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Hangaring when traveling - move own plane?

NM Doug

Well Known Member
I'm planning my first more-than-day-trip in my RV and found hangar space near my destination, thanks to a VAF reply to my post earlier this afternoon. The very friendly FBO employee on the phone said, "I talked to the [hangar guys], and they can fit you in."

Since I'm new to actually traveling somewhere (!), I'm curious what RVers generally do when being a guest in an FBO hangar: ask them if you could help/watch when they move the airplane? Trust them to take care of everything on their own?

I remember seeing something on VAF about this, but I can't find the relevant posts again, so feel free to direct me to those posts if that's easier than repeating everything...

Thanks,
Doug
 
Trip

Take your tow bar!

FBO's vary. Some let you do it. Others do it for you. I can't imagine anyone not letting you at least 'help' put your bird to bed. But later when you are not there, your bird may have to be moved to get others in and out, so I would leave your tow bar hooked up.

You might also take whatever you use for chocks since most FBO chocks are way big.
 
ok, since you've gotten so little response so far, other than Vern:

I almost never travel with the tow bar, and I don't expect a commercial operation other than myself to move my airplane except for ROSIE, another RV -A! driver, or someone that I've given permission to. No, really, we've been back and forth all over the country, and beyond, and I just simply let the ramp and FBO people know how much of my life I have poured into this "thing" and that I want to place it where ever they want it so that it doesn't need to be moved when I'm not there to move it. I've never had that fail so far. If it looks like the FBO simply can't accommodate such a request, I would rather tie down outside on a distant ramp (most of the time).

So, it goes like this: You pull up to the FBO ramp and the ramp guy parks you right in front of the front door for your three day stay. Ok, you shut down and shake off the flight while he places some chocks... You hop out and take a sip of water with a smile that you actually made it here and be nice to the guy. (I learn these tricks in secret from flying with other famous RV drivers.) You tell him that you would like to top off with fuel and slip him a few bill right up front. Then you compliment him on his shoes ... or, how smokin' hot his wife is, your choice, then go on to explain that clearly they don't intend to leave your airplane here. "So, where would you like me to put it?" Do you have a spot where I can push it in myself so that you don't have to move it at all? ... It almost always works.

I've seen the extremes on both ends of competence moving an RV -A! of commercial operations you don't know. From completely clueless, thinking they're going to just "hook" up to your custom wheel pants with "the tug", to the guys at the FBO in Aurora Oregon. Ha, that was my huge exception, I paused for a moment when we hopped out and they said they would move my airplane "over there", uhhhhhhh,hhhh, Yeah, OK go for it, I turned my back and off we went.

So, when traveling, NEVER, EVER, trust but your fellow RV driver. If you come visit me in my hangar or on my ramp, you must be OK with me moving your airplane (Rosie, you listening?), other than that, move it yourself or drive some tiedowns in the grass off the ramp and set it outside.
 
I agree with Scott. After I arrive and unload, the first thing I tell the guy is that I prefer to move the plane to a location that it will not have to be moved again, and I will take care of moving it for him. If I available, I prefer to rent a t hanger. If it has to be stored in a large hanger I always ask to be put in the far back corner where it does not have to be moved. I leave my towbar just in case and have a sign that slips over the prop that says "move with customer provided towbar only" and it has my phone number on it. In over 2000 hours of flying and traveling, I have never had any damage.
Most FBOs would prefer not to have to move your plane anyway.
 
I worked for an FBO as a line tech through college and they move our (big) airplanes now. Most FBO line guys are careful and try very hard to offer good service. For them, that service includes moving your aircraft for you. It comes from the service of moving jets and other larger aircraft that can not be moved by hand.
That said - many (most?) of the line guys at metro airports aren't terribly familiar with wheel pants. The nose gears on jets are MUCH more durable and there's nothing to break or scratch. Many line techs will think nothing of hooking a 75 pound towbar and a 10,000 lb tug to your airplane and off they go.

I'm like Scott. "Hey man, how's it going? I'm here for a few days and we'll need some fuel before I go. Where would you like me to put it? It can't really be moved with the tug and I can just taxi / push it where ever you want." Then, give them the "OK to touch here and here, but not here or here" briefing.
 
This is turning out to be another positive to having a tail dragger. Most larger FBO's have a policy against moving tail draggers and I am fine with that.

One of the only times a large FBO moved my airplane was in Asheville, NC and they ran my wing up on a traffic cone that dented the bottom of my wing. I noticed it as soon as I walked out on the ramp. They offered a $0.10 fuel discount. A-holes.
 
Airplanes get damaged in all kind of ways. Once, pre-RV, my C-182 was tied down at an FBO in Austin, Texas overnight and when I came back I discovered that one of the line guys driving a "Follow Me" cart had driven under the edge of the left wing and clipped the aileron with one of side of his follow me sign uprights, requiring a replacement of the aileron.

I try to pick a location when I travel that has self service gas, and I gas up when I first arrive and then taxi my RV to a spot that I can tie it down outside and not have to worry about it being moved. I figure there is less chance of weather damage than damage from FBO's moving my airplane.
 
I learned my lesson during a two-day layover at Mobile Regional. Upon arrival I was marshalled to park for unloading on the ramp where the business jets came and went.

I was told the RV-6 would be moved and tied down by line staff. I installed the tie-down rings and discussed moving the plane with a lineman. I came back in two days to find the plane in the same location and it had never been tied down..........fortunately it was the two days in Mobile each year with no thunderstorm.....

Lesson learned.
 
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