Yeesh...Signature...

[Fry]

Sorry to say this, but you're all spoiled on that side of the planet :-)

I was recently on the island of Elba (LIRJ), just west of Italy. Stayed four nights (parking outside on dirt) and had two landings, for a total fee of EUR 170.

The "service" I got for that? Friendly greetings and smiles, and a couple of rides from the terminal to/from my airplane (which was in walking distance). No courtesy car or whatever. Heck, not even free drinking water from a cooler. It took them longer to prepare my bill (which was for some reason in two parts) than it took us to load and preflight the airplane.

Oh, I did not take any fuel - I don't believe it would have changed things - fuel in Elba is about EUR 3,30 - PER LITER.

Hope that puts your experience in perspective :-)

Bonus: the price mentioned above is already the one with a special discount for AOPA members :-)

[Kmac]

2 hours ago, Marauder said:

GA can survive at small airports if the ownership is willing to partake in an approach to foster GA. Not nickel and dime them to death.
 

 

Would like twice if I could...

[MooneyMitch]

3 hours ago, Marauder said:

 

There was a lot of corporate jet activity at KMQS and I suspect that is what keeps them going (and those transients paying the highest gas prices in the area).

You’re right, the airport is county owned and federally funded. The FBO was run by the county and a particular county executive was the reason Signature moved in. I would be curious to see where their FAA airport activity stats are now.

Rmag’s avionics/paint shop is on one side of the tarmac and you have Signature on the other. I’d be fine if they had a section of the ramp designated “no man’s land” that would allow me to park and not use Signature. BTW - the restroom are in the county building shared by the now gone restaurant and the FBO. KMQS is a ghost town.

In contrast, my airport is township owned. Run by an energetic airport manager who was responsible for securing federal funds to redo the entire runway complete with new lights, brand new T and box hangars, start up a maintenance shop that is booked solid and manages to keep fuel & hangar costs more than competitive in the area.

Taken last week:



In addition in brings in additional revenue through an annual air show, hot air balloon festival and aviation summer camps (of course COVID has changed all this for the summer).

GA can survive at small airports if the ownership is willing to partake in an approach to foster GA. Not nickel and dime them to death.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

Your airport is most fortunate!  Proactive positive leadership and positive participation by tenants. Congratulations!! 

[steingar]

I flew into MQS once.  Had a nephew in the local joint, flew in to visit.  I was really surprised at the size of the place, I thought it'd be a little podunk airport in the middle of nowhere.  Apparently one of the shopping channels is nearby so the big place is for all the jets that bring celebrities in to hawk their shit.  I recall it spendy, though not crazily so.  Nice snacks.

[gsxrpilot]

People who own airplanes and fly private, complaining about small fees to use nice facilities... sad.

#STFU

[Kmac]

2 hours ago, gsxrpilot said:

People who own airplanes and fly private, complaining about small fees to use nice facilities... sad.

#STFU

You are obviously in the "Don't mind any fee for any amount for any reason" camp...

I thought part of Mooneyspace was so people could share their personal experiences with others and they could make up their own mind...

I was simply sharing my experience with Signature at this particular airport which happened to also include fees; even fees that I am not entirely opposed to as stated a few posts up...

You are more than welcome to go to Signature/MQS...just be prepared to jump through a few unnecessary hoops and pay more money to wait around...

Edited August 11, 2020 by Kmac
correct

[eman1200]

3 hours ago, gsxrpilot said:

People who own airplanes and fly private, complaining about small fees to use nice facilities... sad.

#STFU

this is about the dooshiest comment I've seen on mooneyspace.  no, it's not 'about', it is.

 

[gsxrpilot]

I'm happy to own it. With 16+ million people out of work today, complaining about fees to park your personal airplane is really sad.

[PTK]

44 minutes ago, gsxrpilot said:

I'm happy to own it. With 16+ million people out of work today, complaining about fees to park your personal airplane is really sad.

This is utterly irrelevant. Misses the point entirely and fails to make a positive contribution to the discussion at hand. 

[Kmac]

It basically boils down to this...

Again, this is just my recommendation...

If you are from out of the area I recommend searching for another local more pilot friendly airport of which there are plenty...

Looking at my logbook I was at MQS 3 times in 2017, the year the restaurant on the field closed.  To the local pilots who haven't been there in a while, which included myself,  it has not improved and, in fact, has become even more of a hassle. 

Once more, this is just my observation and recommendation.  

If you are interested in any of the other FBO's and airports on my list check out the following website:  www.mooneyspace.com 

[PTK]

On 8/10/2020 at 1:11 PM, Kmac said:

Thanks for the recommendation.  I would like to go there...also never landed in Delaware yet...

Where are you based? You should plan to fly to GED at some point. You’ll invariably run into one or two other Mooneys there. And with a little planning I can be there. Lunch on me! 

[Bravoman]

6 hours ago, gsxrpilot said:

I'm happy to own it. With 16+ million people out of work today, complaining about fees to park your personal airplane is really sad.

Thanks to the hysteria driven by the left and their media cronies. If it were up to them everyone would be unemployed and then they would complain about everyone having to stand in line at the soup kitchen and how the administration is to blame.

Sorry, couldn’t resist.

[Fry]

"hysteria driven by the left and their media cronies"

The Covid-19 pandemic is no "hysteria". Other than _some_ media try to tell you, this is not about emotion, also not about political ideology or right-left-partisan quabbles, but the situation is indeed pretty nasty. There is no other way to see it unless you close your eyes to the facts.

(The climate catastrophe is just as real, by the way).

[Hank]

2 hours ago, Fry said:

"hysteria driven by the left and their media cronies"

The Covid-19 pandemic is no "hysteria". Other than _some_ media try to tell you, this is not about emotion, also not about political ideology or right-left-partisan quabbles, but the situation is indeed pretty nasty. There is no other way to see it unless you close your eyes to the facts.

(The climate catastrophe is just as real, by the way).

Neither one is being reported accurately by the U.S. media. Their reporting is all agenda-driven to stoke fear and panic, which will aid the political party supporting their outlook. In the old days, the media reported what happened and left the interpretation to us, but I guess good old Walter Cronkite can never be replaced . . . .

In the meantime, I also avoid the big-name FBOs when I travel, because they come with the same or less service than the little guys but at much greater expense, with loads of paperwork, delay and inconvenience. Hey, can someone hit the buzzer behind the desk to unlock the door? I want to go to my plane!

[orionflt]

14 hours ago, PTK said:

Where are you based? You should plan to fly to GED at some point. You’ll invariably run into one or two other Mooneys there. And with a little planning I can be there. Lunch on me! 

Since my plane is now is Salisbury I went over to KGED for fuel the other week and ate lunch at the restaurant, the food was good, people friendly and fuel was cheap. I highly recommend it!

Let me know if/when you do, I may be able to meet up with you there.

Brian 

[Kmac]

15 hours ago, PTK said:

Where are you based? You should plan to fly to GED at some point. You’ll invariably run into one or two other Mooneys there. And with a little planning I can be there. Lunch on me! 

Thanks...PM Sent...

[rbridges]

I get that a nice FBO which is a private company has the right to charge for its facilities.  I just wish there was a govt owned "less nice" option available at some of these airports.  I fly to Hilton Head a few times a years, and I know I'll get dinged.  My home airport is owned by the county, so there are no fees, and gas is competitively priced.  If I landed somewhere and could choose between these two options, I personally would go for the FBO similar to my home base.

[steingar]

I've made it a point when flying to new airports, especially ones in or near big cities, to call first and find out how badly I'm going to get raped up the six.  MQS did catch me a bit by surprise, since it's in the middle of podunk.

[1001001]

Just now, rbridges said:

I get that a nice FBO which is a private company has the right to charge for its facilities.  I just wish there was a govt owned "less nice" option available at some of these airports.  I fly to Hilton Head a few times a years, and I know I'll get dinged.  My home airport is owned by the county, so there are no fees, and gas is competitively priced.  If I landed somewhere and could choose between these two options, I personally would go for the FBO similar to my home base.

I don't particularly care for the budget solution to be government owned; that usually just hides the fees from the user and puts the local taxpayer on the hook.  But the fact is that most airports in the US are owned by municipalities or county governments, and to a degree, should IMO offer a basic level of services to the taxpayer while attempting to recoup costs from users.

That said, my home airport (which is government owned) actually is self supporting (according to the airport Board).  The fuel concessions and hangar rents are enough to cover the operation and maintenance of the entire facility.  We are fortunate to have a rather large aviation community in the area, and three very busy flight schools on the field, which definitely helps matters.

[Bob - S50]

1 hour ago, 1001001 said:

I don't particularly care for the budget solution to be government owned; that usually just hides the fees from the user and puts the local taxpayer on the hook.  But the fact is that most airports in the US are owned by municipalities or county governments, and to a degree, should IMO offer a basic level of services to the taxpayer while attempting to recoup costs from users.

That said, my home airport (which is government owned) actually is self supporting (according to the airport Board).  The fuel concessions and hangar rents are enough to cover the operation and maintenance of the entire facility.  We are fortunate to have a rather large aviation community in the area, and three very busy flight schools on the field, which definitely helps matters.

Same is true with my airport, S50, Auburn Washington.

[LANCECASPER]

Clearly, this is about more than the $11.

It sounds like the pilots up there long for the way it used to be at that airport, which is understandable. But you can blame the county or municipality for no longer offering the services and then deciding to put the contract up for bid. With their fixed costs they must have not been making a good return or they would have kept it for themselves. I think that’s why so many airports have gone the self-serve/pay at the pump route. If there are pilots on the airport board, that’s probably the way they end up going.

Signature didn’t come in and take it away from the locals, The county just wanted a monthly income stream without the overhead of paying salaries, etc. Signature or anyone else who would have bid saw an opportunity. Others could have come in with a more competitive bid. So now in these situations the county/municipality is taking their fixed cut each month and Signature is entitled to a profit, so news flash, yes prices have gone up. This usually happens when the county or airport board doesn’t have any or enough pilots advising them.

You’re left with choices: 1) go to a less convenient nearby airport with no fees or 2) go there for the convenience and accept the fact that there are clearly posted fees on their website. But don’t go there wanting the convenience,  knowing there are fees and then waste your energy complaining about the fees.

[Hank]

2 hours ago, LANCECASPER said:

You’re left with choices: 1) go to a less convenient nearby airport with no fees or 2) go there for the convenience and accept the fact that there are clearly posted fees on their website. But don’t go there wanting the convenience,  knowing there are fees and then waste your energy complaining about the fees.

Not always. That was the original motivation for the AOPA lawsuit.

[Bravoman]

 I for one am willing to pay a few extra bucks to see the pretty girls at the counter after a long flight. 

[MooneyMitch]

10 minutes ago, Bravoman said:

 I for one am willing to pay a few extra bucks to see the pretty girls at the counter after a long flight. 

Why do you think they are attracted to being employed at such places? 

[mike_elliott]

35 minutes ago, Bravoman said:

 I for one am willing to pay a few extra bucks to see the pretty girls at the counter after a long flight. 

yea this....whatever happened to www.fbohotties.com ? Under the FAR's, we are compelled to check out all the pertinent data to insure a positive outcome for the flight after all.