Club Management Issue

It is not his fault that the airplane broke.

Agreed.

As a Devil's advocate point, though, it's also not a VFR pilot's fault when
the weather closes in and traps them at a remote airport. But it's still
the renter's responsiblity to get that plane back home so that other people
can use it, even if it means paying for two IFR club members to come get the
plane.


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"Geoffrey Barnes" wrote in message
k.net...
It is not his fault that the airplane broke.

Agreed.

As a Devil's advocate point, though, it's also not a VFR pilot's fault
when
the weather closes in and traps them at a remote airport. But it's still
the renter's responsiblity to get that plane back home so that other
people
can use it, even if it means paying for two IFR club members to come get
the
plane.

Actually, policies vary according to FBO and club. The club I did the most
renting from had a very explicit policy that weather-related delays or
cancellations would not incur additional fees (such as overnight tie-down,
daily minimums, etc.) Just as it's in the FBO's or club's interest to not
encourage a pilot to fly an unairworthy airplane, it is in their interest to
not encourage a pilot to fly in poor weather.

Now, it's true that if the pilot just left the plane there and took
alternative transportation home, leaving the plane for someone else to pick
up, the pilot would have to pay for those costs. But that's a different
situation from an unairworthy airplane. The FBO or club don't warrant the
weather and weather-related delays are a normal part of all flying, but they
do warrant the airworthiness of the airplane.

A renter should not be expected to sit around and wait for an airplane to be
repaired just so that the FBO or club who warranted the airworthiness of the
airplane in the first place can avoid additional expenses retrieving the
airplane. If the renter is willing to do so, they should expect their
expenses to be covered (hotel, meals, cab fare, etc.) by the owner of the
airplane, up to whatever the owner of the airplane would have spent anyway
(whether by paying for overtime service, or sending someone else to get the
airplane).

Maintenance and airworthiness *ought* to be the number one priority for any
FBO or club. Above all else, they should ensure that renters are not
expected to help cover their costs when something breaks. After all, how do
they establish and maintain trust with their customers otherwise? I
certainly wouldn't rent an airplane from an operation where I ran the risk
of having to pay for their errors.

Pete

Except that the owner IS responsible for airplane maintenance.

OTOH, the owner is generally not responsible for checking the weather
before flight.


"Geoffrey Barnes" wrote in
k.net:

It is not his fault that the airplane broke.

Agreed.

As a Devil's advocate point, though, it's also not a VFR pilot's fault
when the weather closes in and traps them at a remote airport. But
it's still the renter's responsiblity to get that plane back home so
that other people can use it, even if it means paying for two IFR club
members to come get the plane.


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I'll add to that another point, which may largely depend on the
club/school...

At the school where I used to rent from before I got into the flight club
that I am in now, if someone got stuck for weather, they would not force
you to try to get the plane back - especially if you called to let them
know ahead of time that you were anticipating the possibility of weather
delays. If someone else was scheduled on the plane after you, they would
try to find a way to make alternate arrangements so that your delay would
not impact anyone else.

However, if you decided that you could not wait it out, and wanted to
have someone come "save" you, then it was your choice, and you were
responsible for the expenses associated with doing that (ie, the cost of
two instrument rated CFIs to fly out and get you home, as well as the
rental time on both planes round trip).

They were also as accomodating as could be, though. For example, I once
got almost all the way home when the weather started closing in, and my
airport became IFR. I landed at the nearest airport I could get to (about
20 miles away), and called up and told them about my situation. I waited
most of the day, and decided it wasn't getting better quick. One of the
school instructors was already planning to take an IFR student shooting
approaches at the airport where I got stuck. So a second instructors
"hitched" a ride with him, and they dropped him off so he could save me.
As a result, they didn't charge me for any of the first CFI's time, or
the other plane's time.

Their policy was overshadowed by the feeling that no one should be
pressured into flying in poor weather. If someone can't wait for better
weather, then it is HIS decision to get "saved", and he should bear the
cost. But if you start penalizing people for getting delayed by weather,
I think you are inviting people to take risks and make bad decisions.


"Geoffrey Barnes" wrote in
k.net:

It is not his fault that the airplane broke.

Agreed.

As a Devil's advocate point, though, it's also not a VFR pilot's fault
when the weather closes in and traps them at a remote airport. But
it's still the renter's responsiblity to get that plane back home so
that other people can use it, even if it means paying for two IFR club
members to come get the plane.


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