My plane cost $40 yesterday

[Charles Talleyrand]

I spent $40 on my plane yesterday. That topped off the tanks and put a
quart of oil in the engine. With this I was able to fly from home to
Houghton, and back, which is about 150 miles round trip.

I haven't spent $40 on plane all in the same day since the last annual.[1]

My plane is eating me out of house and home. I hope your planes
are cheaper than mine.

-Charles Talleyrand

[1] OK, hanger rent is $110/month, but that is a fully enclosed nice hanger
with concrete floor and such.

[LSP]

On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 21:57:34 -0500, "Charles Talleyrand"
> wrote:

>I spent $40 on my plane yesterday. That topped off the tanks and put a
>quart of oil in the engine. With this I was able to fly from home to
>Houghton, and back, which is about 150 miles round trip.
>
>I haven't spent $40 on plane all in the same day since the last annual.[1]
>
>My plane is eating me out of house and home. I hope your planes
>are cheaper than mine.
>
>-Charles Talleyrand
>
>[1] OK, hanger rent is $110/month, but that is a fully enclosed nice hanger
>with concrete floor and such.

Awwww, poor baby.

Your main problem is that you are not flying nearly often enough.
Enough is when you have no more $40 to put into the tanks and must beg
for food on the streets.

[Wayne]

I doubt you find too many that are cheaper than that. I flew 100 miles
today and the fuel was $23.00. However, for every hour I fly, I put back
$25.00 towards maint, and so there is some money around when the engine
needs an overhaul. I am paying $2.18 per gallon, how much are you paying? I
really doesn't sound that bad to me. What happens in a few hundred hours
when the plane needs something major?

Compare to the same trip in a car. In my case, I flew three, sat down
and ate a full course meal, and returned in less time than it would have
taken to drive to there alone. Had there been an interestate highway going
right there that wouldn't be the case though. Still, the view alone more
than makes up for the difference for me.

Did you get your license and your plane planning to save money or do you
do it because like to fly?

Take along a buddy and share the costs, now you are talking about $20.00
for 150 miles. A little over $.13 per mile each doesn't sound bad at all to
me.

Wayne


"Charles Talleyrand" > wrote in message
...
> I spent $40 on my plane yesterday. That topped off the tanks and put a
> quart of oil in the engine. With this I was able to fly from home to
> Houghton, and back, which is about 150 miles round trip.
>
> I haven't spent $40 on plane all in the same day since the last annual.[1]
>
> My plane is eating me out of house and home. I hope your planes
> are cheaper than mine.
>
> -Charles Talleyrand
>
> [1] OK, hanger rent is $110/month, but that is a fully enclosed nice
hanger
> with concrete floor and such.
>
>

[markjen]

You probably spent about $160. Most planes fly for about 4X the fuel cost
all up, not including capital charges. Still probably a bargain compared to
what most of us spend.

- Mark

[BTIZ]

> Take along a buddy and share the costs, now you are talking about
$20.00

Please don't start that "Share" thread again..

BT

[Paul Sengupta]

Hmm. $40 / 1.65 = £24.24.
At £0.96 a litre, that's 25.25 litres.
25.25 litres = 6.825 USG.
After allowing for a take-off, that's about 45 minutes in my plane.
If I don't go too fast that is. Doesn't pay for the landing fee
anywhere though.

Paul
A top-up for me costs about £90-£100 (100-110 litres).

"Charles Talleyrand" > wrote in message
...
> I spent $40 on my plane yesterday.

[Dan Servais]

There has to be SOME price for having fun though itsn't there? If you
aren't having fun then sell the plane. When the day comes that the
worry about flying overcomes the fun of flying then I will hang it up
and sell the plane.

Dan

On Mon, 17 Nov 2003 04:19:56 GMT, "markjen"
> wrote:

>You probably spent about $160. Most planes fly for about 4X the fuel cost
>all up, not including capital charges. Still probably a bargain compared to
>what most of us spend.
>
>- Mark
>

[Ross Richardson]

When I bought my plane 5 years ago, I set up a budget for running the
thing. If I cannot live in that budget (which hasn't changed) I better
give up. Hangar rent has gone up, our fuel is holding OK ($1.84/gal),
insurance jumped up then settled back down. I do owner assisted annuals,
change my own oil, etc. When I go X-C I usually have to pay over
$2.30/gal because of the locations I go to.

Ain't if fun to own an plane?

Charles Talleyrand wrote:
>
> I spent $40 on my plane yesterday. That topped off the tanks and put a
> quart of oil in the engine. With this I was able to fly from home to
> Houghton, and back, which is about 150 miles round trip.
>
> I haven't spent $40 on plane all in the same day since the last annual.[1]
>
> My plane is eating me out of house and home. I hope your planes
> are cheaper than mine.
>
> -Charles Talleyrand
>
> [1] OK, hanger rent is $110/month, but that is a fully enclosed nice hanger
> with concrete floor and such.

[Gene Seibel]

How are you ever going to do a $100 hamburger at those prices? ;)
--
Gene Seibel
Hangar 131 - http://pad39a.com/gene/plane.html
Because I fly, I envy no one.



> I spent $40 on my plane yesterday. That topped off the tanks and put a
> quart of oil in the engine. With this I was able to fly from home to
> Houghton, and back, which is about 150 miles round trip.
>
> I haven't spent $40 on plane all in the same day since the last annual.[1]
>
> My plane is eating me out of house and home. I hope your planes
> are cheaper than mine.
>
> -Charles Talleyrand
>
> [1] OK, hanger rent is $110/month, but that is a fully enclosed nice hanger
> with concrete floor and such.

[Tom S.]

"LSP" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 21:57:34 -0500, "Charles Talleyrand"
> > wrote:
>
> Awwww, poor baby.
>
> Your main problem is that you are not flying nearly often enough.
> Enough is when you have no more $40 to put into the tanks and must beg
> for food on the streets.


Or he could hold up a sign on the freeway off ramp that says: "Will work for
100LL".

[Captain Wubba]

"markjen" > wrote in message news:<M%Xtb.172246$ao4.565009@attbi_s51>...
> You probably spent about $160. Most planes fly for about 4X the fuel cost
> all up, not including capital charges. Still probably a bargain compared to
> what most of us spend.
>
> - Mark

It's funny. I have heard 'three times', 'four times', 'five times' and
'two times' what fuel costs. Our plane has averaged a bit over two
times what the fuel costs are.

Cap

[Charles Talleyrand]

"Wayne" > wrote in message ...
> I doubt you find too many that are cheaper than that. I flew 100 miles
> today and the fuel was $23.00. However, for every hour I fly, I put back
> $25.00 towards maint, and so there is some money around when the engine
> needs an overhaul. I am paying $2.18 per gallon, how much are you paying? I
> really doesn't sound that bad to me. What happens in a few hundred hours
> when the plane needs something major?

Normally I pay $1.599 at the local gas station. This trip was special because
I used actual avgas, which I think was $2.79. I try and use avgas
every once in a while, but not too often.

Normally, I burn 6 gallons an hour at $1.60/gallon, so I use $9.60 per
hour in my plane. That takes me around 100 miles, so it's a dime a mile.

I have a fund for the inevitable engine overhall, but I place a constant
amount per month (not per hour) because it seems likely I'll reach a
reasonable yearly limit before a reasonable hourly one.


>
> Did you get your license and your plane planning to save money or do you
> do it because like to fly?

I like to fly.

[Wayne]

Sounds like a good way to save a few bucks.

> Normally I pay $1.599 at the local gas station. This trip was special
because
> I used actual avgas, which I think was $2.79. I try and use avgas
> every once in a while, but not too often.

Then your actual cost was more than $40.00, still fairly cheap for
flying.

> I have a fund for the inevitable engine overhall, but I place a constant
> amount per month (not per hour) because it seems likely I'll reach a
> reasonable yearly limit before a reasonable hourly one.

Everything I like to do costs money, one way or another. Did you get
your $40.00 worth?
Wayne

> I like to fly.