Gas Prices Coming Down

[Jay Honeck]

As expected, gas prices are dropping like a stone around here. As of this
afternoon they are down to $2.89 per gallon, after peaking at $3.28 a gallon
just after Katrina. (This for the cheapest grade, of course.)

That's "only" 60 cents per gallon more than pre-Katrina prices, so I guess
there is hope that these ridiculous prices will soon be a bad memory...?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Honeck]

> As expected, gas prices are dropping like a stone around here.

BTW: I'm talking about mogas here. Dunno what avgas is doing, as I try to
avoid using that nasty stuff in my plane.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Guy Elden Jr]

Signature at Morristown Airport, NJ, appears to be gouging as usual for
their gas. The club I'm in just raised the rate for the 180hp 172 I've
been flying the last month _$12_ / hr... from $79 to $91 / hr.

--
Guy

[Jim Burns]

I just priced a semi load of #2 off road diesel fuel, non taxed. It's
dropped 12 cents in two days from $2.25 to $2.13, that's a drop of $1020 on
a load. I told the guys to scrounge up every gallon they could find to help
us make it through until next week and hopefully it will go down a little
more.

Our aerial applicators have enough Jet-A to finish the season so they
announced no more fuel surcharges for the rest of the year. (sounds good
don't it? the year ends next week :))

Jim

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

Jay Honeck wrote:
> BTW: I'm talking about mogas here. Dunno what avgas is doing, as I try to
> avoid using that nasty stuff in my plane.


My FBO ran a special in their newsletter last month immediately before the gas
crunch hit: PA-28R rental at $101/hr for the entire month of September (down
from $120/hr). I have no idea what avgas is costing them but I took advantage
of the deal to get checked out this morning in their old Arrow B. Had a very
pleasant checkout with an ATP instructor who challenged me quite a bit.

The aircraft really had no foibles as far as I could see: the paint was
acceptable, the interior was in excellent repair, and it had a nice panel with a
Garmin 430, KX-155, autopilot and frankly I don't remember what else. It
cranked up instantly when I applied my old tried and true "injected engine start
procedure" (see recent thread on started the new C-172s).

The engine was strong and acceleration was brisk. Tracked right down the runway
and popped off in a lively fashion... positive rate...gear up... raised the
flaps, then reduced to climb power. She (the ATP) got on my ass a little
because I started to turn out of the pattern before I got to 400'. Old habits
are hard to break.

Anyway, we climbed into the hazy but smooth air and leveled off at 2500'
followed by two clearing turns followed by two steep turns; one in each
direction. We followed that up with slow flight (clean and dirty) and then
stalls (dirty and then clean). I swear I saw the edge of the atmosphere just as
the clean stall broke!

Although I can't say the same, that airplane just had no bad habits. It didn't
try to drop a wing or do anything other than fall straight forward as the stalls
broke.

Emergency landing simulation was uneventful. Pulling the prop back all the way
makes the airplane feel like it just "relaxed". Of course, like most Cherokees,
it doesn't glide worth a damn.

We went back to try some landings: normal, short field, and soft field. All
were greasers. (Of course!) I had problems with the short field landing... she
wanted me to cross the numbers at 50' and then touch down 1000' down the runway.
I crossed the numbers at 50' all right but I sure didn't make it 1000' beyond.
I'm used to touching down on the numbers or within 100 feet or so which scares
the hell out of some instructors but used to make my old chief pilot happy.
"Make every landing a short field landing and you don't have to do anything
different when you really have to make one." I suppose I could have floated
down the runway if I'd have added some power but that offends me.

Finally there was the soft field landing. The ATP reminded me that you are
supposed to keep the nose up as long as possible after touchdown. I showed her
there was no travel left in the yoke: We arrived at a full stall half an inch
off the runway and greased it on. What can I say?

I guess if I had to whine about anything it would fall into three areas: no
stall horn. I like stall horns. The pitch becomes more insistent the closer to
the stall you get... it really gives you another way to rachet up the drama
waiting for the stall to break. Anyway, this airplane had a stall light. That
would have been OK but it was mounted on the far left hand side of the panel.
If you want to catch my eye, you need to be FRONT and CENTER.

The fuel selector didn't have any particular detent that I felt when I changed
tanks. I mentioned this to the ATP along with the comment: "This might get
exciting in a moment". Fortunately, it didn't.

Finally, I'd forgotten how tight the cabin was from side to side. I had to
stuff my big hands into the space between the seats to adjust the trim or to
play with the autogear override. It was a bit tighter than I'd prefer.

All in all, a very pleasant morning with a fine flight instructor and a honest
old bird. And I'm glad I didn't have to pay a fuel premium.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

[Flyingmonk]

Yeah!

[Jay Honeck]

> I guess if I had to whine about anything it would fall into three areas:
> no stall horn. I like stall horns. The pitch becomes more insistent the
> closer to the stall you get... it really gives you another way to rachet
> up the drama waiting for the stall to break. Anyway, this airplane had a
> stall light. That would have been OK but it was mounted on the far left
> hand side of the panel. If you want to catch my eye, you need to be FRONT
> and CENTER.

Great write up!

Personally, I've never understood the need for stall horns. I've never
needed one to know when a stall was imminent, and it's just another
distraction, as far as I'm concerned.

Stall lights are even dumber, but at least they have the advantage of
subtlety.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Tom]

We are still over $3 a gallon in Phoenix and I bet it doesn't come down
soon.


"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:kX0Ue.318205$_o.226510@attbi_s71...
> As expected, gas prices are dropping like a stone around here. As of
> this afternoon they are down to $2.89 per gallon, after peaking at $3.28 a
> gallon just after Katrina. (This for the cheapest grade, of course.)
>
> That's "only" 60 cents per gallon more than pre-Katrina prices, so I guess
> there is hope that these ridiculous prices will soon be a bad memory...?
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"
>

[Jay Honeck]

> We are still over $3 a gallon in Phoenix and I bet it doesn't come down
> soon.

Well, they dropped another penny just since I wrote the original post
earlier this evening.

When it gets to $2.85/gallon, I'm gonna fill "The Mighty Grape" -- our
home-made fuel truck -- again. (I haven't filled it since Katrina.)

I used the last of our $2.28/gallon gas today.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jack Allison]

Glad to hear you liked the Arrow checkout. Sounds like a '71 model,
same as ours (Arrow 200-B). Yep, stall lights are lame. The gear
warning horn though, that will wake you up! A good thing though.

Gliding? Cherokees do that? I thought it was more falling out of the
sky like a streamlined manhole cover :-) Does make it easy to get back
on the glideslope when you're white over white on the VASI :-)

Rental rates for an Arrow around here (Sacramento, CA) run $140+/hr.
wet. Sounds like the $101 was a good deal. That's pretty close to the
going rate for a Skyhawk around here.

Have fun with the Arrow. We sure like ours.


--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-IA Student
Arrow N2104T

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

[Rob]

Tom wrote:
> We are still over $3 a gallon in Phoenix and I bet it doesn't come down
> soon.
>
>

Four and a half at Deer Valley today.

-R

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

Jay Honeck wrote:
> Personally, I've never understood the need for stall horns. I've never
> needed one to know when a stall was imminent, and it's just another
> distraction, as far as I'm concerned.
>
> Stall lights are even dumber, but at least they have the advantage of
> subtlety.


They are that. As for the Arrow, its stall characteristics were completely
honest and I had absolutely no doubt when it was going to break. Frankly, I
don't need no steenking stall horn either... at least not in this aircraft.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

Jack Allison wrote:
> Gliding? Cherokees do that? I thought it was more falling out of the
> sky like a streamlined manhole cover :-) Does make it easy to get back
> on the glideslope when you're white over white on the VASI :-)


That they do. Energy management is a piece of cake with the Arrow... there's
never any left.


> Rental rates for an Arrow around here (Sacramento, CA) run $140+/hr.
> wet. Sounds like the $101 was a good deal. That's pretty close to the
> going rate for a Skyhawk around here.


Since I wrote my original posting, things have apparently happened at my FBO.
My checkout pilot and I had had a conversation suggesting that the price for the
Arrow be dropped from $120/hour (the usual rate) since nobody was flying it. I
just checked rental rates after reading your comments and saw where it's been
dropped to $105/hour ! That $101/price was supposed to be for the month of
September only. Naturally, I am delighted. Here's what the rest of the fleet
goes for in upstate South Carolina:

1976 C-172 M $90 (a real POS)
1981 C-172 P $90 (twice the AC for the same price)
1977 C-172 N $100 (nice; Garmin 430)
2001 C-172 SP $120 (nice; Garmin 430)
2003 Alarus $100 (Garmin 430; have two of these AC)

> Have fun with the Arrow. We sure like ours.

Now that the price has dropped , it'll be hard for me to climb back into one of
the C-172s again... unless scheduling becomes a problem. I'm hoping the
insurance / experience requirement will keep the hoi polloi from renting it
*too* much. Of course, the FBO is hoping the exact opposite. <G>



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

[john smith]

> Rental rates for an Arrow around here (Sacramento, CA) run $140+/hr.
> wet. Sounds like the $101 was a good deal. That's pretty close to the
> going rate for a Skyhawk around here.

I only pay $115/hour for a Turbo Arrow IV.

[ls]

Jay Honeck wrote:
> As expected, gas prices are dropping like a stone around here. As of this
> afternoon they are down to $2.89 per gallon, after peaking at $3.28 a gallon
> just after Katrina. (This for the cheapest grade, of course.)
>
> That's "only" 60 cents per gallon more than pre-Katrina prices, so I guess
> there is hope that these ridiculous prices will soon be a bad memory...?

Dropped between 5 to 10 cents around here lately (central TX) for no
apparent reason. Perhaps some of the refineries are finally getting back
on line, but I suspect a small drop in demand is helping with that......

Trust me, though, the oil companies are sweating bullets right now. And
they ain't out of the woods yet.....

They'll do their damndest to get it back down to pre-Katrina prices at
least. Depending on the damage already done, prices may tumble quite a
bit.....

LS
N646F

[Icebound]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:oY6Ue.318654$_o.19913@attbi_s71...
>
> When it gets to $2.85/gallon, I'm gonna fill "The Mighty Grape" --

Hey, I need one of those. I wonder how far I would get past the gate onto
our field... :-)

The sinister thing about fuel prices is that it may not be affecting current
flyers much, but it might be driving out newcomers in droves. Last
September, I needed at least a week notice to book a 172 and two or more if
I wanted my Instructor, also. I would book my reservations forward about a
month ahead. Today, I can phone up in the morning and have a plane for
solo that day. Most week days, I can walk in *off the street*, and get a
plane right away. If I need a plane and an instructor, I rarely have to
wait more than a couple of days. Prices for a 172 have gone up $20CAD to
the equivalent of about $105-110 USD.


Now, I am not privy to the financial books of my operator, so maybe things
are quite rosy.

But from the outside looking in and given the discussions this group has had
about the utility of recreational GA flying.... potential flyers might be
either conserving their recreational dollars or putting them elsewhere. If
it gets back to the point of month-in-advance reservations, it may be
because there will be 7 planes instead of 22, and 9 instructors instead of
27.