The other day I made a short flight over to an airport about 45 miles away, and just because it is something I have been doing lately, I checked up on the status of the courtesy car (if any). Sure enough, there it was, easily identifiable by a left rear window half open, that would not roll up, and the left rear door that wouldn't open. If there was any doubt, there was a sign on the drivers door: COURTESY CAR. Malad Dave and I, purely as an excercise, started looking for the keys, and after checking all the obvious places in the car gave it up and looked in the unlocked shack that is the pilot lounge (perfect, full length couch, TWO bathrooms, and funky enough so you wouldn't feel awkward rolling your sleeping bag out on the couch, just right), and after several minutes decided there was no "secret code" or other hints posted as to how in the hell one would go about getting the frigging keys for the car. No phone # to call, nothing.

Dave took off, and as I got ready to leave some people walked out of a hangar some distance away, and having invested some effort in the key thing ( I did'nt need the car, but I like to keep current on the availability just in case), asked them, they indicated there was a fellow in the hangar they had just exited that would know. Sure enough he said try the house back down the way I had just came from (way funky, looked uninhabited) so and so the airport manager has them, if he isn't there the hangar office right next door has them. I tried the house, locked and no signage, and the same with the hangar.

The point of all this is what in the hell good is a needed by a transit pilot (not me, not then) courtesy car if you can't find the keys? And....is the airport manager derilect in his duty by not having SOME system for the unexpected pilot who is after all responsible for his gig of living free at the airport? If those visitors had not walked out of the hangar when they did, I had no clue as to where to try next, and I'm pretty sure the guy who advised me to try the two other locations (and also went on to say if they're not there check back with me) doesn't live there 24/7, so another hit or miss iffy deal to get the keys. I plan to follow up on this at said airport, why have it there if you can't access it unless all the planets line up (someone happens to be there) screw that! I have had the problem many times in the past, and just lately am starting to bitch about it! Ahhh, I feel better already...thanks for listening.

This attitude seems to be happening way to often. To many airport managers that don't fly or have never traveled cross country. Most courtesy cars aren't worth stealing , but they serve the purpose of getting into town when passing thru. Yet some manager wants to show his authority by holding the keys, or making a rule that the car has to be back by 4:30. What good is that for getting a motel or having supper after they go home
I place said its an insurance issue, if that's the case AOPA & EAA should make a plan to insure courtesy cars, they are already in the insurance business. Towns wonder why an airport wont bring in revenue but they wont donate a wore out cop car to bring in revenue.
I suggest every time you drive a courtesy car and spend money in a town let the business owner know that you are there because the airport had a courtesy car

Sounds a little like bear lake. What a PITA to only be able to get the keys from the crabby Guy that wants a copy of your license. There is something worse though, I landed in wolfpoint MT and couldn't get back in to my plane when I wanted to leave early in the morning. The ugly green book we're all supposed to have supposedly lists after hours instructions about calling sheriff dispatch.

Just a random thought on curtesy cars, in Idaho the state legislature has decided that no airport can have a curtesy car if it has Taxi Cab service available, no exceptions (I've heard many evil words about this at Caldwell over the last 19 years). However the state department of transportation provides curtesy cars (mostly high milage retired ITD vehicles) to several airports that do not have cab service, and a lot of other airports have curtesy cars that run, but not much else can be said of them.

In at least one instance that I know of, an unknown pilot apparently used the courtesy car, and when he/she returned to the airport placed the courtesy car keys in his pocket, and flew away.....

And, no, it wasn't me

As to Wolf Point.....now THAT is a town that needs a little security

MTV

Nosedragger wrote:Sounds a little like bear lake. What a PITA to only be able to get the keys from the crabby Guy that wants a copy of your license. There is something worse though, I landed in wolfpoint MT and couldn't get back in to my plane when I wanted to leave early in the morning. The ugly green book we're all supposed to have supposedly lists after hours instructions about calling sheriff dispatch.

Preston.

I was/am thinking of using it as an alternate breakfast fly-out when the weather is no good towards Alpine. There needs to be some thinking done, by others not me, on some universal, or at least Idaho and Montana where I spend most of my time, secret type code that tells the drop in pilot where the keys are, just complicated enough to obfuscate a joy riding beer drinking teenager (and satisfy the paranoid instincts of suspicious airport key guardians) but not the typical pilot. That could be tricky I know! The other plan I have is to, when I have the time, call ahead and make sure the keys are available, get the car and drive right to a locksmith and make a copy, pretty soon I'd be exceeding gross but that way at least I'd know I had a ride whereever I went. Solo, I got the folding bike, and that has spoiled me I guess, all this reminds me WHY I have the bike.

Don't know what's there now, but I got a kick out of the courtesy car at Kamiah, ID, some years ago, a 48 Merc sedan. The keys were on a chain attached to the dashboard, so that they couldn't be accidentally pocketed. Of course, not likely the car would be stolen, or in some cases even started, unless the driver was old enough to know the nuances of flathead V8s!

Cary

Dang, I might be inclined to steal a 48 Merc... We're talking classic there.

In Plentywood, MT, they have a keybox on the wall of the pilot lounge, and a phone right next to it. Pick up the phone and it rings through to the local police/sheriff dispatcher. The dispatcher gets your driver's license number, verifies it on their computer, and gives you the combination to get into the lockbox.

Apparently, the "joyriding, beer swilling teenagers" found that courtesy car and the results weren't real pretty. BUT, they still have a courtesy car, albeit you gots to go through a few hoops to get there.

MTV

Just came across the states. Didn't find a courtesy car in Mt anywhere I landed? Iowa however had one everywhere I landed. Keys were in them. I asked one of the FBO managers if they ever got stolen. He said his has disappeared a few times, but it always comes back

Interesting, Montana Aeronautics works hard to try to get courtesy cars at as many airports in the state as possible. They have a policy where people donate cars, Aeronautics runs them through the state DOT shop to ensure they're safe and will (generally) run, then places them at airports that request them.

I've found courtesy cars at a number of Montana airports. Not sure if MT Aeronautics has a list or not.

MTV

Cary wrote:Don't know what's there now, but I got a kick out of the courtesy car at Kamiah, ID, some years ago, a 48 Merc sedan. The keys were on a chain attached to the dashboard, so that they couldn't be accidentally pocketed. Of course, not likely the car would be stolen, or in some cases even started, unless the driver was old enough to know the nuances of flathead V8s!

Cary

Cary,

There probably weren't any car thieves who could figure out what that pedal on the left was for.

Doc

MBDiagMan wrote:There probably weren't any car thieves who could figure out what that pedal on the left was for.

Now I have an image in my head of a teenager hopping in the car, trying to start it, and freaking out when the car tried to move (as it should be in gear when parked)...

I don't know where the 48 Mercury in Kamiah came from, the last time I was there they had an old city cop car, whitch was originally an ISP car that was retired at 100,000 miles and sold to the city cheap. They left the keys in the switch and if it would start you could use it.

courierguy wrote:

Nosedragger wrote:Sounds a little like bear lake. What a PITA to only be able to get the keys from the crabby Guy that wants a copy of your license. There is something worse though, I landed in wolfpoint MT and couldn't get back in to my plane when I wanted to leave early in the morning. The ugly green book we're all supposed to have supposedly lists after hours instructions about calling sheriff dispatch.

Preston.

I was/am thinking of using it as an alternate breakfast fly-out when the weather is no good towards Alpine. There needs to be some thinking done, by others not me, on some universal, or at least Idaho and Montana where I spend most of my time, secret type code that tells the drop in pilot where the keys are, just complicated enough to obfuscate a joy riding beer drinking teenager (and satisfy the paranoid instincts of suspicious airport key guardians) but not the typical pilot. That could be tricky I know! The other plan I have is to, when I have the time, call ahead and make sure the keys are available, get the car and drive right to a locksmith and make a copy, pretty soon I'd be exceeding gross but that way at least I'd know I had a ride whereever I went. Solo, I got the folding bike, and that has spoiled me I guess, all this reminds me WHY I have the bike.

Soda Springs has a ex police Ford Explorer and a cool little breakfast nook where you can watch the geyser go off. Can't remember the name of it but it's the Motel/Restaurant right at the Geyser. I thought it was interesting that the Department of Interior made them put it on a timer so-as not to screw up Old Faithful, some distance away. Courtesy Car scenario is pretty fouled up but I think Montana does it right, usually the car is under a shade port and there's a key box mounted to the wall that opens with the CTAF code.

Montana has the best car setup, at least compared to Idaho and Wyoming. Maybe I have just been lucky there?

I should mention the (past) courtesy car at Preston was joyrided some 50 or 60 miles a few years back by one of those pesky teenagers, and eventually found at a nearby Indian Res out of gas but other wise undamaged. So while they may be a bit gun shy, what are the odds of it happening again? The one thing that bugged me at Preston: no clearly posted phone #'s, though even that is a PITA compared to just finding the keys where ever and heading out. Lets put this in perspective, other then the '48 Merc, these are donated (good tax write off for a beater you can't sell) gas hogs that are worth on average less then $1,000.00, most a LOT less.

It would be interesting to do some sort of study as to what kind of trouble courtesy cars and their drivers have gotten into, and then break that down into the entire number of cars in a certain state, get some numbers, and see if there is a clear and present danger or like I think "no big deal" as to the hazards of these aging beaters and their pilot drivers. Probably less then the general population car problems would be my guess. At some point I'll drop back into Preston and follow up on this, and see if, as an example of a poorly accessed courtesy car situation, it can be improved. Maybe if we all bitched enough, in a productive/constuctive way of course, it would help all of us.

BTW: The Soda Springs Geyser is entirely man controlled, a city employee turns a big gate valve and there ya go, the geyser just went off! A lady friend who is a past stand up comedian and then a city cop and now a newspaper columinist did a story on it. Still impressive to see though!