S

Skyhook

Well Known Member
My -4 has the O-360 and 'requires' 100LL, which was $3.59 before the hurricane debacle. I haven't needed fuel since, but am a bit leary about my next fill-up.

Drudge's site just today says there are real shortages of avjet which could result in the closings of several airports in the east and southeast.

What's the situation out your way? How're you all coping?
 
Here are a few places you can start with to get a feel for fuel prices nationwide:

Local Fuel Prices
Great Fuel Deals
Statistical Report

My CA homebase airport (L00) has gone from $3.27/gal to $3.49/gal over the course of one week, and I believe the increasing fuel price trend will continue for the foreseeable future :(

I would ask that everybody try to keep fuel prices updated here at AirNav, especially if you are flying cross-country, so that we can all find affordable fuel across America :) Rosie
 
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My home field, which is notorious for having high prices had 100LL for $4.02 last weekend. Heaven knows what it is now.

Fortunately, at 100 hours a year and 8 gallons an hour, a $1/gallon increase "only" adds $800/yr to the cost of aviating. That's probably a 10% increase in my total cost of ownership...
 
Big Picture look at Energy Supplies

Guys,
This DOE site gives a big picture look at the energy situation east of the Rockies. http://www.esisac.com/hurricane_topics.htm
Click on DOE situation report.

It does not look good for the short term. As of 6:00P.M. today shut in oil production in the Gulf of Mexico was 1,356,498 bbls per day. This is 90.4% of the daily production capacity.
Ten refineries in the Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coast area are down. Ten refineries are up and running, however 5 of them are running at reduced capacity.
Two pipelines for refined petroleum products that serve the Southeast, the Mid Atlantic, and the Northeastern states are running at 25 to 40% of capacity because the pumping stations in Louisiana and Mississippi are down due to power outages.

The two utilites that serve Southeastern Louisiana, Entergy Louisiana and Cleco, report 60% and 31% respectively of their customers are without power.

To recover, we need all of the offshore oil production back in service, we need all of the refineries back up and running and we need the pipelines running at full capacity to get the finished product to the end use.
 
One of my clients was telling me today thattheir trucks are unable to run in the south due ot NO fuel. It is putting a big damper on their deliveries and therefore their business.

About all I cna do is ride the motorcycle instead of taking the truck. Save a little for soeone else to use.
 
Thanks for the excellent links, all.

We had planned a rather long trip for this fall, but due to the uncertainties of supplies and the huge prices, we're staying put for now.

I have a lot to do to prepare for winter anyhow. :(
 
Like Kyle says, the difference really amounts to only a few percentage points more.
But from past experience, we've all seen how the psychology of a gas hike of even a dime brings out the press interviewing a bunch of whiners about how their whole lives will change because of paying more for fuel.
So I wonder if any lurkers who've been "this close" to ordering their tail kit and starting an RV are putting it off because of the current events.

Just wondering out loud...
 
All the more reason to fly. Faster, shorter and a whole lot more satisfaction and as some one above pointed out, maybe 10% more cost. Airnav is great as long as you watch the posting dates and even call ahead.
Roger Robertson,
Leaning toward a Rotary powered RV-9.
 
i have a "travel cost estimator" that i came up with on my home computer a couple of years ago. unleaded went to $3.20 and avgas is $4.09 right now. so, i plugged those numbers in for the car, truck, and airplane. for a trip to my in-laws (about 180sm round trip by car, and 120nm round trip by airplane) the cost to take the truck was $35, the car was $26, and the airplane was $24!! there's no science here, just basic formulas for figuring burn rates, speed, and cost. of course, this is just the cost of gas.

i think we'll fly!

i did buy a 50cc scooter to ride to work though. the thing gets 90mpg!! that should save some for others to use. :D
 
Highflight said:
So I wonder if any lurkers who've been "this close" to ordering their tail kit and starting an RV are putting it off because of the current events.

Just wondering out loud...
Click to expand...

I'm definately in the "this close" to ordering the tail kit category. I'm not at all deterred from ordering it based on the fuel situation. By the time I'm flying *hopefully* everything will have pretty much stabilized and we can all go back to complaning about $2.00/gal 100LL. ;)

--Ken
 
Fly!

Gas is going to cost a lot more short term, but long term the situation is recoverable. Meanwhile, I wouldn't want to find myself too far from home with supplies shaky. But this, too, will pass. It's no excuse for not building. I remember mogas for .30/gal and avgas for $.70; avgas has always cost more than mogas (in a settled market), so I wouldn't complain about $4.50 100LL when mogas cost $3. If that's crunching the budget, then you'll have to make choices. Personnally, I prefer 26 mpg @ 200 mph. There isn't anything on the road to top that if you can afford to travel at all with current fuel prices and are willing to risk supply shortages. Like Bilbo said to Frodo, "It's a dangerous thing stepping out of your front door."

Oh, yeah. (Sounds of soap box being dragged out...) The principal reason we're in this production pickle is not a single new refinery has been built in the USA in something like 30 years. Boutique fuels hamsting what capacity we do have (momentarily set aside until 9/15, thank goodness), and now Congress has tied our fuel supply to the midwest corn crop beginning in 2009. So after we're done killing all the lawyers, lets throttle the Green wackos.

John Siebold
Boise, ID
 
Well, I'm willing to bet that we will never again see $2.00 avgas. Most of the world already pays $4, $5, or $6 per gallon for car gas. At $5 a gallon people will start to modify their behaviour. Van should should step up development of the RV-12 IMO.
 
whiners about how their whole lives will change because of paying more for fuel.[/QUOTE said:
As a member of the press, allow me to point out that not everyone in this country has the wherewithall to build and fly airplanes. Some people actually live on the edge. Paying another $30 a week to fill up a jalopy so they can get to work actually is big deal.

OTOH, lots of big SUVs are still passing me and my little 55 mph Cavalier on I-94 these days. I'm not to worried about them. But, then again, I never worry about those people.
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I get about 20mpg at 200mph in my 7A, 0-360 A1A. Last I checked the 100LL was cheaper than premium auto fuel. Might not be so by now, though. My SLK350 gets 25mpg.

Roberta :)
 
Green

Bob,

The Greens I refer to are environmentalist, a bit too much of a catch-all word that sweeps up those who return bottles along with those who set fire to car dealerships. Farmers have my respect (I live in an agricultural region). It's a tough life and business, and they're feeding us. The corn crop refers to mandated ethanol, something else to screw up our fuel supply.

Speaking of feeding, notice it's "@ 200 mph". If I brought the 'ol Lyc back to best range power, I do believe I could break 30 mpg and still be cruising north of 130 mph. Trot out your Prius, and let's add up the total cost of a cross country: motel, meals, speeding tickets. Time, indeed, is money, $100 (now $150) hamburgers excluded. :p

John Siebold
Spud (Boise), ID
 
cleaning up

RV7ator said:
So after we're done killing all the lawyers, lets throttle the Green wackos.
Click to expand...
Good idea. Then we'll have a lawless, polluted land! :)
 
rv8ch said:
Good idea. Then we'll have a lawless, polluted land! :)
Click to expand...

REALLY?!

Anyhow, my FBO lamented as to the lack of 'usual' holiday traffic in these parts. He thinks the cost of fuel kept folks in their living rooms, on their decks. I think he's got something there.

Meanwhile, wifey and I are flying the -4 into Lake Placid in the am tomorrow.. see ya there?
 
Since I'm still building, I went out and rented a Warrior yesterday to stay 90-day current. Just a little workout circling the Minneapolis Class B (with about 4 Cladd Ds to transition through, and changing altittude maximums, it's a great way to stay "in shape."

Anyway, rental fee "wet" is now $97 and hour...$5 an hour for an insurance waiver...and a $12 an hour "fuel surcharge."

I'm guessing a lot of FBOs and flight schools are going to go belly up. I know when I showed up at the FBO yesterday (Thunderbird Aviation at FCM) around 4...the ramp was full of Warriors. On a Sunday afternoon, NOBODY was flying.

('cept for a really pretty RV that landed while I was doing the run-up)
 
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