
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