Dear Charter Pilots: | TheaterFire

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capn_davey@reddit

Cold ramp etiquette 101. If you dump ice it’s FOD and coffee makes a skating rink. Find a drain or grass.

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capn_davey@reddit

Also whilst we’re having Festivus, please PLEASE actually follow deicing instructions. The only thing more fun than breathing Type I is trying to see through Type IV on the windshield.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

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Old_Produce4888@reddit

This right here. As I'm working through my pilot certs I started working P/T deicing at KDEN and it's the #1 complaint we get when newbies spray the windows with type IV. Brutal!

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Lexford@reddit (OP)

Haha no de-icing services available at my FBO.

Although having deiced at the local class b, I understand the struggle. Deicing 101, don't directly spray doors or windows. But who's out here putting type IV up by the windows, that's only for the wings and tail (with some exceptions)

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girl_incognito@reddit

Hol up... it's cold enough that ice cubes are fod but you don't deice?

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Lexford@reddit (OP)

Just because there’s ice on the ground doesn’t mean there’s ice on the plane. If a plane needs it, there’s another fbo on the field that can take care of it, although it doesn’t seem to happen too often.

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girl_incognito@reddit

Oh okay, there is deicing just not through you, got it!

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Lexford@reddit (OP)

Yeah, didn’t mean for that to sound so snarky haha

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druuuval@reddit

North Florida FBO ramp rat checking in. We have the type 1 for AA in our line shack but nobody here can use it. They bring the spray cart up, refill it and then go back down to the terminal ramp. We had the entire airport shut down for ice a few weeks ago and we couldn’t actually use any of the hundreds of gallons we had since we didn’t have equipment ourselves. There was a less than happy governor stuck here on Inauguration Day till his falcon just YOLO’d the eff up outta here, frost and all.

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semiprobookie@reddit

We always hangar when available. Don't care about ice just pain in the ass to empty the galley.

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omalley4n@reddit

This seems like it would apply to plenty of airports?

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cptnpiccard@reddit

Love when the FAs dump coffee overboard on the CRJ, and I can't fuel the aircraft because there's a 2-inch thick patch of frozen coffee over the fuel panel lol

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IndependenceStock417@reddit

Right. It doesn't freeze down here but I can't tell you how many times I've almost been burned by FAs dumping hot coffee or ice without looking out for other people first.

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jibclash@reddit

Had a g600 dump its potable on the ramp the other day when it was well below freezing. That water freezes instantly and makes for a skating rink for everyone. Dump your water before you land if you are going to be spending the night

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LearningDumbThings@reddit

I don’t fly a G600, but I suspect the water system between it and my airplane are extremely similar. The airborne purge dumps the two 20 gallon potable water tanks, but it doesn’t drain the multiple long supply lines or the three water heaters, which are each a several liters. The procedure to drain all of that is a bit involved, and we have to do it on the ramp. It ends up draining quite a bit of water from both masts even if we purged the tanks airborne.

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jibclash@reddit

Thanks for the insight. In the end I would rather the water be dumped while parked on the ramp than dumping it on the taxi way. I just don’t want to see someone fall getting off the plane because of ice.

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LearningDumbThings@reddit

Yeah, we know it sucks. If we’re especially busy near the end of the flight, and we don’t have a flight attendant on board to initiate the tank purge for us, all 40 gallons end up on the ramp. I wish we had a way to initiate the purge from the cockpit. The lines and water heaters drain from the forward and aft drain masts, but the tanks drain out the rear mast. When it’s an option, I’ve asked line to push us back so the aft mast overhangs the grass before draining everything, but that’s not always feasible.

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Flightyler@reddit

In the 121 world the rampers always drain our potable water onto the ramp and then it freezes… being born and raised in Florida I always forget about it and almost bust my ass every early morning walk around.

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cptnpiccard@reddit

Kinda crazy to me, working in boots with ice cleats, watching the pilots come out for their walk around in heels.

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Ok-Cryptographer7080@reddit

The whole pilot uniform is dumb. Why are we dressing up to go fly? You can't even see us locked away in the cockpit.

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Flippy02@reddit

Nobody said they had to be 6 inch heels either

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_toodamnparanoid_@reddit

They're called "The Captain's Stilettos," damn it. Show some respect or next time I'm not bringing the fish nets.

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Ok_Skill_2725@reddit

A man’s gotta get hired at a major somehow these days 😂

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ChicagoPilot@reddit

I had an FO tear his ACL on a walk around after he slipped on ice. That was a fun call to CS.

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Flightyler@reddit

Seeing your username reminds me of landing in ORD with freezing rain… I had literally 0 traction on the stairs and and had to put all of my weight on the railing and just slid all over the ramp. Idk how I didn’t hurt myself lol

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YeeHawHelpMe@reddit

i had to deal with your frozen lav and the pax didn’t tip

I’ve always wondered, what is charter tip etiquette?

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AIMIF@reddit

My personal rule is if they touch the Lav it’s a tip

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snowballsteve@reddit

Small time FBO with little to no service fee gets good tips. If a quick turn with no fuel cost a grand, good luck.

But honestly taking care of the regulars, goes both ways.

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Lexford@reddit (OP)

Kind of like anywhere else, always appreciated but never really expected. Some companies give their pilots money to tip the ramp agents. If your jet is a lot of work (top off, GPU, lavatory service, coffee, ice, luggage service, catering, chauffeur, quick turn), tips are definitely appreciated. Not sure about other FBOs but we're rather understaffed, so I'm often taking care of multiple aircraft and running around a LOT to get things done ASAP.

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dbhyslop@reddit

When I worked the line I remembered a big Gulfstream come in that needed all those services and everyone doing their part. I drove the flight attendant to liquor store to buy wine.

Our supervisor had impeccable timing honed from years of experience — he sat in the line shack the whole time — only emerging to approach the aircraft in the seconds before the door closed, just long enough to accept the $100 bill handed down.

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jibclash@reddit

I work on the line at an FBO and this is how it is where I’m at as well. Never expect to get a tip, but be thankful when you get one. We have certain companies and individuals that come in regularly and just know a tip will be coming, whether $5 or $100, it’s always appreciated. Curious, do you keep your tips to yourself, or pool them with your coworkers?

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Lexford@reddit (OP)

I think if the pax saw all the work that goes into making their arrival/departure smooth, we'd get tipped much more often.

Keeping/splitting the tip, it depends. If I did a lot of extra work and turned a plane by myself, I'll keep it. If a coworker worked the same plane, I'll split it. If it's a smaller tip, we have a cup we put it into in the line shack that we use to keep it stocked with snacks/soda.

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Bouchie@reddit

Thought this was about me for a second, but i got permission from ramp managers and it was in the 70's.

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TheRauk@reddit

You should see what I do with my piss bottle.

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sonk88@reddit

Make piss discs?

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_toodamnparanoid_@reddit

It's an old meme, sir, but it checks out.

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BeefyTheCat@reddit

Way of the sky, boys.

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GMTMaster_II@reddit

“I know you came from Florida” is insane

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UNDR08@reddit

Excuse me!? Maybe if the line guy would do his job……

All seriousness, this is a good point.

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Lexford@reddit (OP)

Unfortunately the line guy turned into a Jet-A popsicle filling the trunk on a beechjet

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jibclash@reddit

I feel this. It was -20f wind chill last night and I got the order to top off the wings and 150 in the trunk. It’s a pain in the ass to put a fuel cap on when you can’t feel your fingers.

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CharlieMurphay@reddit

The only people that hate the bitchjet/beechjunk more than the pilots is line 😂

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2dP_rdg@reddit

they don't keep y'all warm by firing up the engines during fueling?

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Lexford@reddit (OP)

Vaping the exhaust fumes do be hittin different

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2dP_rdg@reddit

i prefer mine mentholated.. i mean leaded

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Zinger21@reddit

Dang. I accidentally did this twice yesterday at our home airport. We almost always get parked over a drain, but the ramp was compacted snow/ice and I swore the spot I picked was the drain. Nope. Made a coffee skating rink. Thought to myself, "well it must be right here then" as I dumped the hot water. Ah crap. Sorry line guys. The brain was too happy to be home again to think right. I'll bring them inside to the sink from now on.

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-Petunia@reddit

But what if I was trying to create my own FOD to suck up and brick the engine so I could go back to the hotel?

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Lexford@reddit (OP)

Damn, 135 guys really will do anything to not go to KTEB

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capn_davey@reddit

Even Sully said “unable” to TEB.

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Lexford@reddit (OP)

Hudson River > Signature TEB

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capn_davey@reddit

I mean, they had Meridian at the time…but still. He didn’t have any mandatory altitudes at DANDY or a circling approach to the Hudson.

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Kaanapali@reddit

I got made fun of one time for walking it over to the dirt and I was like “dude, you are really going to leave it where it where it is a hazard (people slipping!)

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InformationYankee@reddit

What if I pour my coffee over the ice cubes

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cptnpiccard@reddit

I wouldn't mind, just put a clean empty cup on the ground first.

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legitSTINKYPINKY@reddit

Every single operator does this. It absolutely is not going change.

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satans_little_axeman@reddit

The FAA recognizes Resignation as a hazardous attitude.

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cptnpiccard@reddit

"I can make a difference"

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stubborn_fence_post@reddit

Addition from a charter pilot...If you need to purge your potable water system for overnight winterization, try to start it when all of the passengers are seated on final descent. A small pot of coffee is one thing, ten gallons of water can spread a long way and those drains are either near the stairs or the baggage compartments.

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