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5 Answers

How to easily find transient parking at visiting airports?

Asked by: 16492 views , , , , , ,
General Aviation, Private Pilot

Not sure where to look to find this information. So when I am flying into an unfamiliar airport, how do I know where I can park my plane for a bit? If I just want to park my plane for an hour or so and then depart, do I have to go to an FBO and pay their ramp fees?

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5 Answers

  1. Best Answer


    Paul on Aug 21, 2010

    Hi.  Many FBOs will charge a Ramp fee for use of their ramp.  Some will waive the ramp fee if you purchase fuel.  Some FBOs don’t charge anything.  The best way is to call ahead before you get there.

    There are many good sources for finding FBO information.  Here are my two favorite:

    1. AirNav.com

    The nice thing with AirNav is that you can view fuel prices and read comments from pilots who have used this FBO before.  You can also find local hotel and restaurant information

    2.  ForeFlight

    This is my new favorite source for finding FBO information.  Foreflight is an iPhone / iPad app that will also give you a list of FBOs on a field.   No current ability to find out fuel information or read reviews (maybe in a future version)

     

     

     

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  2. Eric Gideon on Aug 22, 2010

    Most FBOs will waive the tie-down fee if (like Paul says) you buy gas; in some cases they’ll only charge it for overnight stays.

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  3. Josh Martin on Aug 24, 2010

    I second AirNav.com. I always use that before going to an unfamiliar airport. And if the FBO has comments I’ll read them to see what others are saying about the FBO. Especially if there are more than one FBO on the field.

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  4. Iaidriver on Sep 06, 2010

    I’ll have to agree with the guys above referencing Airnav.com, it is a very handy tool. However, the most useful tool I have found is fltplan.com. Not only do you get the benefit of being able to file flight plans, it lists most of the FBO’s available at your destination airport and gives any amount of information that you could ever ask for. Also, with just a push of a button, it will automatically send a fax to the FBO you choose advising them of your arrival and other requests (rental car, hotel, etc..).
    Though both of these sites are mighty handy, they have their drawbacks as well. Any FBO who doesn’t pay to advertise on the site, does not get listed as a possible option. For example: I was flying into MIA Miami Internaional to which only one FBO was listed. Their fuel price was advertised at $6.86/gallon and my ramp fee would have been almost $350. Having been to MIA before, I knew of another place to park that isn’t advertised at all, whose fuel was $2.91/gallon cheaper! Also they have no ramp fee’s. Quite a deal…
    Sometimes you have to dig to find the best deals. In this particular case, the “secret” FBO is listed on Miami International Airport’s actual web site. Sometime’s having a few places to look for this stuff is the best option…

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  5. fbullara on Mar 26, 2013

    Hi Sagar, the best source that I’ve found that displays the location of transient parking is the “Pilots Guide to Airports”. It would be very useful if AirNav and others included this information as well as the calm wind runway.

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