Fuel Prices and their Effect on Your Flying

So, finally coming to my point, I wonder whether you take any similar
precautions with the grape, whether you carry insurance on it, whether the
insurer has put any limitations or special provisions on you.

First, you must remember where I live. Although Iowa City is a very
urban, cosmopolitan kind of place (thanks to the University of Iowa),
we are surrounded by thousands of square miles of farmland. Every few
miles, there is a farmer. He owns a pickup truck which, invariably,
has a fuel transfer tank in the back -- just like the Mighty Grapes --
and he comes into town to shop, once in a while.

Every building contractor in the area has one, too.

In short, it's not unusual to see trucks around town that look just
like the Grape (although most aren't purple, and most are big ol'
American pickem-up trucks, not dinky little Nissans), so no one is
excited or surprised to see me.

Now, if I still lived in the Milwaukee/Racine/Kenosha/Chicago
metroplex, things might be a bit different. But around here, there
are no special restrictions or requirements to haul gas around. Your
mileage may vary.

In the summer, when we pull the Mustang out of the hangar after a long
winter's nap, we park the Grape at the hotel, and usually only use it
to drive the 400 yards or so to our hangar each time we fly. We also
use it to fuel our lawn tractor, mowers, etc., and to haul stuff to the
dump once in a while. In the winter we drive it to/from from the hotel
every day, just like a regular car. (It's actually an wonderful little
truck. Nissan really got it right, back in '95.)

We even park it in the garage at our home, which freaked me out for the
first few years. Gradually I came to realize that the fuel transfer
tank was no different than any of my other vehicle's fuel tanks, and
relaxed about it.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"