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From: cfiaime@ihnp3.UUCP (Jeff Williams)
Newsgroups: net.aviation
Subject: Re: Fixed Base Operators - Comments and Impressions
Message-ID: <159@ihnp3.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 27-Sep-85 09:54:01 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihnp3.159
Posted: Fri Sep 27 09:54:01 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 29-Sep-85 04:54:17 EDT
References: <156@ihnp3.UUCP> <1668@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Reply-To: cfiaime@ihnp3.UUCP (45261-J. Williams)
Organization: ATT Bell Labs
Lines: 65

In article <1668@brl-tgr.ARPA> wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin (DRXAL-RI) ) writes:
>In article <156@ihnp3.UUCP> cfiaime@ihnp3.UUCP (Jeff Williams) writes:
>>
>>...in Petersburg, Virginia, ...  The FBO was very unpleasant, to the
>>point of calling the FAA and complaining that I was doing illegal 
>>low-level aerobatics in an illegal airplane.  (I saw the FAA arrive
>>in a State of Virginia King Air on my first take off.)  While I supposedly
>>was endangering life and limb at the airport, I was snarffing up some
>>good biscuits and gravy in downtown Petersburg.  Truely not a friendly
>>reception.
>>
>Well, you've left us hanging on this one... What happened?!?! Did he
>mistake some other aircraft that really was doing illegal things for
>yours? Or did he make it up out of meanness or an inherently evil
>nature? How did you find out about it -- did the FAA contact you?
>
>I hope you are suing this FBO!
>

More on the Petersburg incident.  Those of you who remember the February
Private Pilot magazine  have seen a picture of the Starhawk.  As mentioned
in the magazine, Condor Enterprises of Sugar Grove is wanting to put the
airplane into production.  The powers that exist in Dinwiddie County, 
Virginia, are making a bid for the factory.  

When we arrived from Patuxant River, Maryland, the FBO was to wash the
airplane and generally get it ready for the county and state officials
to look at.  There was very little time to do this, seeing that the Navy
extended the test program up to the last possible instant.  Anyway, when
we arrived at Petersburg, the FBO started making comments about how any
homebuilder could make an airplane such as this, and why is it so special,
and how tatty it was looking.  (As for tatty, if you had spend a week with
the Navy at Pax River, you would look tatty, too.  They worked that poor
airplane, and crew, to death.)  

The county officials had arranged for the FBO to wash, and hangar the
airplane, and to give the crew a lift to the local HoJo's to get cleaned
up for the evening's meetings.  They did wash the airplane, but did not
care for the crew as they promised.

On the following morning, he called the FAA about the Starhawk before
we even started flying.  When I landed after the first flight, the 
FAA asked me to get out of the airplane and show them my license, logbook
(which never travels with me), medical, pack date on the parachutes, 
the airplane papers, and the like.  The FED then proceeded to lecture
me on proper aerobatics (not over towns, over 1500 feet AGL, in VFR
conditions, with a parachute, in a properly certificated airplane).  
Because the FAA did not witness the "illegal" display, they would not
violate me.  There were also some fairly ironclad alibis, such as the
county adminstrator and representatives of the governer's office, and the
press, and other county officials.  I got off with a slap on the wrist,
or a talking to.

About this time, several Marine helecopters landed.  They were from 
Pax River, and were wondering what we were up to?  They also explained
the facts of life to the FAA as to what the airplane was doing on the
east coast.  Later, the FAA apologized for the misunderstanding.
Matter of fact, the GADO staff in Richmond are pretty nice people.

The FBO is in business, but the county officials (who signed the lease)
are angered.  The president and vice president of Condor are both 
lawyers, and will handle the legal aspects of the situation.

					jeff williams
					ihnp3!cfiaime