"gatt" wrote in message
...

While preflighting the Arrow yesterday afternoon I watched a C172 pull up
through the tiedown T right next to me. Not sure why he didn't stop right
at the chains. Instead, he pulled ahead and stopped.

As he was beginning to push the airplane back, the other FBO C172 darted
in
from behind and took the first guy's parking spot like it was a friggin'
shopping mall parking lot at Christmas.

So, for a second, while I watched, one pilot was pushing his airplane
back,
toward the other, who was moving up on his tail at greater than walking
speek with his engine running. When his prop stopped about 2 feet from
the
first airplane's tail. To the immediate right of the airplanes was the
other FBO tiedown spot, which was perfect empty, because that's where the
2nd aircraft was normally tied down.

The pilot of the first plane decided to walk off his anger. The pilot of
the second acted absolutely oblivious, as if it was the other guy's fault
for almost pushing his airplane back into the guy's prop. He just shrugged
the whole incident off and went about his business. No harm, no foul.
Another pilot came along a bit later and helped the first pilot drag the
airplane to the empty spot right next to them.

Here's the catch: The FBO owner explicitly forbids taxiing in from the
back
because of clearance issues. Specifically, because a newly-minted private
pilot had tried to hotrod the 172 into the tiedown a couple of months ago
and banged wings with the other 172. The damage was between spars, so
the
repair was $900 and some Bondo. Three weeks ago his instructor was
terminated for doing the SAME THING, except, fortunately, he didn't hit
the
wing. Made such a racket jockeying the brakes and the throttle between
airplanes, though, that people complained.

It turns out the pilot who had the collision had done nearly the same thin
g
returning from his checkride...except, fortunately, the other plane was a
transient Bonanza. DURING THIS GUY'S CHECKRIDE, his wingtip passed right
over the Bonanza's, and he PASSED.

So in the last couple of months I've seen four people not just break the
FBO
policy, but taxi like idiots all but parallel parking their airplanes
around
others, and near prop-strike that would have showered me with debris, and
both of the FBO Cessnas scratched or dented by a guy who nearly collided
with a Bonanza while passing his checkride.

WTF is going on here?! And how can you even pass a checkride if your wing
passes over the wing of a parked aircraft?

The fellow who runs the FBO is a retired cop, mayor and career Marine.
He's
gonna blow a gasket when he hears about it, but I believe it's my duty to
report what I saw almost happen to his airplanes. Thoughts?

-c



Gorge Winds ramp is large enough it would take a very unsafe pilot to bang
something up or even hit another airplane. I would contact the pilot and
have a discussion with them about it first remind them of the rules and tell
them that if you see it happen again it will be brought to Gorge Winds
attention. If the pilot don't understand or is unresponsive, rude then yes
bring it to attention Gorge Winds because I would not want that fellow
taxiing near my airplane and if they keep damaging the aircraft the rates
you will pay will go up.