And the day started out so well

[TonyK]

I went out to the hanger early this morning to swap out some Brittain servos in my wings.  After everything I had read I was expecting it to be a painful experience.  Turned out to be a pretty easy task once I started on it.  Finished up the job and paperwork signed off I decided to head up to a local Fly in and car show at Franklin Co. VT.  Taxied out to the run up area and what do you know there was another Mooney on the ramp.

Neat we don't get many Mooneys in Rutland.  Off into the wild blue clear sky to Franklin.  Uneventful trip up enjoying the lake to the west and the spine of the Green Mountains on the east.  Everything was going so well, until landing.

I got it off the runway and onto the taxiway since there were other incoming aircraft.  I asked the woman who was marshaling if she could see my front tire.  She said "Yup it's very flat".  She said just shutdown right there and someone would be over to see me.   A minute later a few guys come up in a golf cart and say no problem you picked a good day for that to happen.  One goes off to get a dolly and another heads to his hanger to grab a spare tire he had sitting around just in case.  Turns out the mechanic on the field is Dan Marcotte (air show pilot) and he just happens to be there for the fly in.  I spent some time talking to Dan while he swapped out the tire and he had one of these sitting in his hanger.

15 minutes later we are back out the door and putting the tire back on.  Dan wouldn't take a dime for his time or tire and tube.  What a great community pilots are!  Everyone couldn't wait to pitch in and just be helpful.  I enjoyed some vintage aircraft and decided that I had enough excitement for one day and headed back to Rutland.  What started out as so well with the servos but ended up even better because what could have been a real PITA for me was a non event thanks to all of the kind souls.  My faith in humanity is restored. (at least for the day or until I turn on the news)

[wcb]

37 minutes ago, TonyK said:

until I turn on the news) 

Simple... Don't turn on the news!

[aviatoreb]

1 hour ago, TonyK said:

 

15 minutes later we are back out the door and putting the tire back on.  Dan wouldn't take a dime for his time or tire and tube.  What a great community pilots are!  Everyone couldn't wait to pitch in and just be helpful.  I enjoyed some vintage aircraft and decided that I had enough excitement for one day and headed back to Rutland.  What started out as so well with the servos but ended up even better because what could have been a real PITA for me was a non event thanks to all of the kind souls.  My faith in humanity is restored. (at least for the day or until I turn on the news)

Heya,  huH!  I would have gone to that fly in if I had known - where did you hear?  Its just as close to me as it is to you about.

Wow good show on that flat tire.  I had a flat tire this summer on the runway at Bangor Maine, late on a Sunday afternoon...and I was $500 poorer before I got out of there.... And it was just a simple flat on the left main tire.  They briefly closed the runway because it was on roll out and it would not move with the tire flat.  Then I was charged a fortune for the tow service off the runway to the hangars.  Then after hour service up fee for a new tube change. Not even a new tire just a new tube.  Nothing else mechanical.  $500 bucks.  It was one of those, I can't believe how much they charge you at jet center moments.

[TonyK]

27 minutes ago, aviatoreb said:

where did you hear

My son got an email through CAP.  They get notified of just about everything in the area that is airplane related.

[aviatoreb]

3 minutes ago, TonyK said:

My son got an email through CAP.  They get notified of just about everything in the area that is airplane related.

Cool.

...I need a son in CAP.

[Mooneymite]

1 hour ago, aviatoreb said:

Heya,  huH!  I would have gone to that fly in if I had known - where did you hear?  Its just as close to me as it is to you about.

Wow good show on that flat tire.  I had a flat tire this summer on the runway at Bangor Maine, late on a Sunday afternoon...and I was $500 poorer before I got out of there.... And it was just a simple flat on the left main tire.  They briefly closed the runway because it was on roll out and it would not move with the tire flat.  Then I was charged a fortune for the tow service off the runway to the hangars.  Then after hour service up fee for a new tube change. Not even a new tire just a new tube.  Nothing else mechanical.  $500 bucks.  It was one of those, I can't believe how much they charge you at jet center moments.

Forward a link to this thread to the folks at Bangor.  Maybe they'll see the contrast.

Maybe not.

There are folks in aviation for the love of it and there are folks in aviation for money.  You'll never mistake the two.

[HRM]

19 hours ago, aviatoreb said:

I can't believe how much they charge you at jet center moments.

How do you think they afford the hot cookies, bottled water and mouthwash in the restrooms?

Frankly, I think they just put up with (low end (?)) GA because they have to.

[aviatoreb]

2 hours ago, HRM said:

How do you think they afford the hot cookies, bottled water and mouthwash in the restrooms?

Frankly, I think they just put up with (low end (?)) GA because they have to.

Actually - at KBGR - the FBO services are generally....unusually poor.  No cookies.  No mouth wash....which is fine, but even the two people behind the desk seemed more busy and distracted entertaining themselves to stay engaged enough to help us get a taxi and a hotel when we were there another time many months ago.

Why do we go there?...the border patrol people are somehow more human and respectful than two other likely entry points I would choose to file on EAPIS when returning home from Eastern Canada.  KBTV and KMSS they have been down right shockingly rude for absolutely no reason.  So...KBGR.  But the day of the flat tire was ...expensive.

[TonyK]

KBTV Heritage have been awesome with with me when I have been  there.  Brought me a bag full of cookies and 4 waters out to the airplane when I dropped off a passenger.   And I didn't even shut down.  They just ran them out to the door while i was kicking the passenger out.