When I flew fractional, we obviously checked engine oil on every pre/post flight, and would supervise the FBO personnel servicing it. Same for O2. Nav databases were updated by MX when the aircraft went through a base. The most we did was swap the new database to active when the old one actually expired.

I wouldn't imagine many companies specifically instructing pilots to get up on a ladder (that they aren't specifically trained to use) and service oil on the jet...it's a fall risk and an OSHA/workman's comp nightmare waiting to happen.

 

You don't know bottom feeder 135

 

Until they put the wrong oil in the engine. More than once...

When I was working line service, a Falcon 10 pilot asked me to put oil in the engine. I told them they were out of their mind. We went through more than a weeks worth of training and not a lick of it was about servicing engine oil. And we were better trained than most FBO’s. Trust me. Line guys know squat about putting oil in a jet engine.

 

Well you gotta supervise. Line guys are pretty good actually... especially if pilots hang around and make sure it’s done correctly from a few feet away.

Must be a Gulfstream thing. Anyone who walks within 50 ft of it loses 50 points of IQ. Except pilots.

Must be in the manual.

Good thing they’re going away. Phew!!

 

THREE screen names and counting. Get a life John.

 

Whatever you want to call me. Just don’t call me late for dinner.

 

It’s not whatever anyone wants to call you. I lurked for years before joining and you type exactly like FLYLOW22. It’s actuslally sad that you can get banned multiple times...

 

My experience is at NJA. In addition to what the other guys have said, you'll also have to pull all the liquids off the airplane when parking it outside a heated hangar in cold weather. 30+ cans of soda, several bottles of wine, water, sparkling water, juices, all of it. You'll put it all into soft coolers or plastic tubs and have the FBO store it for you indoors. You'll also need to dump the water supply for the lavatory sink and (if applicable) the coffee maker, and the get the blue juice dumped. Then you can finally go to your hotel.

When you get back to the plane, you'll have to reverse the process and put it all back where it belongs. It's a tedious pain in the neck, so a heated hangar is always a good thing if you're lucky enough to find space in one when you get there.

Another of your major duties is keeping the plane stocked with the aforementioned liquids, along with snacks, napkins, stir sticks, sugars, creamers, plates, plasticware, cups, and so on. Supplies are kept at many locations around the country, and you'll normally replenish when you pass through those cities. Checking expiration dates on every soda can, tossing expired/broken stock, updating magazines, charging onboard iPads, and more, are all part of the duties.

 

Thanks for the responses so far. Much appreciated. I work for NJE and we basically do the same job as NJA. It seems like we have it slightly better when it comes to restock as we have ground staff in key locations who do the restock for us. However, when we are not in a restock location, we still have to replenish the galley drawers etc form our stock box which we carry in the baggage compartment.

The reason I asked about data bases and engine/APU oil is that I remembered speaking to an NJA Phenom pilot who told me that on the Phenom they are not expected to do the data bases. Is that still correct? I am on the Latitude which is basically the same in terms of data bases (a bunch of them, not just charts and nav data) and at NJE we do them all. We are also expected to do the engine oils. FBOs in Europe don't do engine oil top ups. Maintenance centers do, but they charge money so the company want us to do it. On top of the million other things we do. I don't think it's right to ask us pilots to service the engines with oil if someone else could do it for us but that's where we are at the moment. To make it worse, they even want us to do it when the jet is actually going in for maintenance, again, to save a (Euro) buck. That's where I think they are out of there minds. I've addressed it with management and they'll look into it but I was wondering how things are done elsewhere. I knew that at the bottom feeders pilots do absolutely everything but I don't think places like NetJets should be the same.

 

I left NJA last year so I don't have the latest information, but the pilots were doing the databases on the Latitude when I left. Engine oil was done by the FBO line service or maintenance unless there was no other option. I did engine oil only one time, and that was in CYYZ which said they wouldn't do it. Otherwise, the pilots just supervised the FBO staff doing it. If the FBO staff didn't, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it became a pilot task at NJA.