Fill ’er up with an
All-Star
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Tom Stephens, area
operation manager, general aviation, presents Tom Poberezny with
an "All Starts" team shirt like the Chevron team wears
in servicing EAA enthusiasts fueling needs around the grounds.
Top Chevron fuelers from throughout the country are on call
throughout AirVenture 2006 to meet fueling needs. Photo by Phil
Weston
|
Those using Orion Flight
Services to top off their fuel tanks at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh this year
just might meet an all-star. A Chevron All-Star, that is. This year,
Chevron brought in some of its top people from throughout its national
network of 750 FBOs to operate its state-of-the-art fuel trucks covering
the convention. Throughout the week, up to 17 All-Stars will be running
the fueling trucks out on the field.
Tom Stephens, manager of
airport compliance for Chevron, has been working for several years to
create this All-Star lineup and finally was able to pull it together in
2006.
"These are the
newest vehicles in the industry being operated by our top
operators," he said. "So it’s the best using the best. It
didn’t take much of an effort to get these guys to come to
Oshkosh."
The Chevron trucks are
technologically advanced and include all the latest safety features. For
example, if the valves and hoses on the vehicle are not properly secured
after a service call, the vehicle cannot operate. N numbers are entered
into the system, and the customer receives a receipt on the spot. The
receipt is also sent wirelessly to the main office where, for
pre-registered customers, it’s automatically e-mailed to them.
The trucks also have a
unique visual sampler system that lets customers inspect the fuel before
filling up.
One of the company’s
All-Stars is Barry Kane of Atlantic Aviation-Las Vegas, the top volume
FBO for Chevron. His customers are largely bigger corporate jets and
fractional operators, so he’s eager to see the folks parking in the
North 40 at Oshkosh. "It will be fun," he said. "I have a
lot of respect for homebuilders and the grassroots fliers."
Marty Hyde of Central
Flying Service in Little Rock, Arkansas, was also excited to get going.
"This is our bread and butter—people from all over the world
coming into Oshkosh. What better place for this to happen?" he
asked.
One All-Star probably won’t be out
topping off airplanes this week: on Saturday afternoon, Stephens and his
crew made EAA President Tom Poberezny an honorary Chevron All-Star,
presenting him with a custom jersey.
