Full Service Garage...

[xylstra]

Remember the good old days when petrol stations would give you service with a smile? Small bits of maintenance were never a problem with the courteous attendant fussing over things. All that disappeared when mid-air re-fuelling came onto the scene..... or did it?

 

[ThomasP]

There have been at least 3 times in the past (that I remember) when I saw a small civil aircraft being serviced at an auto garage. Two of them were single-engine and 1 was-twin engine. The last time was about 7 years ago. They were not agricultural aircraft.

 

[xylstra]

There have been at least 3 times in the past (that I remember) when I saw a small civil aircraft being serviced at an auto garage. Two of them were single-engine and 1 was-twin engine. The last time was about 7 years ago. They were not agricultural aircraft.

I remember we once had a PIPER Cherokee come in for maintenance. The pilot -owner was a farmer. When we accessed the rear-most tail section we found a well sized birds-nest in the back! (presumably he may have had a hankering for fried eggs on the run!).

 

[GrauGeist]

When I was a kid, GA was still very popular and there were skyparks and Air ranches all over.

Flying out to the desert for a weekend getaway was common and I recall seeing an occasional airplane landing on a road and taxiing up to the gas station for fuel, service or even groceries.

My folks and family friends used to fly out to a homestead near Joshua Tree and we'd spend the weekend.
We'd land on the road and taxi up the drive like it was the family station wagon!

 

[special ed]

In the 1960s, a friend I have mentioned before on the forum who flew Corsairs and Hellcats in #2, used to go antique airplane hunting. He always wanted someone along to talk to, so on one trip into the boonies, the plane in question was gone. He decided to stop to see an old friend on the way back. The fellow we visited had an Aeronca in his back yard under a carport. My friend Herb asked, " What happened to the one you were building?" "It wasn't any good. I built it out of conduit and the fuselage would bend in turns or rough landings." Herb then asked, seeing no registration number, "Where do you get gas?" The man said from the gas station down the road. He used Amoco premium which was at the time the only lead free fuel for cars. Premium only was lead free which was 93 octane, by the old computation. Herb says, "Do you pick up gas or fly there?" The man says, "I fly there." To prove to airworthyness, we proped him and I was presented with an outstanding display of short field takeoff, low altitude manoeuvers and landing back to the carport, never leaving his own land. On the way home I asked Herb about his friend and was told, "I've known him a long time." End of conversation.

 

[Glider]

Along similar lines. I had a Great Aunty Dorothy who despite coming from a well off family had an interesting life. She became one of the first Tiller Girls and for dong so was banned from the Family to such a degree I hadn't heard of her until she turned up unannounced at my brothers wedding.
As you might expect she had a 'full life' and had a number of wealthy boyfriends. Her favourite story was she went to buy a new car and found that the garage also sold aircraft. Asking the salesman if this would get her to the parties quicker, she bought one.
She joined a flying club but lost interest and I don't know what happened to it. She was also quite keen on racing cars and probably that took over as they were more practical. She did show me some photo's and I am confident it was a Moth.

 

[SaparotRob]

Cool!