Are Gas prices effecting your flying ?  
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Are Gas prices effecting your flying ? - 5/26/2008 8:59:27 PM   
PilotFighter



Posts: 1987
Joined: 10/9/2002
From: Houston, TX, USA
Status: online 		I haven't been flying as much lately. Its about 15 miles to the field. On days when its windy and I question if the flying would be good, I just don't go now.
And I have one airplane for sale in a hobby shop and another here on RCU. It seems things just aren't selling as quickly. The shop where one of my planes is located stated they sold all of 3 airplanes last month including kits, ARF's and second hand airplanes. They say they can't remeber things ever being this slow.
I know my budget has gotten tighter lately with higher taxes and now fuel driving up the cost of everything else. ITs slowed me down. And if I can't sell older stuff to raise money to fund the new projects, it all comes to a stop. So, come on guys, start spending. Ditech will loan you the money !
Talking heads on the TV stated the actually inflation rate is now at 11%. I don't remeber things this bad since the Carter days and Reagans first term. ( the gov. jockies the numbers and omits key items now to reduce entitlement payouts and claims an inflation rate of only 4.4%) (but no one believes it).
Is the hobby slowing down in your world ? Are you flying less because of the cost of driving? Are you starting new projects less because the cost of living has gobbled up your discretionary income ? Are your local hobby shops telling woes of poor business ?
Am I the only one feeling the loss of purchasing power ?

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turn left, your other left
       Post #: 1

RE: Are Gas prices effecting your flying ? - 5/26/2008 9:27:08 PM   
daveopam



Posts: 4298
Joined: 10/10/2002
From: ELK CITY, OK, USA
Status: offline 		I am still spending money. I am just buying small electric powered stuff. I can fly it 2 blks from my house. It cost me $10 to drive to the field. This may not be much but it is a little. I still go to the field on Sunday. It's my evening flying that I am doing close to home.

David

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"Choose your shirt and shoes by the color. Choose your friends by their character." unknown

(in reply to PilotFighter)
       Post #: 2

RE: Are Gas prices effecting your flying ? - 5/26/2008 9:53:47 PM   
waterloged



Posts: 97
Joined: 3/14/2006
From: Gowen, MI, USA
Status: offline 		Our club usally meet and goes to breakfast on flying day then we go over to the field and fly but our breakfast group has thinned right down and our fliers have thinned out also. We don't have a good restrant close to our field so its hard to from one side of town to the other when some of our flyers live 20 miles away anyway. So yes gas prices have hurt us...


_____________________________

Sato club member # 588
Once a Marine Always a Marine

(in reply to PilotFighter)
       Post #: 3

RE: Are Gas prices effecting your flying ? - 5/26/2008 11:17:23 PM   
Gray Beard


 

Posts: 1830
Joined: 4/21/2003
From: Hemderson, NV, USA
Status: offline 		I have one field 17 miles from home and the one I like to fly at is 27 miles from home. The price of gas is still below 4 bucks {not much lower} and I'm on A fixed income so YES, it is changing A lot of things for me, flying is just one of them. Prices on everything are going up so I'm buying less of everything too.

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If drinking and driving are illegal, then why do bars have parking lots???

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       Post #: 4

RE: Are Gas prices effecting your flying ? - 5/26/2008 11:22:08 PM   
Don41



Posts: 413
Joined: 9/4/2006
From: El Dorado, CA, USA
Status: offline 		I couple my flying trips with visits to my brother,,, we fly at a dry lake in Nevada (Couldn't ask for a better spot. Isolated and almost always exclusively ours). The round trip is about three hundred miles but I still make it about every three weeks, just as I have for quite some time now.

I do feel the price pinch more but I'll be damned if I'm going to curl up in a shell and cut out something I truly enjoy because of the oil suppliers' greed.

Hopefully someday soon our worthless politicians will stop posturizing and DO something that will truly help,,, like pouring massive research into hydrogen based energy.

(in reply to PilotFighter)
       Post #: 5

RE: Are Gas prices effecting your flying ? - 5/26/2008 11:27:23 PM   
nitro-pilot


 

Posts: 383
Joined: 5/5/2004
From: Palm Bay, FL, USA
Status: offline 		I hope with gas rising to $4 a gallon, and $5 for diesel, running to dump your V8 van or pickup for a so called cross over vehicle (Ford Edge for example) isn't worth the payments and increase in auto insurance.
Average driver drives 15,000 miles a year, average truck gets 15mpg, the Ford Edge gets maybe going downhill, 20 mpg city but EPA says only 17mpg, so 5 honest mpg improvement is just $83.33 a month, far less savings than your new financed car!

The dealer will steal your V8 trade in too, and if that is still financed, you're carrying over thousands into the new loan. A friend of mine just did the wrong thing and ignored the EPA ratings and listened to the exaggerations of the car salesman, commission based income = lies to make a sale. So sad. His truck was paid for too, now he's into a 72 month loan at $300 a month to save $104 in gas a month, in his situation. DON'T DO IT!

(in reply to Don41)
       Post #: 6

RE: Are Gas prices effecting your flying ? - 5/26/2008 11:35:49 PM   
oldvet70



Posts: 160
Joined: 9/17/2004
From: Grants Pass, OR, USA
Status: offline 		My club field is about 52 miles round trip. I just got home from there. Gas in Oregon is over $4.00 most places so it costs me about $8.00 round trip. Since my wife also flies it's not too bad. We will continue to fly for now.

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“No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.” Calvin Coolidge

(in reply to PilotFighter)
       Post #: 7

RE: Are Gas prices effecting your flying ? - 5/26/2008 11:57:52 PM   
Dorsal


 

Posts: 241
Joined: 4/21/2005
From: Tracy, CA, USA
Status: offline 		note - the "effect" is what happened - to "affect" something is to change or alter it.
Hence, "Are gas prices affecting your flying?" is the correct form of your question.

(in reply to oldvet70)
       Post #: 8

RE: Are Gas prices effecting your flying ? - 5/27/2008 12:05:31 AM   
Edwin


 

Posts: 3324
Joined: 2/8/2002
From: Leander, TX, USA
Status: offline 		My club field is a 72 mile round trip. I used to drive a F350 dually desiel, 4x4. When desiel hit 2.25 I bought a honda civic. At that time, the gas savings made half the car payment. Next month its paid for. So I built an airplane trailer, 4'w x 3'h x 10'l. The civic gets 27 mpg towing the trailer. Normally 36 mpg. I average 25000 to 30000 miles per year and my daily average is about 60 miles. I'm glad I bought the civic when I did. Now the truck only moves when it has a heavy load, towing my travel trailer or flat bed with tractor and equipment. I dont perticularly like driving the civic, its just a necessity.
Edwin


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RE: Are Gas prices effecting your flying ? - 5/27/2008 12:10:11 AM   
nitro-pilot


 

Posts: 383
Joined: 5/5/2004
From: Palm Bay, FL, USA
Status: offline 		Imagine the savings today, $4 for gas vs. $5 for diesel. Even if you are conservative at 25000 a year, you'd save $342 a month with the Civic over the Ford if it got 17 mpg, down a cliff...I never imagined a Civic towing anything, that's cool.

(in reply to Edwin)
       Post #: 10

RE: Are Gas prices effecting your flying ? - 5/27/2008 1:00:22 AM   
khodges


 

Posts: 5063
Joined: 7/3/2003
From: newton, NC, USA
Status: offline 		I have to take my truck when I go flying, nothing will fit in my Camry. Too bad, too, the Camry gets 29 mpg, even after 230,000 miles ('97 model). The truck only gets 13 on a good day, and it's diesel. 17 miles each way to the field, not terrible, but it's the only place I will drive the truck.

Just glad my vehicles don't burn glow fuel At $17.50/gal, that makes gas still sound cheap.

_____________________________

Club Saito #2, WACO Brotherhood #20. What other trouble can I get into?

(in reply to nitro-pilot)
       Post #: 11

RE: Are Gas prices effecting your flying ? - 5/27/2008 1:24:28 AM   
TooLow


 

Posts: 150
Joined: 12/7/2001
From: Hemet, CA, USA
Status: offline 		Now that gas HAS hit the $4.oo mark I still wont quit flying. Used to take the "truck" but found out that hitches are made for my PT cruiser and it hauls a 5x9 box trailer and the big planes fit. Dont have to crawl in the back of the truck to get them out,and I can take more stuff to "play" with!!! Also Im gripin about getting 22mpg with the trailer!

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RE: Are Gas prices effecting your flying ? - 5/27/2008 1:49:57 AM   
Edwin


 

Posts: 3324
Joined: 2/8/2002
From: Leander, TX, USA
Status: offline 		I find the trailer a hassle to deal with but it lets me keep flying what I like. The thought of small electric only would be discouraging. I like bigger planes. My trailer, fully loaded (3 planes and all flight gear) is less than 450lbs. Tongue weight is about 40lbs with no braking problems. The suspension is a bit stiff but no more than my truck suspension. I can put my rascall 110 wing in the trailer assembled. The frame is a harbor freight cheapie and I made the box. About $650 finished. I have pretty much accepted that the price of gas isnt gonna come down, its just gonna keep going up. This is how I begrudgingly deal with it.
Edwin

EDIT: If you stay under a total weight of 500lbs and not too much on the tongue weight, I think a small car is ok. Been towing this trailer for 2 years with no problems, even has an automatic. Just got a clean bill of health from the dealer at the last high mileage maintenence check. Just my opinion.

< Message edited by Edwin -- 5/27/2008 2:17:27 AM >

(in reply to TooLow)
       Post #: 13

RE: Are Gas prices effecting your flying ? - 5/27/2008 2:18:29 AM   
Insanemoondoggie


 

Posts: 1656
Joined: 11/29/2006
From: Somewhere, MN, USA
Status: offline 		My flying field is 18 miles away . And I also only go on the nice calm days now . Also planted a much bigger garden to help make ends meet.

I`m working on converting my motorcycle trialer , so I can haul a plane or 2 to the field with my bike.

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RE: Are Gas prices effecting your flying ? - 5/27/2008 2:51:02 AM