Who: Palo Alto Fuel Services, Inc.

Where: Located at the Palo Alto Airport 1901 Embarcadero Road, #101 Palo Alto, CA. 94303 (650) 856-7640 & (408) 988-1360

When: Normal business hours M - F 8:00am-5:00pm And as required for fuel services.

What: Exxon fuel service, hangar, tie-downs, and office rentals.

Interview by PAAA Features Correspondent: Julie Delany

Entrance

Palo Alto Fuel Services, Inc., a company of Roy Aero Enterprises, has been in business at Palo Alto Airport for a quarter of a century. Roy Aero manages 9.7 acres of leased land comprising office, hangar, and tie-down rentals. Additionally, they manage the Exxon fuel service.

General manager Pat Roy and her late husband, Larry, bought the business at Palo Alto Airport in 1979 from Jim and Jack Nystrom. "The Nystroms were here prior to the 2nd World War," explains Mrs. Roy. Unbeknownst to Pat and Larry at the time, they also were lucky enough to re-employ Nystrom's secret weapon, Roger Marshall. Pat describes with exuberance this gentleman, "He has been a true friend and an ethical, reliable employee." Roger is the on-site manager for Palo Alto Fuel Services, and has been working at the airport since his tour of duty ended in Vietnam - over 34 years ago.

A large portion of the business, Pat explains, is devoted to quality aviation fuel. She describes to me the fuel process in some detail: there is a minimum of four filters, replaced regularly, that the fuel passes through before it reaches your aircraft. One filter before pumping into the fuel tanker, one filter as it leaves the fuel tanker and goes into the fuel storage tanks, another filtering from tanks to fuel trucks, and two filters upon pumping out of Exxon's truck (and into your aircraft), or a final filter from the pump at the fuel island to your aircraft. According to Pat, the fuel that you use to fly should be of the highest quality.

Office

Adorned not only with Exxon Fuel Service Awards dating back 33 years, the Roy Aero office displays several aerial maps, and some scary art from a bygone era - Mrs. Roy points to the wall behind her chair to where a bullet-scared Award still hangs. "During the 80's when crime was high in the area, bullets would either be shot through the windows or fall through the hangars' roofs." Fortunately, those days are well behind us.

Office

Pat recalls a more impressive time at Palo Alto Airport was during the 1989 earthquake that rocked the central portion of the state. "Palo Alto Airport was very instrumental in the disaster recovery activities of that earthquake. This was an aviation- and jet-fueling center for those aircraft ferrying support materials to Santa Cruz County where the roads were shut down. Light planes took FEMA into the County. If another quake happens this airport will be very helpful again. The pilots at this airport put forth that extra effort with incredible humanitarian gestures."

"Larry and I have always been big proponents of the airport. This is the airport with which Larry was the most proud; he enjoyed the people here, and watching the planes. We are a busy little airport and we try to not encroach on the surrounding community - we have pilots that are willing to make that extra effort. Palo Alto Airport is a unique field in a unique location."

Next time you need your tanks filled with avgas, why not call Roger at Roy Aero.

PALO ALTO AIRPORT ASSOCIATION
PO Box 60275
Palo Alto, CA 94306