We both knew the answer. That's why they must charge stupidly high
rates for annual inspections, and five bucks for a quart of oil. In
the summer, when the line is hopping, they must make what they can on
those of us who fly. And even at that, they're barely breaking even
for the year, if they're lucky.

How is that different from owning an airplane? If you own one, and you
run into a spell where you don't fly much, you still pay off the loan,
do the annual, pay the tiedown...

"Success" in airplane ownership means that you hope not to divert too
much of your income into maintaining it. That's a far different
definition than success in the business world, which requires a return
on your investment in order to continue in operation.

Unless they are employees of the airport (common at smaller airports),
FBOs at medium-sized airports are a marginal business, at best. And
watching an Iowa FBO in December is like watching a time-lapse video of
a rose dying. You know the roots are still alive, but you sure can't
tell by looking at it.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"