Avgas unavailable at Gladstone

[CFOT]

As the title suggests, due to the bowser being down, you can't get avgas at Gladstone. They're not sure when it'll be fixed and they're running low anyway due to floods and because Pinkenba in Brissie was under water, there's an interuption to supply.

Just thought everyone using would appreciate the heads up with Rocky still out of action.

As an aside, I asked the bloke if he had it notamed because I hadn't seen one and he said he tried but they wouldn't take notams relating to fuel. Is it just me or is that lacking common sense??!

[Wanderin_dave]

CFOT, i agree. Entirely lacking in common sense. AirServices' stubbornness on this issue has come up a few times on these boards.

So..... why when i check YMPC NOTAMS do i see this:

NOTAM INFORMATION
-----------------

POINT COOK (YMPC)
C154/10 REVIEW C111/10
MIL AVTUR/JET A1 AVBL ON REQUEST FOR MIL ACFT ONLY
FROM 12 232106 TO 03 240600 EST

C155/10 REVIEW C153/10
AVGAS AVBL FOR PRIVATE ACFT
ONLY ON MONDAYS, TUESDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS
FROM 12 232109 TO 03 240600 EST

C10/11
NDB 'PCK' 419 NOT AVBL
FROM 01 150523 TO 02 140600 EST

C11/11 REVIEW C8/11
RWY 08/26, RWS 17/35, RWS 04/22 AND WESTERN GRASS NOT AVBL DUE SOFT
WET SFC
RWY 17/35 AND RWY 04/22 AVBL
FROM 01 152050 TO 01 190300 EST


So is it in or is it not? It should be!

[rioncentu]

These new shell bowsers are a serious pain in the ????

Rockys went down not long before the floods and it took 2 days to fix it.

Shell don't seem to care :ugh:

[le Pingouin]

Wanderin_dave, who owns Point Cook? Might be a hint there for you.

Would you rely on a fuel supplier to arrange for a NOTAM in a timely fashion as the sole means of cheking fuel availability? I can see the look on your face now when you rock up & find no fuel available - "sorry mate, haven't had time".

[ForkTailedDrKiller]

These new shell bowsers are a serious pain in the ????

Yes, be careful if you plan to get fuel from these bowsers.

A couple of months ago I flew to Rocky - planned to get fuel there but the bowser was U/S. Person on the end of the telephone number of the bowser could not tell me when it would be up again.

I flew to Mackay to get fuel there. Shell bowser was down there also - fortunately Mackay has BP and Shell so I refuelled with my BP card.

Guy in a Cherokee trying to get fuel from the Shell bowser did not have enough fuel to get to somewhere else. Lucky for him the really nice bloke in the V-tail topped him up on the BP card! Reimbursement for the fuel was deposited in the Dr's bank a/c next day - good one! :ok:

You could easily get stuck!

Dr :8

[Jabawocky]

......and if you press the button for help you get sent to India Mexico or goodness knows where else and they have no idea where Australia is let alone Rockhampton!

[rioncentu]

Yep and you are forced to stand there in the sun shouting at a fuel bowser to try and tell them what the problem is:ugh:

Problem is I am talking to a frigging bowser :mad:

[13/31]

I was once told fuel supply issues were not on the ICAO Annex list of NOTAMable things.

[equal]

looks like it's fixed, got fuel there this morning.

[Wanderin_dave]

le Pingouin - I see your point. But in that case we're still relying on a civve contractor to provide the fuel/NOTAM. Also the avgas NOTAM is directly aimed at Pvt ops. Not really much to do with RAAF ownership. Plus the only RAAFies using avgas these days are the museum which are 3 doors down, so not sure they need a NOTAM to tell them when fuel is available, clearly it's aimed at civvies.

I get your other point re refuellers not updating NOTAMs, but at least give them the opportunity to. You'd soon figure out which ones you could trust. Still a step forward from the current situation.

Fuel availability is critical to ops, that's why we're all so diligant about calling prior to departure on an unfamiliar op. I think it makes good sense to have fuel in NOTAMS.

[CFOT]

As equal said the issue's been fixed and you can get fuel but there's only a couple of days of fuel left at this stage. Apparently it was a Telstra fault

[TriMedGroup]

Portland YPOD:

C28/10
EASTERN GRASS TWY NOT AVBL
DUE WIP
FROM 10 192353 TO 01 192200 EST

C33/10
AVGAS FUEL NOT AVBL DUE FUEL FAC DCMSD
FROM 11 112358 TO PERM.

In Mildura we have run out of fuel twice in the last 6 months, and had the bowser closed for SCHEDULED maintenance for a week (the week of the Birdsville races) :ugh::ugh:, and on all of these occasions there hasnt been any heads up from MOBIL or the airport operators. When I queried why there was no NOTAM i was told by the refueller that they cant NOTAM fuel and its not their problem.

Makes life difficult when I generally have very little heads up about when I am flying and how many people I have to take and how far I have to go. I try as hard as possible to re fuel elsewhere anyway as the price is just under $2 here but that doesnt work when you might be weight limited for your next flight..

[CaptainMidnight]

The issue of NOTAMs on fuel covered in a previous thread:

http://www.pprune.org/dg-p-general-aviation-questions/434922-port-augusta-avgas-off-line-2.html#post6094442

[le Pingouin]

Wanderin_dave, my point about the RAAF is it's their facility & their rules for what NOTAMs they produce.

A lack of fuel at a destination has no bearing on the safe conduct of a flight so doesn't warrant a NOTAM. Plain & simple. No fuel, no fly. Perfectly safe.

Bloody inconvenient, maybe commercially costly, but not unsafe.

[Capt Fathom]

Bloody inconvenient, maybe commercially costly, but not unsafe.

But someone could be tempted to proceed to another airport with a less than desirable fuel state.

Now that would be unsafe!

[skipper1981]

A couple of hints.
1. ALWAYS ring the agent the day before if possible.ERSA is often out of
date.
2. If having trouble with a swipe card machine,try ringing the local agent
first.He will usually contact the fuel company quicker than an overseas
based call center.I know from experience! The contact number of the
agent is usually on a sign adjacent to the bowser.

[le Pingouin]

But someone could be tempted to proceed to another airport with a less than desirable fuel state.

Now that would be unsafe!Then maybe they should have a NOTAM issued especially about them as being a hazard to themselves & others :ugh: