Bear Fire pilot’s conversation with Watsonville airport employee causes uproar

Some people are up in arms after listening to an exchange between a pilot battling the Bear Fire and an employee at the Watsonville Municipal Airport, where the pilot is told he would have to pay a $150 fee to refuel. And the airport has responded to the incident.

Audio of the conversation was posted on Aviation Talk Live, a podcast streamed from a studio on the Monterey Bay.

In the audio, the pilot radios airport staff to let them know he will be needing fuel on Tuesday, about 15 minutes before the airport closes.

The employee who answered said, “We won’t be able. We do have an after hours fee, if you’d like the services. We leave at 5 o’clock. I could have somebody stay and stand by after, but there is an after hours fee for that.”

The pilot responded with, “I’m about 30 seconds out for landing. Do you think you guys could do it really quick?”

“Yeah, we close at 4:30 and we’re out of here at 5,” said the employee.

After a minute-long conversation, the pilot said he will instead go to San Martin for fuel.

The author of the post writes, “This is a fast clip of a live ATC interaction with the Watsonville airport management while a fire helicopter looking for fuel just before the end of the day after fighting one of California’s fires. He was requesting fuel 5 minutes before closing for the day and you won’t believe how the airport blew him off! I’m glad he picked up his stuff and left. This sort of treatment is unbelievable during the worst fires in California history.”

Cal Fire officials tell us they have no details on the incident, but do say to their knowledge, it had no significant impact on their fight.

In a statement, Watsonville Municipal Airport Manager Rayvon Williams tells us, “Supporting our region during emergencies is always a priority for the Watsonville Municipal Airport. On Tuesday and yesterday, the airport provided support to contract Helicopters joining the CalFire effort throughout the day and early into Wednesday morning. As early as 10:30 hours on Tuesday, we established a special landing area for refueling helicopters, staging area for their mechanics and providing access to the field for their fuel trucks. There was no charge for the above. We additionally provided discounted fuel during the day. Unfortunately, on Wednesday afternoon, an aircraft requested a refueling after the fueling operations had been shut-down for the day. As a result of this incident, we are updating our procedures to ensure the airport operations and fueling are available during emergency events. Tuesday’s incident does not reflect our commitment to supporting our neighbors, especially in cases of emergency.”

And City of Watsonville officials have also spoken out.

“On Wednesday, October 18th, the Watsonville Municipal Airport supported CalFire’s efforts to fight the Bear Fire in North Santa Cruz County. This support included establishing a special landing zone, ordering additional fuel, and providing fuel to CalFire helicopters throughout the day at a discounted rate.

On Wednesday afternoon, a clip of radio conversation between Airport staff and a contract aircraft working for CalFire was posted on the internet. During this exchange the pilot requested a refueling, but current Airport procedure resulted in the aircraft being unable to refuel at that time.

‘This incident was not acceptable and identified a gap in our airport operating procedures. As a result, we are working with Airport staff to update our procedures to ensure the Airport is always available during times of emergency.’ Matt Huffaker, Assistant City Manager.

Watsonville Airport has a long history of supporting emergency efforts, and this recent incident does not reflect our continued commitment to helping our neighbors, especially during emergency events.”