"C J Campbell" wrote in message
news:2008040618011616807-christophercampbell@hotmailcom...
On 2008-04-04 19:47:30 -0700, "Jay Honeck"
said:

With Avgas topping five bucks a gallon, I find myself asking: How much
more will it take before GA is completely unaffordable? At what price
point will all the current "weekend pilots" be driven from the market?

Example: While on our trip back from Florida a couple of weeks ago, we
paid $5.20 per gallon in St. Louis. Since we needed 60 gallons, we paid
over $300 for a single tank of gas -- something I *never* thought I'd
see.

What were you paying in the past? What % of your operating expense is gas?

Try $5.11 everyday (CYS).


That price has more than doubled in just the last few years, and there
appears to be no end in sight. So the question is: How much higher must
gas go up before *you* hang up your headphones for the last time?

If you use an airplane for business, you can't hang up the headphones. OTOH,
I'm expanding my business into the oil producing regions where the RE market
is still pretty good (though mortgages are harder to get).

Anyone care to predict what year the last personal flights will occur in
America?

When it's too expensive to pursue as a HOBBY?

Considering that there are waiting lists for people to buy a Cessna 172
for nearly $300,000, almost double what one cost a couple years ago, I
doubt that the price of gas is going to have much effect on aviation, even
if it goes to $100/gallon. The only effect will be to make the complaints
louder.

The cost of gas is a pittance compared to whatever else people spend on an
airplane. If gas starts to hurt airplane sales, the manufacturers will
simply offer incentives like Cessna has done in the past -- a free year's
fuel. Or more.

Operating cost is early 2007 were $185 an hour and fuel for me was an
average of $3.78; now it's $5.11 - at 15GPH my new cost is $20 more an hour
($205). My TOTAL cost is 11% higher.

Fortunately, I can just adjust my margins to match and my tax accountant has
new numbers to work with.

Matt Barrow
Performance Homes, LLC
Cheyenne, WY