AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2014 - 12

LETTERS

FROM OUR NOVEMBER 2013 ISSUE

Traveling by GA
AOPA Photographer Chris Rose shared his insights on how to travel well, gleaned from
lots of hours flying GA-with lots of heavy camera gear.
I just finished Chris Rose's article on "Traveling by GA." As a
30-plus-year pilot and airplane
owner with more than 4,000
wonderful hours of air travel,
I am pleased to say that, not
only did I enjoy the article, but
I learned something as well.
His pointers on soft bags
are spot on; you would be
amazed at how much stuff you
can cram into a fuselage with
these bags. Other very useful suggestions were made
in the "after landing" portion of the article. Utilizing
FBOs and their courtesy cars,
hotels, et cetera, should be
common knowledge, but the
tipping part is something that
is probably underutilized,
and is huge in the thank you
department. Thanks for the
entertainment and knowledge. Keep up the good work
Ford Wilson
AOPA 761760
Oak Harbor, Washington

I have been out of aviation for
many years and just returned
and purchased a Cessna 400.
I appreciated the $20-tip suggestion for the hotel front desk.
What about who/what amount
to tip at FBOs? I would appreciate any guidance you have in
this area. I have asked several
people and not gotten any info
that I can use.
Pat O'Brien
AOPA 620577
St. Petersburg, Florida

Chris Rose responds: FBOs that
cater to business jets will often
provide similar services for transient single-engine aircraft. These
can include having a rental car
12 | AOPA PILOT January 2014

ownership

Traveling by GA
Making the best mode of transportation even better
By Chris rose

ReGARdless of whAT foRm of transportation you use to get where

you're going, traveling by its nature is challenging and inconvenient. we humans have a lot of stuff, and when we are forced to
condense it down to a bag or two, it's not easy-even for an experienced traveler. i have come to the realization that i will never be
a toothbrush-underwear-and-credit-card-only kind of traveler-
and the 80 pounds of camera gear that accompanies me by default
assures this. however, experience (read a whole lots mistakes) has
produced some tips that might make your next general aviation trip
a bit more pleasant.
PAckinG. Unless you have an airstair with more than three steps,
pack your bulky hard-sided luggage with ugly Christmas sweaters and give it to Goodwill-soft luggage such as duffels, garment
bags, and backpacks are the way to go. AopA senior editor Dave
hirschman turned me on to military-style helmet bags. They're
durable, hold more than you expect, and cost as little as $25. i own
three, and bring as many as necessary for the length of the trip. Their
size is perfect for hat shelves, unused footwells, and other tight
spaces. They come in any color you want, as long as you want black
or green. As for the physical packing itself, few are better experienced at this than our soldiers-search phrases such as "military
packing" on YouTube for expert advice. if you're questioning your

need to pack a specific article of clothing, leave it at home; instead,
make note of the closest walmart, factory-seconds store, or, once
again, Goodwill for that bulky sweatshirt that you might need.
in The cockPiT. Feeling tired, uncomfortable, or ill is a surefire way
to begin a trip on the wrong foot. Drink more water than you want
to, and stay away from alcohol. Air at altitude is thinner and dryer-
repeat after me, water good, vodka bad. save the martini for the
hotel pool.
Visit a quality golf shop, even if you don't golf. why? Because
the golf industry has developed some of the most advanced clothing
(especially pants) that set the standard for comfort and wrinklefree(ness). And, as a bonus, many are cut less like hiking pants and
more like dress pants, so that client meeting may not have to involve
changing upon arrival. if you are planning on hitting the links, check
out the many undersized golf bags by companies such as Trav-ALite, Datrek, and nike. if all else fails, pick up a cheap rifle case-it
works, and will certainly make other golfers think twice before hitting into you.
eat, but eat well. even experienced pilots and passengers can
experience motion sickness at times, and an empty stomach can
make it worse. Dried fruit and almonds are always a solid choice-
they require no refrigeration, take up very little space, and pack a

www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 89

wet) for coolers, and even having sandwiches from the local
deli delivered and waiting for
your departure. I once tipped five
pounds of salmon and $20 for an
FBO to store 60 pounds of fish
from a trip to Alaska for a week-
they even handled the shipping to
me complete with dry ice!
For most services, $5 to $10
will do the trick. Admittedly I
tend to tip slightly on the high
side at FBOs, mostly because I
will probably see them again,
and they're looking after a large
personal investment. As I'm sure
you can imagine, FBO desk staff
deal with a lot of, how should I
say, strong personalities. So a
smile and five bucks can go further than you might think. I
always begin my request with I
was hoping you could help me.
Never I need or When you get a
chance. My experience has been
that people are far more willing
to assist if they feel that they are
doing you a favor rather than
following a demand-regardless
of a big tip or not. If you need a
rough guideline, I usually figure
about $1 to $2 per minute that
they have to stop what they're
doing to fulfill your request.

service. Meal and service great?
Most tip 15 to 20 percent. Meal
and service just so-so? Most
still tip 15 to 20 percent. Why?
Because it's expected, and that's
the key to tipping smartly. Tip
a cab driver, waitress, or hotel
bellman (and we should), you
are likely to receive only the
service that you have already
gotten. However, a tip given to
someone who is rarely tipped
(prior to a pleasant request)
will often result in enthusiastic
assistance. Most people actually
do enjoy helping someone, and
a well-placed gratuity is (and
should be) a way of saying I
value your extra effort. If I need
to know where I can buy shaving
cream at 2 p.m., a hotel concierge
will be happy to assist for a couple
of bucks. If I need to know where I
can get a beer, a cheeseburger, and
an iPhone charger at 2 a.m., five
dollars to valet or maintenance
staff might even get a ride to the
store.-CR

David Epperson
AOPA 975372
Tyler, Texas

P&E

expect it to be doing next. This
will put you in a good position
to take over if the autopilot
develops a mind of its own.
Use only the subset of autopilot modes you really need.

"One trick I use all
the time is to ask for
air crew discount at
hotels. It works 90
percent of the time
and it can be interesting savings. The
FBOs ask most of
the time but not systematically. I even
Autobrain
ask for it when not
Having recently transitioned
traveling by GA ;
to a G1000 with a GFC 700
autopilot, I offer the followsometimes they
ing advice to those new to this
just ask to see my
technology, especially occacertificate."
"Would you please sional users and those using
multiple platforms:
Daniel Villeneuve
AOPA 5481658
Always know what you
elaborate on the
Longueuil, Canada
expect the aircraft to be doing
details of how to "tip now (airspeed, heading, altitude, et cetera) and what you
smartly?"

ready, warmed up, and brought
out to your airplane for loading/unloading, fresh ice (dry/

All too often, we (especially in
the United States) tip based
on tradition and social norms
rather than the quality or level of

http://www.aopa.org/pilot

AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2014