Cost of gas is beginning to hurt

It cost me more than $40 at Costco yesterday to fill my gas tank. I
figure it costs me at least $10 in gas every time I drive to the
airport -- and I have a hybrid car. I am beginning to wonder how long
some of the younger instructors can keep this up.
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

I'm fortunate in not having to own a car.

What's kinda weird to me is the tendency to put ever larger engines in
4-place aircraft.

Mooney defined efficiency (and pretty much continues to do so) but
there seems to be a big market for 300+ horsepower engines.

I suppose if you're laying out $400K for an airplane and 4000 a year
on insurance, an additional 5-8 gph isn't a big deal.

On 2007-04-18 09:06:49 -0700, Paul kgyy said:

I'm fortunate in not having to own a car.

What's kinda weird to me is the tendency to put ever larger engines in
4-place aircraft.

Mooney defined efficiency (and pretty much continues to do so) but
there seems to be a big market for 300+ horsepower engines.

I suppose if you're laying out $400K for an airplane and 4000 a year
on insurance, an additional 5-8 gph isn't a big deal.

Actually, it is a big deal. I know lots of people who own multi-million
dollar aircraft. They all complain about the price of fuel. Without
exception. No one seems to think it is pocket change.
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

On Apr 18, 10:18 am, C J Campbell
wrote:
On 2007-04-18 09:06:49 -0700, Paul kgyy said:

I'm fortunate in not having to own a car.

What's kinda weird to me is the tendency to put ever larger engines in
4-place aircraft.

Mooney defined efficiency (and pretty much continues to do so) but
there seems to be a big market for 300+ horsepower engines.

I suppose if you're laying out $400K for an airplane and 4000 a year
on insurance, an additional 5-8 gph isn't a big deal.

Actually, it is a big deal. I know lots of people who own multi-million
dollar aircraft. They all complain about the price of fuel. Without
exception. No one seems to think it is pocket change.
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

Just wait until they jack up the fuel tax to $0.70 a gallon and then
listen to the complaints! There will be a lot more planes parked on
the ramp and fewer in the air once this tax increase goes through.

On 4/18/2007 1:12:25 PM, wrote:

Just wait until they jack up the fuel tax to $0.70 a gallon and then
listen to the complaints! There will be a lot more planes parked on
the ramp and fewer in the air once this tax increase goes through.


If this tax does go through, expect the number of unfilled Angel Flight
missions (failure of a volunteer pilot to accept the flight) to sharply
increase.

--
Peter

On Apr 18, 12:45 pm, "Peter R." wrote:
On 4/18/2007 1:12:25 PM, wrote:

Just wait until they jack up the fuel tax to $0.70 a gallon and then
listen to the complaints! There will be a lot more planes parked on
the ramp and fewer in the air once this tax increase goes through.

If this tax does go through, expect the number of unfilled Angel Flight
missions (failure of a volunteer pilot to accept the flight) to sharply
increase.

--
Peter

Saudi Arabia must have some nice GA fields funded by the "tax" they
impose on us.

JG

C J Campbell writes:

Actually, it is a big deal. I know lots of people who own multi-million
dollar aircraft. They all complain about the price of fuel. Without
exception. No one seems to think it is pocket change.

Complaining about it and being able to afford it are two different things.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

"Paul kgyy" wrote in message
ups.com...
I'm fortunate in not having to own a car.

What's kinda weird to me is the tendency to put ever larger engines in
4-place aircraft.

Mooney defined efficiency (and pretty much continues to do so) but
there seems to be a big market for 300+ horsepower engines.

I suppose if you're laying out $400K for an airplane and 4000 a year
on insurance, an additional 5-8 gph isn't a big deal.

I think the small engined Cirruses (Cirri?) have taken the fast, 200 hp, 4
seater market away from Mooney. If you compare spec's of a pre-201 Mooney
and a Cirrus SR-20, they are reasonably close and the Cirrus is a much
simpler airplane, both to operate and to maintain.

KB

On Apr 18, 9:06 am, Paul kgyy wrote:
I'm fortunate in not having to own a car.

What's kinda weird to me is the tendency to put ever larger engines in
4-place aircraft.


What's really strange is all those new 4 seaters are designed with
engine requiring 100LL, instead of 91/96.

The oil industry is completely ready to supply unleaded avgas with
similar AKI of 91/96 leaded avgas, which would be basically straight
premium autofuel. Such fuel can easily knock $1 off a gallon in
price, and more so in the future as the cost of distributing the
leaded fuel continues to rise because it can't use pipelines.

"M" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Apr 18, 9:06 am, Paul kgyy wrote:
I'm fortunate in not having to own a car.

What's kinda weird to me is the tendency to put ever larger engines in
4-place aircraft.


What's really strange is all those new 4 seaters are designed with
engine requiring 100LL, instead of 91/96.

It part of a big bore engine.