If you’re used to big, busy airports with full-service FBOs, it might be confusing to taxi onto a ramp at a smaller, sleepier airport. Without someone in an orange vest hustling out to wand you into place, figuring out where to park can be a bit baffling. You don’t want to block the right-of-way for other arrivals, but it’s not always clear which ramp areas are designated for transient customers and which ones are spoken for. (Note to FBOs: a big ‘Transient Parking Here’ sign really helps, as does a large ‘Entrance’ sign over the preferred door to the terminal.) Conversely, if you’re used to a relaxed ramp atmosphere, it can be intimidating to venture onto a busy airport. It might seem one false move or wrong turn could gum up the works for everyone else.
Last week I stopped at bustling White Plains (HPN) in Westchester, New York, to pick up a friend. The mission was a flight to a class reunion outside Boston. Because I used to write a column about FBOs, they know me at Avitat Westchester. So even though they don’t sell avgas (and don’t see a lot of piston traffic), that’s where I arranged to meet my friend. The wind was calm, so to make life easier, I asked for Runway 11 instead of Runway 16, which was called out on the ATIS. That made for a shorter, less complex taxi to the ramp for me, and less congestion for larger aircraft on Runway 16. Though I’d called ahead, many FBOs also have more formal online registration forms, and they monitor FlightAware or other Internet-based traffic programs so they’re poised and ready for action as soon as you hit the ramp. If you’re not familiar with the airport layout, you can call the FBO and ask if there are any local tricks for negotiating traffic to and from the ramp.
