Local airport can't get 100LL

Diana

Diana

Final Approach
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Southwest MO
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Diana
So, I’m checking the prices on the fuel at LLU yesterday for our upcoming IAC chapter fly-in/aerobatic practice and critique session at our farm and noticed that the 100LL tank was empty. I called City Hall and they informed me that the supplier can’t deliver fuel until they have a larger load to deliver in the area. Might be a few weeks or more.

In the meantime, the local cropdusters who have been VERY busy here are having to bring in their own 100LL.

So I called the local supplier and he said that HIS supplier won’t deliver to him until HE has a larger load. He no longer has a holding tank since his was condemned. He didn’t have any suggestions for me as to where else we could get fuel.

The problem is that aerobatic airplanes are flying down from Kansas City and will need to get fuel to do aerobatics when they get here and get fuel in-between practice sessions over the farm and get fuel before they fly back to Kansas City.

After making numerous calls yesterday I still can’t find a way to have fuel available unless I borrow a small tank from a friend and fill it up at another airport, but he doesn’t have a filter on his tank. A few local pilots have tanks at their private strips and some of them use 100LL too (they drive elsewhere with their tanks to get fuel) but that really won’t work for what we have planned. Beside, some of the guys who fly Pitts are understandably hesitant about landing at strange grass airfields.

Wow, I hope this isn't an indication of things to come.
 
no kidding. we go through quite a bit 100LL here with our charter and training fleet, plus transient. wholesale price has been going up 10-15 cents a week. no problems with availability yet though.
 
We use Eastern Aviation fuels. They have been very helpful in co-ordinating shared loads with other airports. We have been taking half loads (~ 4K to 4.5K gallons instead of full tanker loads). We have been splitting a load with one other airport.

Some of the even smaller airports here have a problem similar to yours though. The may have just a thousand gallons of storage capacity and have to wait until a load is organized to several airports.

What is the next closest airport - Joplin?
 
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Diana,
I was at Lamar one day when they delivered 100LL. The driver told me that Lamar and Stockton usually buy at the same time and because they only buy 500 to 1000 gallons at a time and they put it on the same truck. He said that he picked up the fuel from the Aurora airport and that they purchased it from them. You might check with Stockton to see if they are in need for fuel or if they have enough on handle to accommodate your event.
 
Graueradler said:
What is the next closest airport - Joplin?
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Pittsburg (PTS) would be more practical and fuel is cheaper there.

Dean said:
Diana,
I was at Lamar one day when they delivered 100LL. The driver told me that Lamar and Stockton usually buy at the same time and because they only buy 500 to 1000 gallons at a time and they put it on the same truck. He said that he picked up the fuel from the Aurora airport and that they purchased it from them. You might check with Stockton to see if they are in need for fuel or if they have enough on handle to accommodate your event.
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I talked with the Aurora supplier and he is waiting to get fuel from his supplier. I was also told that Stockton is out of fuel too.
 
Wow, Diana. I'll be sure to ask the Poker Run FBOs about their fuel availability when I call them today to remind them the Poker Run cards are inbound...
 
TangoWhiskey said:
Wow, Diana. I'll be sure to ask the Poker Run FBOs about their fuel availability when I call them today to remind them the Poker Run cards are inbound...
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KBPK said they won't run out of fuel, and I suggested to Gaston's that they double check their supply.
 
Dean said:
Diana,
Have you checked El dorado Springs and Nevada?
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Dean, I left a voice message with the FBO at Nevada and he called me back late Friday the afternoon. They get their fuel from Warsaw. He gave me a few numbers to call, but it was too late to start calling around by then. One of the problems is that the Lamar 100LL tank is only 1,000 gallons and anymore, no one wants to bother to deliver that small amount. There almost needs to be some kind of co-op where several of the small local airports could get a delivery at the same time, but then that isn't really practical.

In the meantime, several people have offered to let me use their smaller portable tanks, but none of them have meters and some don't have filters. I'll get back to making phone calls on Tuesday.

I bet things were hopping the other night with the storms rolling through. We had some slight storm damage here and there was a tornado warning for Joplin and Carthage. Seems like Memorial Weekend at Stockton traditionally has storms to keep those campers on their toes.
 
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