I just received an e-mail from an acquaintance outlining the stunningly bad experiences he had with airplane rental at an FBO near his new home. He loves to fly but according to more than one pilot, the only FBO near him is utterly indifferent to its rental fleet and customers. He’s about to take his considerable discretionary recreation money and spend it on something else.
With all of the hand-wringing we do about pilots who quit flying, I’ve wondered why one of GA’s significant business problems—crummy, unprofessional rental experiences—continues unabated. I’ve watched too many pilots quit flying because the only operator in the area made the rental experience a pain in the whatsis rather than fun.