FBO Basics

Difference between FBO and AIRPORT

This topic can be a hot-button topic in FSE. Players all too often confuse these two terms, or use the terms interchangeably (either unconsciously or unintentionally).  Some FSE Players who have confused the terms have gotten extremely mad and rage-quit the game, or even have gone as far as online-stalking and making real life death threats. 

In FSE terms, an FBO is a small building located on a small part of the airport.  While the FSE Player with an FBO Lot Lease has some rights to the FBO, the rest of the airport itself is always available to the general FSE Public for all other airport uses not associated with the FBO. 

The confusion usually comes in when an FSE Player is operating an FBO and believes that the entire airport is "theirs".  They will use terms such as "my airport", or "why is Player X clogging up the Jobs Area at my airport", etc.  This belief that the airport is "theirs" can lead to confusion at best, or anger at worst, and has resulted in hundreds of large arguments over the many years in FSE.  

Because new FSE Players may see these terms being used interchangeably, it is easy for this mistake to bloom in Players' minds.  FSE Staff will ALWAYS correct these term mistakes in an effort to prevent new users from seeing the mistake and learning incorrectly.   Obviously, this gets a of eye-rolls from longer-term members who believe that "everyone knew what they meant", and therefore believe the FSE Staff member is just being unnecessarily obnoxious about it.

See the airport realestate map below for an example of this. 

The Purpose of FBOs

Pilots:

For pilots, FBOs serve as a place to stop for fuel or have aircraft maintenance performed.  Aircraft owners can upgrade their avionics equipment or have the FBO crate their aircraft for shipment as cargo aboard a larger aircraft, or uncrate the aircraft once it arrives at that airport. Pilots and aircraft owners rely on other FSE Players to operate an FBO at the smaller airstrips, but should be able to find an FSE System-operated FBO at most of the Small Airports and all of the Large Airports.

When landing at an airport, all available FBOs at that airport will provide ground crew support to load and unload assignments from your aircraft. A pilot's total fee for Ground Crew support (called the Ground Crew Fee) is 5% of each assignment's value at each airport where the assignment originates or is destined.  Layover assignments do not incur a fee for getting off or back on to the aircraft. This 5% fee is equally split among all Player FBOs at the airport.  Since the FSE FBO does not provide ground support, there will be no Ground Crew Fee at any airport at which there is no Player-operated FBO. 

Business Owners:

Just like in the real world, FBOs are a business operation within FSE. They are designed to integrate with flying operations -- either as a combined business type, or working with other FSE businesses to coordinate business activity.  As an FBO Operator, you can manage the FBO as a support activity to your own flying business; you can work with other pilots or businesses in the region to provide maintenance and fuel services to their fleet; or a combination or both!

By far, the most common business type for most FBO operators in FSE is the first of these options - combining the ground services of the FBO with an Air Taxi service by building a passenger terminal. By building a passenger terminal onto the main FBO building, you will get local customers coming in to your place of business and buying tickets to other airports. Or, customers may call the FBO from a different location, and ask you to come get them.

MYTH: "If you build it, they will come". 

It is a common misconception that FBO's can exist in FSEconomy as a self-sufficient generator of income for the FBO operator. That you can just build (or buy) an FBO, and then sit back and watch all of the other FSE members flock to your location to avail themselves of your services, thereby making you rich. This is not designed to be the case! People who think this is the purpose of FBOs will commonly say things such as, "FBOs are a money pit". This couldn't be further from the truth -- FBOs, operated properly as part of an overall business plan, can easily be profitable with minimal effort.

Airport Real Estate - FBO Lot Lease

FBOs are buildings that are built on airport property, called a "lot". The airport itself is owned by the local Airport Authority, and "property lot" space is leased to FBO Operators. Each airport in FSE has between one and four "FBO lots" available for these buildings, depending on the size of the airport. Three of these lots can be leased by FSE Players, and one lot (where available) is reserved to be operated by the FSE System. 

Airports which have unoccupied lots can accept the construction of a new FBO Building. Once all of the lots are occupied, new FBO buildings can no longer be built at that airport. The rights to operate an FBO can be bought and sold by FSE players. 

Number of Available Lots

The number of lots available at an airport is determined by the airport size. There are three size categories for FSE airports, and the number of available lots at each size are as follows:

• Airstrip: 1 Player Lot 

• Small Airport: 2 Player Lots and 1 FSE Lot 

• Large Airport: 3 Player Lots and 1 FSE lot

Lease Rate

The cost to operate an FBO is paid in Supply Consumption.  FBO Operators must purchase supplies from the FSE Commodities Depot at the airport (or bring them in from some other airport).  These supplies are "consumed" at a minimum rate of 10 kg per day, and adjusted upwards for larger FBO Sizes and larger Airport Sizes, up to a maximum of 90 kg per day.

Business Closure

If the operator of an FBO business fails to maintain an adequate amount of supplies and runs out, the Airport Authority will close down the business to all customers.  Each day that the business remains closed will be charged as a debt. The business will remain closed until enough supplies have been purchased or transported in to cover the debt plus one full day of operations. 

Lease Termination

If the operator of an FBO business allows the FBO to remain closed for 45 consecutive days, the Airport Authority will terminate the lease and take possession of the FBO building. The FSE System will offer the lease rights to all FSE Players in the weekly FBO Lottery. If no FSE Player claims the rights to the lease during the lottery, the FSE Airport Authority will demolish the building and re-open the lot space for new construction on a first-come basis.

FBO Structure Size

Each FBO building at an airport can be built on one or more of any available lots at that airport. If the building occupies a single lot, it is considered a "Small" FBO. Any FBO building that spans across two lots is a "Medium" FBO. And, any FBO building that occupies all three lots at a large airport is a "Large" FBO.

• Small FBO -- occupies one lot

• Medium FBO -- occupies two lots

• Large FBO -- occupies three lots

FSE Airport Size Factor

When you combine airport size and FBO size, you can see:

• Airstrips: single, small Player-operated FBO. 

• Small Airport: 

  • • Two small Player-operated FBOs, or 

    • A single medium Player-Operated FBO, and

    • FSE System FBO

• Large Airport: 

  • • Three small FBOs, or

    • One small FBO and one medium FBO, or 

    • One large FBO, and

    • FSE System FBO