The reality is that unless you are really skimping on the maintenance,
not planning for major expenses like engine overhaul, not hangaring,
etc., fuel is at most 30% of your expenditures - and that assumes you
own the plane outright. If you have a note, it's less. The people who
find themselves priced out because the fuel has gone up are thus the
ones who were skimping on all these other expenses and just can't
afford any increase.

While there is some of that, I don't agree with your broad-brush
premise.

There are a LOT of really well-maintained aircraft on our field that
are simply not flying since gas doubled in price. When your fuel bill
goes from $160 to $320 per fill, that's a HUGE deterrent to flying.

Even among those who can easily afford it, the thought of paying that
much for a tank of gas is simply stupifying enough to make one think
twice before flying. It's going to take a while -- maybe a long while
-- for people to get used to it.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"