Crazy fuel prices

tomf188

tomf188

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Jan 23, 2007
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Nyack, NY
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Tom F
I just got this note from my flying club:

Gentleman,
Using a purported "East coast fuel shortage" as an excuse, Landmark has raised its 100LL price to $7.99 per gallon.

Let's redouble our efforts to purchase fuel off field. As of yesterday, 44N was 5.88 and POU is even less with full service.

The challenge of economical flight!
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A week ago the price was $6.52, which is crazy high to begin with and is why we began trying to buy fuel away from the home field in the first place.

WTF?!?
 
The fuel price at my field is $6.79 and there is no self-serve fuel. I was surprised when I found that out that the only way to get fuel was from one of the FBOs. I've started to notice an uptick in fuel prices lately. Hopefully they'll start to come back down as the summer begins to wind down in a few months.
 
Geico266 said:
91 Octane mogas is $3.95 a gallon. :dunno:
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My plane can't use that and I don't think there's an STC available for it. Though I have to say that while I really love my Mooney, an RV is certainly tempting for a variety of reasons, including the ability to use mogas. I just don't think I could find the RV that I wanted.
 
LevelWing said:
My plane can't use that and I don't think there's an STC available for it. Though I have to say that while I really love my Mooney, an RV is certainly tempting for a variety of reasons, including the ability to use mogas. I just don't think I could find the RV that I wanted.
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Build what you want. ;)
 
oldShar said:
When you can find it
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fuel_tank.JPG


Its usually behind my truck. :D

I've pumped over 12,000 gallons through this rig into airplanes. Saved roughly $25,000. :dunno:

We all have choices in how we spend our aviation $$$. I chose to spend more time flying. ;)
 
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Geico266 said:
fuel_tank.JPG


Its usually behind my truck. :D

I've pumped over 12,000 gallons through this rig into airplanes. Saved roughly $25,000. :dunno:

We all have choices in how we spend our aviation $$$. I chose to spend more time flying. ;)
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How did you save that much, mogas, cheaper airport?
 
Geico266 said:
Mogas averages $2 plus dollars less per gallon, and I get no fouled plugs. Never had an issue with mogas.
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Not possible with my motor TIO-540. I have thought about tankering cheaper fuel in, just never penciled out.
 
I'm in Miami(X51) 100LL is $5.80 on one side of the field and $5.90 on the other. I'm not sure about that east coast shortage. I would consider miami east coast and the prices really have not gone up since I started buying AV gas.
 
Alexb2000 said:
Do you have ethanol free gas in your area?
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Don't need it with a Rotax and the right fuel tanks. 91 E10 mogas works perfectly. I last filled by 60gal xfer tank last week and paid $3.65/gal.
 
100LL is $4.79/gal at my home field. 91-93 octane ethanol-free mogas can be found at a couple of local gas stations at around $4.50/gal but it's not worth the hassle of hauling it to the airport. Oh how I long for the good old days when I first got my first airplane and 100LL was $1.85/gal and I could afford to fly 150-200 hours a year.
 
Article in Cessna Pilots association this month about an ag operator flying IO520 in a Cessna 188 burned roughly 2000 gallons of 91 anto fuel via the Inpulse water injection STC.

I would love to have an IO520 powered cessna 210 running mogas.
 
I don't remember $1.85 avgas, but 12 years ago it was only $2.35/gal, a 172 rented for $65/hr and I flew well over 250 hours that year.

Haven't seen a price hike yet in either MI or VT (though have only checked airnav so far, haven't actually pumped fuel in about a week).
 
I'm starting to think mogas compatibility will be a requirement in an airplane, and not even consider 100LL ONLY types at all, assuming I ever get around to buying one..
 
Our local self serve price 100LL is about $6.05. Paid $6.22 in Parowan UT, full service only.

Local Mogas is $3.71 to $3.84 in the local area this weekend. Can't find anything that does not have ethanol in it.
 
I have one of the fastest std certificated planes that can use mogas. It was planned that way. I used to be able to get mogas 6 miles from my airport. Then it was 14 miles, now it's 34 miles. The cost factor to go get it and bring it back is getting pretty thin but only because our avgas prices in TX are somewhat reasonable.

I still run it whenever I can because the plane likes it better. My gas hauler gets 29MPG and it takes more than 2 hours to go get a load, so I feel like my savings in time by flying a plane, is discounted somewhat by the cost in time to go get mogas and pump it in the plane. So far, I'm still making the trek because I can do other things at my lakehouse while getting mogas. But it bothers me that mogas has become almost impossible to buy in major metro areas across TX. Frustrating.

I have a 55 gallon tank and pump and filter so I can get a good load when I go, but it's still a hassle.

http://pure-gas.org/extensions/map.html
 
The rental place I just switched to is now charging us at 6.80 cents a gallon for gas. It's absolutely absurd and I can't stand that they charge 7.00 bucks a gallon for 100ll to anyone who needs to fill up. It's absurd. I can fly to many airports in the area and find gas for under 6.00. It's just a rip off.

It's honestly times like these where I wished I owned my own plane. It's becoming cheaper to own a plane than rent with FBO's charging so much for gas and building it into their rental costs.
 
I just put over $100 of fuel in my wife's toyota corolla. I don't feel your pain.
 
bnt83 said:
I'm starting to think mogas compatibility will be a requirement in an airplane, and not even consider 100LL ONLY types at all, assuming I ever get around to buying one..
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I think that is a great idea. A perhaps slower airplane on mogas is better than a fast hangar queen. I would like to upgrade to an Arrow but there is no Mogas STC for it.
 
Data points:

100LL at my field = $5.25
No ethanol MoGas at my field = $4.45. (93 oct)
No ethanol MoGas on the street = $3.69 (93 oct)

100LL @ Kennett, MO (KTKX) just south of here = $4.69
 
At FRG its 8.24 (Atltantic Aviation) and 8.21 (Sheltair). The flight school I work at usually has students fill up in BDR or POU
 
Neal Howard said:
100LL is $4.79/gal at my home field. 91-93 octane ethanol-free mogas can be found at a couple of local gas stations at around $4.50/gal but it's not worth the hassle of hauling it to the airport. Oh how I long for the good old days when I first got my first airplane and 100LL was $1.85/gal and I could afford to fly 150-200 hours a year.
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100LL is a 30 cents more than 91 E10? You are paying way to much for auto gas.
 
Alexb2000 said:
Do you have ethanol free gas in your area?
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Geico lives in Nebraska.. They grow more corn there for Ethanol then anywhere else... So they are bound by state law to use it...:hairraise:....;)..


Personally I prefer using alcohol laced fuel as it contains more O2 molecules.. And I usually fly at 16,000 MSL and my motor loves the extra Oxygen...:yes:
 
I was up at a marina near Bracey, VA earlier this week, they had 93 octane unleaded/no alcohol for $4.32 per gallon.

I know a lot of us are stuck with using 100LL, but going forward, I sure wouldn't buy anything that requires it. Even if one of the 100LL replacements comes to market, the shrinking volume is going to make it expensive. I'd want to work towards mogas for the under 200 hp fleet, and some sort of compression ignition engine that burns jet fuel for the high and fast folks. Needing a niche product like 100LL is a good way to leave yourself open for this sort of blackmail.
 
N801BH said:
Geico lives in Nebraska.. They grow more corn there for Ethanol then anywhere else... So they are bound by state law to use it...:hairraise:....;)..
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Hell, you can find ethanol free MoGAs all across Iowa. They've convinced everyone else to use the poison but they're smart enough to avoid it themselves.
 
Hell, I fly a 235 HP engine (O-540) that was rated for 87 octane which should be cheap as hell (compared to AVGAS that is) and you can't find it anywhere. Yeah, nice to have the 100 octane for insurance but it sucks paying for it when you don't need it and know how to manage an engine. I'd imagine that most of the engines out there could run 87 just fine and it amazes me that you can't find it anywhere.
 
Don't like the price ,make it a point to go elsewhere. When you go out for the 100 dollar hamburg,figure in a cheap fuel stop.
 
kenjr said:
Hell, I fly a 235 HP engine (O-540) that was rated for 87 octane which should be cheap as hell (compared to AVGAS that is) and you can't find it anywhere. Yeah, nice to have the 100 octane for insurance but it sucks paying for it when you don't need it and know how to manage an engine. I'd imagine that most of the engines out there could run 87 just fine and it amazes me that you can't find it anywhere.
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It was actually known as 80 octane. Dyed red IIRC.

It might not be legal, but you could run 2/3 MoGas (ethanol free of course) and 1/3 100LL and closely replicate the old 80 octane.

Actually, MoGas + a little lead = 80 octane.
 
Does any1 know if VP Fuels can be used in aviation applications?
 
CTLSi said:
100LL is a 30 cents more than 91 E10? You are paying way to much for auto gas.
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R.I.F.
No, the ETHANOL-FREE premium mogas is 30 cents less than 100LL.. Premium E10 mogas is much cheaper. (e.g. $3.65/gas for alcohol-contaminated 91 octane)

BTW, my '98 Audi Quattro can tell a big difference between E10 premium and E-zero premium auto fuel.
 
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Dang, bought full service 100LL in Winchester, TN last week at $4.91/gal. Much better than my home field at $6.25/gal. $8/gal is nuts.
 
N801BH said:
Geico lives in Nebraska.. They grow more corn there for Ethanol then anywhere else... So they are bound by state law to use it...:hairraise:....;)..


Personally I prefer using alcohol laced fuel as it contains more O2 molecules.. And I usually fly at 16,000 MSL and my motor loves the extra Oxygen...:yes:
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Surprisingly enough getting ethanol free gas in nebraksa is not a problem. Almost every gas station has it.
 
I paid $4.95 today in Chino, CA. I was amazed at the price, considering the "SoCal" location. Made a special stop!
 
N801BH said:
Geico lives in Nebraska.. They grow more corn there for Ethanol then anywhere else... So they are bound by state law to use it...:hairraise:....;)..


Personally I prefer using alcohol laced fuel as it contains more O2 molecules.. And I usually fly at 16,000 MSL and my motor loves the extra Oxygen...:yes:
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I use it all the time in my vehicles, but for the plane I use 91 Octane no ethanol.
 
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