I belong to and participate in AVSIG (Aviation Special Interest Group), the oldest pilot forum online. It is an endless source of information and recreation.
“AVSiggers†get together when possible to eat, swap lies, and perhaps imbibe a bit of adult beverages. These get togethers are called “gigs.†A small gig is called a mini gig. This week a member from Arkansas came to our area on a business trip and several of us arranged a mini gig for barbecue right across the street from the Asheville, NC, airport. And damned good barbecue it was, too.
Our Arkansas friend flew over in his lovely and well-equipped Turbo Saratoga. For a fuel stop he selected from the AOPA airport directory a smallish airport that supposedly was attended during the day, but offered self-service fueling. He landed, found no attendant, tried the self fueling but the credit-card machine didn’t work. He left, and had to make another stop elsewhere.
This is one of the most frustrating experiences in aviation. It hurts the pilot badly, particularly at today’ fuel prices. It hurts AOPA as publisher of the airport directory. It adds to general aviation travel a degree of uncertainty our industry can ill afford.
Our friend was not joyriding. He was headed for a tradeshow where he and employees of his firm were to set up an exhibit that was very important to the company. This was a business trip. An extra fuel stop takes time, of course. Some people say it is impossible to stop for fuel in less than an hour. I’ve done it faster than that, but not much faster and not often.
Finally, of course, an incident like this hurts the airport and the fuel seller. Although my friend is an easy-going fellow, I wonder if he will ever again stop at that airport. Would you?
BTW, we were a group of four. Only one of us partook of the adult beverages. Two of us had to drive some distance afterwards, and another was driving a motorcycle. The fourth person, who was the passenger of the designated driver of his car, did enjoy the specialty beer of the house. I was proud of us.
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