Dave Wheatland shares his experience of
flying in a country where general aviation
is not a third-class citizen.f recent years
I have been
routinely
travelling
to and from
the USA to
work at many
locations and
doing quite a bit
of cross-country flying.
I used to be very impressed
with the standard of service that
was provided at the FBOs’, (fixed
Base Operators) General Aviation
terminals. They varied greatly
in the level of comfort, style and
grandeur, but they always met the
needs of a cross-country pilot, and
crew, and pax.
Having now done quite a bit
of f lying in North and South
America (as well as the UK and
EU) it is the return to Australia
when the impact of these
terminals is noticed even more. It
is more the almost total absence of
general aviation support that is as
ubiquitous here as its presence in
the USA especially.
The very first time I f lew out
of Mojave in California and
across the Grand Canyon to
Four Corners Airport in New
Mexico it was the first stop on a
transcontinental trip. Seemingly
out in the high desert, near the
city of Farmington it is remote,
but from when the unicom
responded to my inbound call
with an enquiry if I neededavgas, to the parking marshal
who parked me right out front
of Atlantic Aviation, to the red
carpet that appeared outside
the cockpit door as the prop
windmilled to a stop, it was service
like I had never previously known.
A “good day sir, how much gas
do you need?” greeted me as I
opened the door, followed by a
cold bottle of spring water and
directions to the rest rooms and
restaurant. Yes, restaurant. Full
sit down meal service, while my
aircraft was refuelled and the
windshield polished. I was offered
a (free!) courtesy car if I wished to
go off airport for business or sight-
seeing. This is typical with several
FBO general aviation terminals in
some airports.
Four Corners is a serious size
airport with RPT, but heaps of
GA activity. There are about a
hundred movements a day, of
which close to 70 percent are
general aviation aircraft, light
piston singles and twins, which
also constitute about 95 percent of
all the airport residents, a few jets,
and helicopters. In addition to the
GA terminal (FBO) there is also
an RPT terminal.
The very worst service (Kit
Carson airport in Kansas on a
windswept 42 C day) entailed an
unattended air-conditioned pilot
lounge with Wi-Fi, a fridge full
of packaged snacks and drinks,
a coffee jug, a microwave and adesktop computer for weather
and f light planning, the keys to
a 1980s ex-police Ford cruiser
hanging from a hook and an
honesty box. No security fence
or gate codes, just this little lean-
to corrugated iron shed beside a
hangar with a welcome sign over
the door.
Amazingly after almost 20
years of f lying in the USA I have
become accustomed to this type
of greeting, and it is a very rude
awakening when the full force
of Australian service apathy,
general aviation poverty of mind
and airport security confronts
me as it did again on a recent tripfrom YLTV to YCNS a couple of
months ago.
After f lying from YLTV in
light winds and an economy power
setting I set up for a descent into
M**ee near the Northern NSW
border, where I knew there was
a swipe bowser for which I had a
card. Here in Oz one uses airports
with a total lack of human services
as it is quicker to do it yourself.
Besides, there is no likelihood of a
sit down meal, so miles in the air
are gold. At the bowser we find that
none of the four fuel cards work, so
we ring the refueller, who advises
us he is gone home for lunch and
won’t be back for “a while”. An hourGA in the USA:
compare and contrast
AUSTRALIAN FLYING November – December 2017DAVE WHEATLAND
wheatie
The kernels of Dave “Wheatie” Wheatland started out flying crop sprayers
around South Gippsland in Victoria and was instrumental in
the development of the GippsAero GA200 Fatman and the GA8
Airvan. He has ferried and demonstrated the GA8 all around
the world, clocking up 3000 hours on the type. Dave is currently
heading up the test schedule for the GippsAero GA10.80