You may have gone to the effort to put your home telephone number on the national telemarketers’ “Do Not Call” list, but still find yourself vulnerable when you least expect it. Pilots recently have complained on the NBAA Air Mail Internet forum about some unique nuisance calls. One pilot said that while stopping for fuel at an en route FBO, he was summoned to the telephone to answer a call for “the crew” of his aircraft type and tail number. Upon answering the call, he found it was a counter agent calling from an FBO–not at the destination airport, but rather one close by–trying to lure him in with special offers. The caller had used the Aircraft Situation Display to Industry (ASDI) program at his FBO to track the jet and learn its destination.
That might have seemed like a clever marketing idea at the time, but it backfired, angering the pilot, who reported he was trying to complete a quick turn when the unwelcome call slowed him down. Since the caller identified the tail number, the pilot assumed it was his own office calling with an important message.
