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Stupid Line Boy tricks

Ed_Wischmeyer

Well Known Member
Just back from a 10 day, 3,600 nm trip from Savannah, GA to Nevada and Arizona. Here are some... adventures.

* Somebody decided that the gas caps were too tight, so, on their own, they lubricated them.
* One guy told me that he had grounded each side of the airplane on the ground attachment, and did he have to do that or was the airplane electrically connected? He was using the fuel drains...
* Twice, the line boys left the gas down maybe an inch and a half, making sure that that the gas would not overflow in the heat. I wasn't explicit in telling the one how much lower I wanted it, and the other guy did it own his own when I asked for a top-off. If I was the type who tried for as much range as possible, that would have eaten up all the reserves. There's a reason for preflights...

They were all as friendly and as helpful as they could be, but...

On the plus side, one guy showed me a cute trick for using tiedown chains. Do NOT put the whole chain through the tiedown ring, just one link. Use a link from the remaining chain as a washer, and then put the hook through that one link. To undo, remove the hook and it all falls down to the ground.

Great service at Page, AZ; North Las Vegas, NV; Lubbock, TX; Waco, TX; Meridian, MS; Belen, NM; El Paso, TX, maybe one or two more. Sometimes it's worth paying higher gas prices.
 
If I was the type who tried for as much range as possible, that would have eaten up all the reserves. There's a reason for preflights...

Whenever I've been range-sensitive and asking for fuel, I wait until preflight to get it fueled and either supervise the fueler or do it myself - for the exact reason you experienced.
 
Never been an issue for me....my fuel calculations revolve around my bladder.
The older I get, the more fuel stops I plan.

The human prostate gland needs a re-design.
 
I never let anyone else fuel my plane, even if it's at an FBO with a fuel truck. I politely ask them to let me do it, and instruct them where to ground it (exhaust), and they've always understood my trepidation.

The only damage to my plane has been from line personnel. All repairable and minor, but nevertheless...I try to supervise any movement of her, etc., so I don't *have* to repair/repaint fairings, polish out scratches, etc.

I don't use valet parking services, either :) Mostly because I *was* one as a teenager, so I know what can happen LOL!
 
I never let anyone else fuel my plane, even if it's at an FBO with a fuel truck. I politely ask them to let me do it, and instruct them where to ground it (exhaust), and they've always understood my trepidation.

The only damage to my plane has been from line personnel. All repairable and minor, but nevertheless...I try to supervise any movement of her, etc., so I don't *have* to repair/repaint fairings, polish out scratches, etc.

I don't use valet parking services, either :) Mostly because I *was* one as a teenager, so I know what can happen LOL!

I make sure I'm watching during the refuel, if I'm not doing it.

The one thing I wish line personnel would realize is that when they are guiding you in and you are going straight, it's very hard to see them in a tail dragger. I try to gesture that they should step to the side a little, but that never works. I try to offset myself and they step in front of the airplane again, or tell me to turn back so that I'm headed straight for them again.

So after shut down I explain the situation and politely suggest they step a
little to the side.
 
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I am the line boy..period

Me me me ..I am the only one that moves, fuels or touches mine. Period. I have seen way too much stupidity (not all line boys are bad), but the RV's are a different animal than the usual suspects. The only "line damage" I had was so bizarre most people don't believe the story...I was at a gathering of about 60 planes and we had to park all over the ramp at local favorite fly-in restaurant. I was well out of the way in a "great spot". Ever see a rotating hangar? me either, but they look like a hexagonal carousel and rotate on a track, and you rotate the hanger so the door aligns with your spot. Yep, somebody (He is a friend) rotated the hanger into my elevator and rudder. Ouch,minimal damage. Lesson learned, don't park next to a rotating hangar! I was the line boy, I parked there.
 
Just back from a 10 day, 3,600 nm trip from Savannah, GA to Nevada and Arizona. Here are some... adventures.
Not so Stupid IMO:

* Somebody decided that the gas caps were too tight, so, on their own, they lubricated them.
If caps are to tight you risk breaking the latch pin, if they are too loose with a little lube then you should adjust them. I lube my cap O rings regularly so they easily snap in place.

* One guy told me that he had grounded each side of the airplane on the ground attachment, and did he have to do that or was the airplane electrically connected? He was using the fuel drains...
Ever heard of a composite airplane, good for him for asking if he wasn't sure.

I always pump my own fuel RV's drain down slowly to the IB end, he may have thought it was full.

I know you won't like me saying this but perhaps you should look at some of your own "stupid" decisions, like departing into IFR with a possible faulty alternator before calling other people stupid, the low paid line guys who are out there trying to make a living in all weather conditions trying to help "stupid" pilots.
PS: don't forget to tip the line guys if you want better service, and don't call people "stupid" it's offensive.
 
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the low paid line guys who are out there trying to make a living in all weather conditions trying to help stupid pilots.
PS: don't forget to tip the line guys if you want better service

NB: Not all "line guys" are guys: we have several women working the line at KJWN! :) I've always found our line personnel to be a fantastic group of folks who work hard in every kind of weather and at every time of day and night (our airport is open 24/7). Your point about tipping is a good one!
 
Not so Stupid IMO:

If caps are to tight you risk breaking the latch pin
They were not.

Ever heard of a composite airplane, good for him for asking if he wasn't sure.
Nope, he told me afterwards.

I know you won't like me saying this but perhaps you should look at some of your own "stupid" decisions, like departing into IFR with a possible faulty alternator
That would have been stupid so that's why I didn't do that. The electrical system checked out okay before I took off >>VFR<< and I had plenty of options throughout the flight. (I think the lowest overcast I flew over was more than 1500 feet). Plus, I frequently checked the alternator en route. Once I had confidence in the system, I was content to punch through the occasional cloud. And I have practiced IFR (with a CFII), simulating total electrical failure.
 
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The one thing I wish line personnel would realize is that when they are guiding you in and you are going straight, it's very hard to see them in a tail dragger. I try to gesture that they should step to the side a little, but that never works. I try to offset myself and they step in front of the airplane again, or tell me to turn back so that I'm headed straight for them again.

So after shut down I explain the situation and politely suggest they step a
little to the side.
Ha! That's my main gripe against line crew these days; some have no idea how to marshal a taildragger! It seems so simple, if they can't see me, I can't see them. It gets really comical when I taxi up in a B-17; some linemen will stand directly in front of the nose looking at whoever is in the bombardiers seat and use hand signals.... meanwhile in the cockpit I can't see a dang thing! So then I stick my arm out and try to get them to move over to where I can see them and confusion ensues...

And on fueling issues (RV), I don't have any as I am always there to supervise or "borrow" the nozzle and fill it myself.
 
If it's not self-serve, I'm happy to let the line guys fuel my plane though usually look over their shoulder, to make sure the level is right and I put the caps on myself. Where I typically fuel up they know RVs and also their equipment so they are better than I am at dribbling in the last few gallons to keep it from overflowing all over the wing when it gets mostly full.

In fact the only damage from fueling has been by me - some chips around the fuel ports, and one scratch in the paint from when the nozzle slipped in my hand.
 
Recently landed at a field that didn't have self-serve, so the line guy rolls up in the truck.

"Top off?"

"Yessir."

"That's an RV, right?"

"Yessir, a -6A."

"Okay. I'll fuel it slow."

He got a nice tip. :)
 
V2 design should be less affected by age and easier to remove if it develops a fault.

Following the other thread, if V2 did develop a fault not only should it be removed but all of the attachment hardware should also be removed/replaced...
 
Not so Stupid IMO:
....

I know you won't like me saying this but perhaps you should look at some of your own "stupid" decisions, like departing into IFR with a possible faulty alternator before calling other people stupid, the low paid line guys who are out there trying to make a living in all weather conditions trying to help "stupid" pilots.
PS: don't forget to tip the line guys if you want better service, and don't call people "stupid" it's offensive.
It's a play on David Letterman's Stupid Human Tricks.

Perhaps Drill Sgt Hulka's quote is applicable in several instances on this thread - Lighten Up, Francis.
 
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Remember when YOU were the eager line monkey willing to do ANYTHING just to get close to one of those cools machines you only WISHED you could own, much less fly?

Just like the line guy at a small outstation who would set up the cockpit (on a 737) during the overnight to "help us out"! He just created more work for us in the end... I had a short talk with him and set it all straight. He was sure he was doing us a great favor!

It's your baby, treat it as you wish. But then again, I don't loan my knife to anyone either.

Cheers
 
It's a play on David Letterman's Stupid Human Tricks.
That's how I read the title, but from the tone of some of these responses its clear not everyone caught the reference or took it in same tongue-in-cheek way. Perhaps if we all re-title it in our minds "Silly and also not so silly things that line boys and gals and we ourselves do..." Hmm it doesn't quite roll off the tongue the same way though does it. :rolleyes:
 
I was that stupid line boy, four decades ago.

The lessons learned best were the lessons delivered in a friendly, educational tone. There were a few more than I care to admit, and I still remember them.

The lessons delivered by a belligerent or loud or unkind pilot/owner were immediately forgotten, written off as the ranting of another a-hole who expected perfection but had no idea how to help others achieve it.

One of the best lessons we given by a soft-spoken gent who flew in with his gleaming Cessna 206 on amphib floats. Man, those wing tanks were a LONG way up! He taught me how to manage the fuel hose so it wouldn't drag on anything as I climbed up to the wing. The way he taught me was so gentlemanly that I walked away from the experience thinking I had just been handed a gold nugget. I've used that same hose management technique ever since that day!
 
I'm just glad there are still young people willing to stand out in the cold and the heat just to be around airplanes. Because lets face it, there are easier and/or more lucrative ways to make money.

Whenever possible I supervise the fueling. Sure I want to make sure its done correctly, but it's also an opportunity to chat up someone. Often these people are just starting their aviation journey and it's interesting to hear their goals. Sometimes I'll offer some knowledge or advice. If it helps 1 out of 50 it was worth it.

True story: I was hanging out at the local flight school one day when a line boy came in chastised and looking for an instructor. The local helicopter pilot had just snipped at him for not parking his dolly into the wind, and the kid didn't know why. That pilot missed a golden opportunity, but I didn't. I gave everyone there....all airplane guys....a 15 minute lesson on helicopter aerodynamics. Now that he knows the why that kid will never forget the what.
 
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned reading the label on the truck. People make honest mistakes, and sometimes jumping in the Jet A truck that usually fuels helicopters before filling an avgas plane is something that is very dangerous, and easy dor us as the pilot to watch for.

One could spend all day reading accident reports about mis-fuelling, and not even scratch the surface.

Alternatively, if we all ran turbine engines, they could fill the tanks with dirty shop rags and the engine would run.
 
I feel better if I supervise all refueling on my RV7. That also goes for the Citation
that I fly for work.
 
I make sure I'm watching during the refuel, if I'm not doing it.

The one thing I wish line personnel would realize is that when they are guiding you in and you are going straight, it's very hard to see them in a tail dragger. I try to gesture that they should step to the side a little, but that never works. I try to offset myself and they step in front of the airplane again, or tell me to turn back so that I'm headed straight for them again.

So after shut down I explain the situation and politely suggest they step a
little to the side.

Thats funny. In my day job I fly a B737. Our ground crews, who marshal similar planes countless times a day, move to the Captains side but invariably stand in a way that they are blocked by the pillar between the windshield and the first side window. I get it, they are looking at the nose wheel and not me but your post made me chuckle.

Eric
 
Just ask nicely

In places where there is no self-serve, I have never had a line person refuse my polite request to let me fuel my plane. Which is what I always do.

LeRoy Johnston RV-6A Esperanza
 
In places where there is no self-serve, I have never had a line person refuse my polite request to let me fuel my plane. Which is what I always do.

Ditto. I stand in front of the filler hole and when the person walks forward with the hose I reach my hand out to take it as they approach. Never had it refused.

I did the same at the full-service-only gas stations when I was riding a motorcycle, too. Only once was refused. Drove across the street to the other station and filled there.
 
maybe somewhere in the world wide web there's a forum dedicated to line boys and they bash pilots especially RV drivers for how stupid they are.

people make mistakes, except polititcians and the OP ofcourse. if you want to get something done do it yourself.

i don't like bashing people who aren't around here and therefore can't defend themselfs.
 
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stupid student pilot tricks. instructor and i got into our cherokee and he asked me if i visually checked the fuel. i answered ''the line boy said he did''. that was the last time i ever took anybody's word on the fuel. 40 yrs ago.
 
maybe somewhere in the world wide web there's a forum dedicated to line boys and they bash pilots especially RV drivers for how stupid they are.

people make mistakes, except polititcians and the OP ofcourse. if you want to get something done do it yourself.

i don't like bashing people who aren't around here and therefore can't defend themselfs.

I worked my way through college as a line boy, then as a CFI. If pilot bashing is going on, it's likely Mooney & old Lear Jet pilots. RV pilots aren't even a blip on the radar :)
 
Old Learjet pilots

I can identify with Mooney’s and old Learjet pilots. I flew Lears for 53 years and we were always out of fuel. I had a FBO and Mooney pilots were always sure we would break the nose gear, which was easy to do. It was still a lot of fun to climb to 410 in 14 minutes when you were 23 years old and my last name is Mooney! I started out as a line boy in college.
 
Do your job!

A couple of years ago, on my way home from Oshkosh, I watched a frustrated renter/pilot of a Diamond DA62 Twin on the phone with his FBO contacts, asking how to deal with tanks that were just topped off with 100LL. The DA 62 looks very harmless and if you don't read the fuel labels one could easily assume that it needs 100LL instead of Jet A. It was West Yellowstone quite a ways away from anybody who would be competent to drain and properly dispose of a mix of Jet A and 100LL.
I felt very bad for the line boy but clearly the renter/pilot had not done his part in ensuring the right fuel was pumped into his tanks.
As for fueling yourself, really?? You are not helping the new generation of line personnel gaining confidence by taking the hose out of their hands. Show them how its done and let them do their jobs but do your job and observe.
It's an entertaining thread so far.
 
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