Backcountry Pilot

[punkgeek offline]

Wow - at KHWD gas just went from $3.85/gal a weekish ago, to $4.40/gal now (self serve - more for the truck). The airfield was pretty quiet - the fuel guys say sales were _way_ off today.

[180Marty offline]

Check out this thread. With the RV you for sure could use this fuel.
http://www.supercub.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10179

[Zzz]

Looks like those Super Cub folks didn't exactly give you a warm welcome, Marty.

Wow - at KHWD gas just went from $3.85/gal a weekish ago, to $4.40/gal now (self serve - more for the truck). The airfield was pretty quiet - the fuel guys say sales were _way_ off today.

I think that the initial reaction to fuel prices results in less fuel sales and flying activity, but once the initial shock wears off, they'll be out there buying it up just as much as before-- they just need time to accept it.

We've accepted the fact these days that $2.50/gal mogas is a fact, and are oh so relieved when the price backs off from $3+ down to $2.50. Soon, $5 or $6 100LL is going to be the norm and we'll just accept it, if it drops into the $4 range we'll be celebrating. The pain is relative. For the guy who just spent $35,000 on an engine upgrade or $10,000 on a new panel mount GPS, what's a few more bucks per tank? For us less-than-rich guys, what's the breaking point before flying becomes too expensive?

It does make me happy that I have a 145HP engine and I burn ~8 gph in cruise, and that O-360 I was longing for seems a little less important now.

[Strata Rocketeer offline]

Man, I've got to get to the airport to top off the tanks before I get clobbered...probably too late already.

[180Marty offline]

Zane wrote

Looks like those Super Cub folks didn't exactly give you a warm welcome, Marty.

Yeah, Posting info about subjects like that with so much misinformation isn't for the faint of heart. Hope you're right and people are able to keep buying fuel and don't quit( we need all the pilots we can get). By the way, Bill Gates is going to be investing in ethanol in California, I think, for you West Coast folks.
Marty

[Strata Rocketeer offline]

...It does make me happy that I have a 145HP engine and I burn ~8 gph in cruise, and that O-360 I was longing for seems a little less important now.

Hey, what's one gallon an hour among friends? But, by not spending the money on that extra 35 ponies you can buy a heck of a lot of avgas.

[Supercubber offline]

Looks like those Super Cub folks didn't exactly give you a warm welcome, Marty.

I wouldn't be to concerned, bunch of opinionated old farts over there. I think their average age is something like 70 years old or so.

Someone sent me an email where the administrator there is starting an any aircraft category, trying to rake in a few more bucks and in the process pissing off the membership. Probably can't stand to see the growth Zanes, Backcountrypilot.org. is experiencing.

P.S. you can get pretty good deals on 1000, 2500 & 5000 gallon fuel trucks in T-Plane right now.

[Strata Rocketeer offline]

I wouldn't be to concerned, bunch of opinionated old farts over there. I think their average age is something like 70 years old or so.

LOL! So I guess that must mean you're an opinionated young fart?

Let it go Supercubber, you've got a whole new dysfunctional family here now...and I mean that in the most indearing of ways.

[Supercubber offline]

LOL! So I guess that must mean you're an opinionated young fart?

Let it go Supercubber, you've got a whole new dysfunctional family here now...and I mean that in the most indearing of ways.

Yep, that's me....young fart with a straight forward opinion. Ya either like it or cry in your beer.

Nothing to let go....since I resigned from that site all the interesting characters I used to banter with also left, just a bunch of old redundant jibberish now.

Jr. Cubbuilder,

Before we installed the tank and pump in the pickup we used racing quick drain 6 gallon fuel jugs. Went to the local hardware store and bought some fittings and a two foot section of clear flexible hose to fit in the threaded cap. Just chocked the tundra tire we were standing on and you could feed the end of the fuel hose into the opening before tilting the jug. Lift the jug and in about 15 seconds the whole thing was drained out without spilling a drop. No funnel, no mess.

[180Marty offline]

Another interesting fuel that I just read about on www.domesticfuel.com
http://www.butanol.com/

[Superdave offline]

Spanish Springs International is 3.45. Nervino is 3.03.

[Zzz]

I paid 3.70 today at Grants Pass. Jr said he was paying much more than that up in WA.

[Flat Country Pilot offline]

Marty,

Have you considered looking into an STC for AGE85 fuel for you C180?

Bill

[180Marty offline]

The STC exists from Texas Skyways for their O-470 UTS. It is basically an O470 U that they turn the RPM's up from 2400 to 2600. For the AGE 85 option they put a bigger jet in the carb to flow more fuel. When you get stuck putting 100LL in, you lean with the mixture control just like at a high elevation. I just need to bite the bullet and buy that engine to replace my O 470 K.
Marty
P.S. I found that new patented process to get 2.5 gal of butanol from a bu. of corn interesting if it is true. Notice how butanol has the same energy as gasoline.

[Superdave offline]

jmtgt-Spanish Springs went up 4-30-06. I pumped all the cheap (2.99) stuff I could hold. 96 gallons in the plane and another 120 in the trailer. That should last all week.

[qmdv offline]

Last Friday I left Weed at 0:dark-thirty for So Cal. Filled up in Delano CA for 3.50 per gal. Had to file shoot the ILS into Van Nuys, CA. Luckily it only took 17 gal at 4.40 per.

Helped my mom with stuff that day then had to file to get out of VN on Saturday morning. Canceled when on top then preceded to the Chicken strip in Death Valley for a soak in the hot springs. Tested out all three tubs. I think there are only three. Got bored and took off around 1 PM. The density altitude was up there but it is pretty steep downhill take off into a pretty good breeze. Got tired and spent the night in Yerington, NV.

Sunday morning took off and landed at Spanish Springs, NV to fill up for 2.99 per gallon. After the fill up I bowed my head and gave thanks for the last av gas that I will ever be able to buy for under 3 bucks.

Headed home back to Weed, CA. What a really neat weekend of flying. Nice to have a plane that I feal real comfy in landing at something like the Chicken Strip and also feel good about making an IFR approach.

Did a bit more work on the landing strip at my place.

Tim

[Stol offline]

$4.80 a gallon today for 100LL in Jackson Hole, Wy. I also get 91 mogas 500 gal at a time delivered to my shop every few months. last purchase was in 2-06, that was 2.28. Boy, those were the good ol days. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. On another note, today I flew over my private strip I have on my ranch located halfway between Jackson and Pinedale, 2WY3. It is still wet with a little snow left. It is at 8000msl though so the high elevation is making it dry out slower then down low strips. Spring is right around the corner now....

Ben
N801BH
www.haaspowerair.com

[Strata Rocketeer offline]

Escaped from work today for a couple of hours. Gas at my home field is currently $4.10 so I flew over to Wickenburg and bought it for $3.60 (which ain't gonna last long). Saved about $20 bucks on the 42 ga I purchased, but had to fly about 40 miles to get it and played in the desert along the way...nice trade off.

[Supercubber offline]

Been looking through the exemptions.

Besides the exemptions for AG use, an individual does not have to pay tax on fuel if you buy in bulk of 300 gallons or more in my state.

Still filling up with the 88 octane I've bought at $2.45 a Gal.

If your running a mogas STC I can't think of a better aircraft to run than a Super Cub.

News story just broke where oil company CEO's are claiming they are going to charge what ever the market will bear to reward their stockholders. Which means the consumer will play a big role in the price of fuel.

They just predicted $5.00 a gallon for auto fuel in the very near future, which means (I can't believe I'm writing this) $7-8.00 a gallon for 100LL

[Strata Rocketeer offline]

...News story just broke where oil company CEO's are claiming they are going to charge what ever the market will bear to reward their stockholders...

I really can't imagine an oil company CEO sayin' that, at least not within earshot of a reporter.

Sounds like typical stir up the masses MSM bullshit to me.