First time flying in USA (and going to the USA to do the FAA IR)

MedEwok wrote:

I found it interesting that you mention SVFR as a peculiarity for the US when we have the same thing in Europe.

I didn’t mention it as a ‘peculiarity’, just as another tool in the box. I don’t think I ever used it flying in Europe while I use it regularly here.

Welcome to EuroGA MO !
Glad to help another European going for a US flying adventure ! I made a flying trip in the Northeast US in 2016, it was a blast.

All posts above have great content : use FF (ForeFlight) and FF (Flight Following)

At 95% of all FBOs, you will not be charged for anything except fuel. Landing/parking fees are more common in areas where real estate is expensive like SF, LA, or southern Florida.
FBO usually have 2 rates for fuel : self serve (DIY) or full serve (they do it for you) which is slightly more expensive.
It is rare to get a bad experience at an FBO, they are pretty much all customer-oriented. Most are very happy to see a European, even Frenchmen are welcome in Southern Kentucky, would you believe that ?

Advice #1 : always check Airnav.com before going anywhere. Foreflight has a nice FBO feedback feature too, but Ainav gathers both technical data, remarks, and FBO fuel rates. That way you’ll know everything before you get there.
Advice #2 : have fun, don’t be scared. ATC will get out of their way to help you and no FBO will leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere.

MO wrote:

I don’t completely understand the FBO situation. If, for example, I fly somewhere, leave the plane overnight, but don’t need fuel, I can just use transient parking? If I park at the FBO instead, will I be charged for parking?

Transient parking is usually handled by the FBO. Not all airports will have an FBO, many airports will be unattended or only have a facility manned by a county employee. Most FBO will charge an overnight fee and waive it if you purchase gas. Typical overnight fee is $10 to $20. Larger airports have a handling fee, which is frequently waived if you purchase a minimum amount of fuel. Fuel prices vary greatly. Today fuel at Charlotte is $6.22/Gal. Most of the surrounding airports sell gas at under $5.00 per gallon with the lowest around $4 per gallon. Charlotte charges a ramp fee of $20 for a Cessna 172 or a purchase of 10 gallons, this would apply if you picked up a passenger up or dropped off a passenger at the Charlotte FBO, overnight fee is probably more. So avoid the major airports served by the airlines. ForeFlight will have all the pricing information and FBO information you will need.

Just to clarify the FBO situation slightly more, many smaller airports are operated by the county who are likely to have a modest overnight fee. These often operate on an honesty basis with envelopes that you leave in a drop box containing the money (usually less than $10).

+1 for shopping around for fuel, and also for (believe it or not) haggling! Actually at Charlotte, I mentioned the price of the fuel (referring to “almost European levels” or somesuch) and was immediately offered a discount! This at Wilson air, who greet you on the ramp with Ice cream! But to second NCYankee’s view on big airports, taxying can be a chore and at Charlotte I was told to “close up on the jet in front” which I politely declined since I was already getting sandblasted by their exhaust!

One more thought about self-serve fuel. It’s an issue I have run into before moving to the US – like at gas stations here, if you pay with your credit card, the machine will ask you the ZIP code (post code) of your billing address. Which, of course, isn’t going to work with a European card. I don’t know how widespread the issue is, but it’s something to bear in mind. If you plan to fly a lot to really small airfields, it might be a good idea to get one of those pre-pay debit/credit cards in the US.

Personally I almost never self-fuel (must have been years), I quite enjoy the comfort of the FBOs. Free coffee (sometimes even espresso – yeah!), fruit, a planning room, rest lounges and often some sort of transport (crew car, bikes, golf cart) to get around.

Great thread with good info, makes flying in europe „hurt“ a little bit compared to how easy things go in the usa. I had my first introductory flight (lesson) at Monroe Airport just outside of Charlotte.
If you buy a Stratux (amazon – crewdogelectronics) you can use ads-b to pick up traffic and weather.

172driver wrote:

One more thought about self-serve fuel. It’s an issue I have run into before moving to the US – like at gas stations here, if you pay with your credit card, the machine will ask you the ZIP code (post code) of your billing address.

Typically for UK postcodes you use the numbers in your postcode and add zeros to make 5 digits. No idea if this works for other European countries.

No idea if this works for other European countries.

It does for my German ZIP code. I‘m from Nebraska, BTW ;-)

I can’t recall having to type in my postal code for a self serve AVGAS pump, but maybe that’s because I do it so often when filling the car and bike that it doesn’t register! That said, I seem to remember a friend from Germany used my home zip code when buying gas for a rental car, and it worked. Probably for him and his German credit card, any US zip code would be accepted.

You do typically have to enter the aircraft tail number when buying fuel, I think because they’re legally only supposed to sell it for aircraft.

US airports almost always have a county ramp, so FBOs are mostly optional. If I’m feeling lazy I’ll park at the county ramp and call the FBO fuel truck, if I’m more energetic upon arrival I’ll stop for self-serve on the way to parking. It’s usually a 25 cent/gallon difference in price.

At smaller unattended airports with no FBO, for a stop of a few hours (not overnight), only rarely would anyone get uptight if you just park the plane wherever things looked good. If there are any, use the envelopes and drop box for overnight stops, as mentioned by others.

ForeFlight shows gas prices on an overlay you can select, and its worth checking as part of route planning.

PS @MO it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a 1980s Flying Brick being hustled along