Fuel Prices and their Effect on Your Flying

That depends on whether there's an airport selling mogas near your home
base. For example there're quite a few in midwest, right in the corn
country: http://www.chouby.com/apps/autogas.html


B A R R Y wrote:
M wrote:

The best "mod" you can get to make fuel cost more bearable is the
autogas STC, if you're lucky enough to own a model that can get the
STC, and you can get ethanol free autogas.


How great is that mod when you need to get 30-40 gallons into the plane?

Do you land at a gas station? G

Even 20 is a lot to carry around in portable containers.

M wrote:
That depends on whether there's an airport selling mogas near your home
base.

This is probably why many of us don't see the advantage. G

B A R R Y wrote:
: How great is that mod when you need to get 30-40 gallons into the plane?

: Do you land at a gas station? G

: Even 20 is a lot to carry around in portable containers.

I've found that with a little planning, it's not too bad for the way I fly at
least. Most flights are relatively local, with the occasional 500nm cross country.
I've got three 5-gallon cans in my car. For local flights I just stop by the gas
station before flying and get a can or two. For the longer ones, I'll fill them all
up on the way to the airport. When I return I'll dump them in and then go for one
more trip for three more. Not too inconvenient for the few times I return from a
trip and need to put 30-40 gallons in.... just one extra trip to the local filling
station.

I was going to build a fuel trailer, but decided that the small cans work OK.
If I had a high-wing I'd be more inclined to build a trailer (with the requisite pump,
etc). With the low-wing I've got, I just let the cans drain while I post-flight,
tie-down, etc.

-Cory

--

************************************************** ***********************
* Cory Papenfuss, Ph.D., PPSEL-IA *
* Electrical Engineering *
* Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University *
************************************************** ***********************

wrote:

I was going to build a fuel trailer, but decided that the small cans work OK.
If I had a high-wing I'd be more inclined to build a trailer (with the requisite pump,
etc). With the low-wing I've got, I just let the cans drain while I post-flight,
tie-down, etc.


Do your local fields allow fuel cans to be stored on the property? Both
of the places where I've had tie-downs forbade it.

On 30 Apr 2006 14:46:30 -0700, "M" wrote:

Most of the speed mods makes the biggest difference at the top end of
the cruise speed, where parasite drag hurts the most. At the much
slower max-range speed, parasite drag isn't as significant because its
proportional to the square of the calibrated airspeed. Because of this
reason, speed mods only has a very modest effect to fuel efficiency at
lower speed.

The best "mod" you can get to make fuel cost more bearable is the
autogas STC, if you're lucky enough to own a model that can get the
STC, and you can get ethanol free autogas.

Mo Gas in a Bo? I have the little 260HP and even it can not get a mo
gas STC due to the compression. Besides, last fill up I paid $2.97
for car gas and $3.06 or so for the 100LL.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Roger wrote:



Mo Gas in a Bo?

Sure, every one up to and including the E series engines.

"Jon Kraus" wrote:

Have higher fuel prices forced you to adjust your operations? I'm sure
that over the years when fuel prices have peaked, folks have made changes,
but since I am a new owner (working on our second year) it is my first
experience at spiking prices. So what say you?

High fuel costs were one factor in my decision to abandon plans to sell my
Cutlass RG and get a 210 or an A36.

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

"Dan Luke" wrote in message
...

"Jon Kraus" wrote:

Have higher fuel prices forced you to adjust your operations? I'm sure
that over the years when fuel prices have peaked, folks have made
changes, but since I am a new owner (working on our second year) it is my
first experience at spiking prices. So what say you?

High fuel costs were one factor in my decision to abandon plans to sell my
Cutlass RG and get a 210 or an A36.


What's your fuel burn now?

"Matt Barrow" wrote:



What's your fuel burn now?

9.5 GPH

"Jon Kraus" wrote in message
.. .
Third I am now learning and practicing everything I can about Lean of Peak
(LOP) operations in order to save money on fuel.

http://www.advancedpilot.com/index.html - expensive ($1000), but worth every
penny Save gas, but more importantly, your engine. (see below)

I have found that in cruise I can save many gallons-per-hour by twisting
the red knob until the EGT's peak and then get to 10-20 degrees on the
other side of peak temperatures. I know that this will not work for
everyone but for my IO-360 it gives me a cool, smooth running engine that
is only drinking 9.5 GPH.

At what MP? Throttle setting? Altitude?

http://www.avweb.com/news/columns/182045-1.html

Yes, cool and smooth...but possibly with excessive internal pressure.

Red Box = No Fly Zone
At and below about 60% power, there is no red box.
At about 65% power, 100ºF ROP to Peak.
At about 70%, 125ºF ROP to 25ºF LOP.
At about 75%, 180ºF ROP to 40ºF LOP.
At about 80%, 200ºF ROP to 60ºF LOP


http://www.avweb.com/news/columns/182084-1.html


Have higher fuel prices forced you to adjust your operations?

Fuel here is $4.15, up from $3.45 so it translates to about $11 more an
hour. Considering our hourly DOC & Reserve is around $135 an hour, $11 is
minor.

We did cancel a optional trip to the "Big City" for shopping.

I'm sure that over the years when fuel prices have peaked, folks have made
changes, but since I am a new owner (working on our second year) it is my
first experience at spiking prices. So what say you?

LOP is your best bet. IIRC, the Mooney is running a TCM? If so, GAMIjectors.

--
Matt
---------------------
Matthew W. Barrow
Site-Fill Homes, LLC.
Montrose, CO