$6 avgas letter

[rosiejerryrosie]

Good luck, Frank. I couldn't get that good a fuel burn with my 20Hp Rotax 277....

[Hiperbiper]

ExxonMobil Corp recently announced they are shutting down the general aviation fuel section of their business and eventually closing Avitat branded FBO's. What effect will this have on fuel availablity and prices?

Can't be good.

None;
Actually; less players in the market will allow others a larger piece of the shrinking pie...

Chris

[martymayes]

None;
Actually; less players in the market will allow others a larger piece of the shrinking pie...

Chris

Well, I wish I shared your optimism. However, fewer players and less availability translates to higher prices. Then there's the whole alternative fuel issue.....

[Thomas Stute]

Guys, when reading through all of your contributions, one could become a little of depressed. All the pilots here in Europe are looking onto the states as being the aviators paradise! Why? You have much more freedom than we have, even under consideration of the regulations imposed by your FAA. Your fuel prices are moderate when compared to European conditions. For example in Germany 100LL cost between 2.5 and 3 Euro/liter. Multiply this with 3.7 and you get the price of a gallon, Multiply by another 1.3 (depending on the exchange rate)and you have the cost in US$/gallon. This done you end up with 100LL-prices of about 12 to 14.5 USD per gallon. We pay for car fuel (98 octane unleaded) between 7 USD and 8.5 USD per gallon.
Of course these high fuel prices (and all the other raising expenses in aviation for hangars, insurance, parts, annuals, landing fees,...) have an impact. People fly less.
My solution is to share the costs of my Klemm 107C with a friend. We do all the maintence and repairs ourself and the fuel burn of our old O-320-A2A with 6.5 gph auto fuel at 100 kts is not too bad.
So guys, don't get the blues, you are far better of than we are and we still enjoy flying!
Our motto still must be: Keep them (and us) flying!!!

[Wilfred]

I am happy I can use 91-octane auto fuel at $3.30/gallon. However, even when I was flying my RV6A and using 100LL I came to realize that fuel costs are not the most expensive thing about flying, its just the most obvious because you see it so often. The costs of insurance, maintenance costs, hangar rental or ownership, etc, all really cost more than the fuel cost for a year. Unless you fly LOT, the fuel costs are really not that important.

[Bill Greenwood]

Worrying about a $2 increase in the price of avgas when you fly a Pitenpol, seems like worrying about an increase in the price of toothpaste re one's medical/dental costs.