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Moving to KLHW

mv031161

mv031161

Well Known Member
Moving to KLHW in GA and I will be sharing a hangar with another RV. This time an RV4 w Paul McLemore who wants to get into Aerobatics! WooooHoooooooo!

I wanted to share w you a bad experience w Signature Flight Support in SAV; I called about two months ago asking for Ramp, T Hangar or anything available. They asked my Tail # which I provided. I was promised a call back. one day, two days...3 days and I decided to call back with same Question/Request. This time I got the manager who without skipping said...N......? thats an experimental right? Sorry, we dont have any space and he just haung up the phone! A few days later I had my wife call from her # asking same question but this time using my Co.Baron G58 Tail #. Immediately she got a positive response for a T hangar from the same guy!
Really? !!!!!

Signature was servicing KCLT FBO a few years ago and they destroyed all GA SE aircraft tenants...I have reported this issue w Signature SAV to AOPA and it has fallen into deaf ears? THEY DONT CARE! What are my options? reporting this to the City of Savannah? SIGNATURE IS NOT GOOD FOR GENERAL AVIATION! all they want is your gas guzzlers!

Thank God, I have found a nice hangarmate w a 50x50 hangar that will accommodate my aircraft and all my hangar goodies! Instead of a 20 minute drive, I will have a 1.2 hour drive each way....SAV AvGas price is twice as much as KLHW!

My Rant is over!
 
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My RVs are based there. And there is a self-serve facility with less expensive gas down by where the FedEx 757s park. I still go elsewhere for gas, and Jesup is cheaper than KLHW

Dunno why you got trashed by Signature, I've had great service from them.

Ed
 
I fly one of those gas guzzlers and oh the stories I could tell about Signature.
To be perfectly fair though, some of their stations are very good too.
I think it depends on the local manager and also to a certain extent the airport itself. We operate FBOs as well and when I say working with airports is a challenge, it is an understatement.
I have said for years that the business plan of the Signatures and Landmarks of the world was to reach the point of critical market saturation where you had to utilize one of their facilities pretty much anywhere you went. With essentially no competition they are free to charge whatever they want. The fact that Signature bought out Landmark (their only real competitor) a few months back has done nothing to change my opinion.

If you operate from a mid sized airport that has a local FBO but their fuel is a little more per gallon than some nearby tiny airport, do yourself a favor and buy it locally. If you don't support your local FBO the Signatures of the world might come in and now you will be paying $7.00 a gallon for fuel.
 
I have so much contempt for Signature at Savannah that I honestly doubt I could accurately express it with words alone. The line guys are really nice, but that's about it. I was based there for 9 years and it felt like the contempt was mutual...unless you owned or flew something that burned Jet A.

I doubt it will ever change, except to get rose, but I would try speaking directly to the new Mayor. It may not help, but it would be worth a try.
 
LHW is a great airport with nice new hangars and facilities. My Bonanza mechanic is based there. If you need help in a pinch he's a fantastic guy - let me know if you want his contact information.

I flew my RV-12 into KSAV last fall (delivering to its new owner) and got great (but not cheap) service from Signature. Sorry to hear about your negative experience there.
 
Ed_Wischmeyer said:
My RVs are based there. And there is a self-serve facility with less expensive gas down by where the FedEx 757s park. I still go elsewhere for gas, and Jesup is cheaper than KLHW

Dunno why you got trashed by Signature, I've had great service from them.

Ed
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Moving full time to Tybee North Side. My trips to KLHW will need to be planned accordingly
 
mturnerb said:
LHW is a great airport with nice new hangars and facilities. My Bonanza mechanic is based there. If you need help in a pinch he's a fantastic guy - let me know if you want his contact information.

I flew my RV-12 into KSAV last fall (delivering to its new owner) and got great (but not cheap) service from Signature. Sorry to hear about your negative experience there.[/. Ill definetelly like to get his number. Im and former pro A&P as well but always can use help as needed.
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xblueh2o said:
I fly one of those gas guzzlers and oh the stories I could tell about Signature.
To be perfectly fair though, some of their stations are very good too.
I think it depends on the local manager and also to a certain extent the airport itself. We operate FBOs as well and when I say working with airports is a challenge, it is an understatement.
I have said for years that the business plan of the Signatures and Landmarks of the world was to reach the point of critical market saturation where you had to utilize one of their facilities pretty much anywhere you went. With essentially no competition they are free to charge whatever they want. The fact that Signature bought out Landmark (their only real competitor) a few months back has done nothing to change my opinion.

If you operate from a mid sized airport that has a local FBO but their fuel is a little more per gallon than some nearby tiny airport, do yourself a favor and buy it locally. If you don't support your local FBO the Signatures of the world might come in and now you will be paying $7.00 a gallon for fuel.
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I am all about local economy and local support! Yes sir!
 
mturnerb said:
LHW is a great airport with nice new hangars and facilities. My Bonanza mechanic is based there. If you need help in a pinch he's a fantastic guy - let me know if you want his contact information.

I flew my RV-12 into KSAV last fall (delivering to its new owner) and got great (but not cheap) service from Signature. Sorry to hear about your negative experience there.
Click to expand...

Definetelly! please share! I am a former Pro A&P but also know my own limitations if needed something done. Any good A&P that it is based there it is always good to have!
 
I know nothing about Signature in Savannah but Signature at PDK gave EAA690 in Lawrenceville a $7500 grant to fund our flight scholarship program for worthy kids last year so they are not all bad!

John Morgan
 
mv031161 said:
Definetelly! please share! I am a former Pro A&P but also know my own limitations if needed something done. Any good A&P that it is based there it is always good to have!
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There are several very talented and competent A&P IAs based there. We also have almost every piece of tooling and equipment you would ever need to maintain any type of aircraft. I help Paul maintain his RV-4 and PA-28-180.
 
KSAV

I'm in and out of KSAV quite often and used Signature a total of once. Much better service at Sheltair. They are VERY accommodating.
 
Mitch---I think you'll like KLHW. Paul, Steve, and Mike are all great guys. My buddy Raymo will be moving his RV7A there soon.
Gee---Tybee is a good distance from Ft Stewart--too bad the old Savannah airfield at Thunderbolt is gone.
Tom
 
Also consider 3J1 for hangar space. I have been there for nearly 2 years and there is a great bunch of guys, including Tom Swearengen of TS FlightLines.

That said, I plan to move to LHW in the near future since it is half the distance from my home in Richmond Hill.

Welcome to the area, Mitch. I look forward to meeting you and all the other guys/gals at LHW sometime soon.
 
Mike H said:
There are several very talented and competent A&P IAs based there. We also have almost every piece of tooling and equipment you would ever need to maintain any type of aircraft. I help Paul maintain his RV-4 and PA-28-180.
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You and I will meet soon my Friend!
 
TS Flightlines said:
Mitch---I think you'll like KLHW. Paul, Steve, and Mike are all great guys. My buddy Raymo will be moving his RV7A there soon.
Gee---Tybee is a good distance from Ft Stewart--too bad the old Savannah airfield at Thunderbolt is gone.
Tom
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Paul definitely sounds like a great guy! I'll meet the rest soon!

I drive 45 minutes now...adding a few minutes it is OK. . I tried Ridgeland but nothing covered available. I give KLHW a good try and see where it goes. Im committed long term.....also my Type of flying (Acro) might be better anyway to perform at KLHW..not many option around SAV unless they open the Army base for GA.
 
Raymo said:
Also consider 3J1 for hangar space. I have been there for nearly 2 years and there is a great bunch of guys, including Tom Swearengen of TS FlightLines.

That said, I plan to move to LHW in the near future since it is half the distance from my home in Richmond Hill.

Welcome to the area, Mitch. I look forward to meeting you and all the other guys/gals at LHW sometime soon.
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Thank you sir!!!!! You Betcha!
 
strahler13 said:
Why go to Signature? Sheltair is there at KSAV and I have have great experiences with them.
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+1 for Sheltair at SAV. They were happy to stick my airplane in a hangar for a couple of nights at a very reasonable rate. Good customer service and no perceived bias against GA/EAB.
 
Updating this thread...

To give a shout out for the folks at KLHW. Charlie and the gang at the FBO hosted us over last weekend and treated us great!

Avgas was much cheaper than over at KSAV, and I was able to safely stash my bird in their huge, practically empty hangar. Very reasonable hangar rates, too.

The only fly in the ointment was dealing with the local Hinesville office of Enterprise for the rental car! What a goat-rope of an operation! While they eventually accommodated us, they were unable to arrange a car waiting for us ahead of time at the airport-whether due to short staffing or vehicle availability, they were unhelpful. Fortunately, I was able to borrow the crew car and snag the rental...and to be fair, Enterprise was able to arrange us dropping it off at the airport after our visit.

The folks at the FBO recommended Savannah Car Rentals, but they were sold out for our time of visit (Spring Break).

Looking at the sectional, it could appear intimidating to get in/out with all of the MOA/Restricted areas, but the local controllers couldn't have been nicer and more helpful. It was a non-event arriving/departing.

Good airport for visiting the Savannah area....

Rob S.
 
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