Pilot's Month-Long Wedding Tour Highlights Airport and FBO Selection Tips for GA Trip Planning
Why It MattersThe pilot's price comparisons show how widely FBO fuel and ramp charges differ between neighbouring airports, a spread that favours smaller non-towered fields over major airports in general aviation travel.
A general aviation pilot who flew his own airplane for a month to attend weddings in several locations has published trip-planning advice based on the journey. The route ran from Flagler Beach, Florida (FIN) to Dover, Delaware (33), Burlington, Vermont (BTV), Montreal, Canada (YHU and YJN) and Sault Ste. Marie, with weddings in Montreal and Wisconsin and stops including the Teddy Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota, Devil's Tower and five days in Yellowstone National Park.
The author recommends defining the mission first, listing the destinations, and connecting the airports in a flight-planning app to check the sequence and distances. Where a leg exceeds fuel range or the crew's comfort and fatigue limits, he suggests a fuel stop roughly halfway, scanning within about 50 miles of that point for an acceptable avgas price, or an overnight hotel stop. He also advises entering days, hotels, rental cars and FBOs into an electronic calendar.
On airport and FBO selection, he notes that major airports typically carry the highest fuel prices and fees, and he begins with non-towered airports close to town. He advises checking approach minimums, available services and transportation, and calling FBOs to confirm fees, fuel availability (especially for after-hours arrivals) and any special-event fees, which can rise sharply during major events.
At Burlington (BTV), the only FBO, Heritage Aviation, charged $8.15 per gallon for avgas, a $45 per night tie-down fee and a $6.00 landing fee, with a $25 ramp fee waived on a purchase of at least 10 gallons. At Montréal Metropolitan Airport (YHU), the HUB FBO charged nearly $9.00 per gallon in U.S. dollars, a $67 ramp fee and an $81 nightly tie-down fee; the pilot cleared customs there and then moved to St. Jean Airport (YJN), where avgas was about $7.00 per gallon and tie-down was $35 per week, but with largely self-service handling.
