I went to the Reno air races this weekend in my airplane (RV-6). I was parked a Mercury Air. I was charged for two nights of parking and when I bought gas there I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Gas was $5.17 a gallon. This is not a misprint. Is this the most expensive gas prices you've seen or does anyone else have some stories to tell? It almost makes me want to park the plane and store it if that's whats in store for us. What is happening to GA?
Did you have a choice about where you landed & fueled?
I don't know about anybody else, but I just avoid the expensive gas vendors like the plague. I fuel where it's cheap, even if it's a little out of the way. It ends up costing much less and I get to fly more. And I try my best to spread the word (in particular on our local SoCal-RVlist group) about cheap sources for avgas.
I think people, FBO's included, think that if you can afford to own an airplane, then you can afford to pay what ever they want for gas.
I think this is true for about everything related to aviation from avionics to instruments, to the smallest of gadgets (light bulbs). If it has "air" or "av" in front of it, expect to take a screwin' on it.
What would be really nice is finding the centroid of several different locations where there are alot of RV's and then forming a gas coop so that we can afford to keep flying. When I flew for 6 hours the other day I ended up shelling out over $200! This is a good chunk of change.
Of course the gas coop could have members other then RV folks...just a thought which of course would take alot of planning. Unfortunately the red tape folks in local gov. probably would make it alot harder to do Helping people have affordable gas is NOT a priority for them regardless of what they say on TV.
Jon
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"They who can give up essential liberty
to purchase a little temporary safety,
deserve neither liberty nor safety. "
airnav.com does a pretty good job of keeping up with fuel prices. Of course you always want to call first to verify. Many of the FBOs guarranty their price on airnav. You can punch in your flight departure and destination. Click on cheapest route and go.
Mel...DAR
Of course the gas coop could have members other then RV folks...just a thought which of course would take alot of planning. Unfortunately the red tape folks in local gov. probably would make it alot harder to do Helping people have affordable gas is NOT a priority for them regardless of what they say on TV.
Our local EAA chapter is considering a fuel co-op and I've been part of one before. I'm not sure that the process has to be too filled with red tape. It probably depends on the actual airport. Thus, I would encourage you to look into it. We found we could have a fuel drop for a co-op for significantly less per gallon than the local FBO and all without that much red tape.
Good luck.
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Steve M.
Ellensburg WA
RV-9 Flying, 0-320, Catto
Donation reminder: Jan. 2021
Location: Hangar/home at Hicks Airfield (T67), Fort Worth, TX
Posts: 629
Updating AirNav Prices
Mel's suggestion on using AirNav is how I usually plan for a long trip. When you put in your takeoff and departure points you can then select your fuel requirements.
The problem I've had is that when you check the AirNav pages at some of the fuel stops listed you'll find that the price could be as old as two years ago.
If you verify the price, as Mel suggested, and find a difference, do us all a big favor and update the AirNav page for that airport.
I keep track of what I pay everywhere I go and then update the prices. It only takes a minute.
Thanks,
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Mike Reddick
VAF#153
Pilots N Paws Pilot
RV6A N167CW 1,900 HRS
Ft Worth, TX (T67)
Gas Prices for 100LL
Helping people have affordable gas is NOT a priority for them regardless of what they say on TV.
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