No auto fuel at Felts Field due to lack of interest.

rframe

rframe

pǝʇɹǝʌuı
Just got this email from the FBO at Felts:

As you may remember, we recently sent a survey to our customers about the possibility of offering automobile fuel. We would like to thank you for your responses. Although we did receive some interest, we have determined there to be an insufficient automobile fuel customer base at Felts Field.

The aviation community just baffles me...
:bang:
 
Just think of it as an opportunity for some good exercise...

1082184-Clipart-Man-Carrying-Two-Gas-Cans-Royalty-Free-Vector-Illustration.jpg
 
Well, I just looked at the cost of a MOGAS STC for a Cherokee 180, and the price is between $2,900 and $4,600. You'd have to fly a lot of hours on MOGAS in order to pay for that.
 
SteveCostello said:
Just think of it as an opportunity for some good exercise...
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That is what I do every day. Works fine for me.

adk said:
Well, I just looked at the cost of a MOGAS STC for a Cherokee 180, and the price is between $2,900 and $4,600. You'd have to fly a lot of hours on MOGAS in order to pay for that.
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I pay a full $2 less per gallon for premium auto gas and the airplane runs better on it. The ROI on my Cessna was about 13 hours.

At 8 gal/hour for the Cherokee that's less than 200 hours ROI for the expensive Cherokee mod. On a 2000 hour engine you're talking a $32,000 savings. So you can pay for a nice overhaul and put a GNS-430 IFR install in for the money you'd save over the life of the engine. No brainer to me, but oh well. I guess people just like their status quo and complaining more than doing anything different to improve the GA situation.
 
adk said:
Well, I just looked at the cost of a MOGAS STC for a Cherokee 180, and the price is between $2,900 and $4,600. You'd have to fly a lot of hours on MOGAS in order to pay for that.
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Yah...the mods to the fuel system required for that aircraft/engine combination drive the cost up. Most aircraft with 150 horse motors (that covers a LOT of airplanes) just need a sticker for the fuel cap and the paperwork which runs you a one-time fee of $2/horsepower from EAA.
 
The problem with mogas isn't so much hauling it, but finding it. You can't have ethanol in the gas and that's impossible to find in many areas. I'm guessing rframe gets it from the station in CDA that is nice enough to make it available. No such luck in most places.

I own a Cherokee 180, as well, and honestly don't fly enough to make autogas pay off. About 20 years ago I ran a 172 for IFR instruction and rental out of BFI. Used autogas in that thing and it was great. Go kicked off the airport for self fueling in 5 gal cans, but that's another story....
 
DE727UPS said:
The problem with mogas isn't so much hauling it, but finding it. You can't have ethanol in the gas and that's impossible to find in many areas. I'm guessing rframe gets it from the station in CDA that is nice enough to make it available. No such luck in most places.

I own a Cherokee 180, as well, and honestly don't fly enough to make autogas pay off. About 20 years ago I ran a 172 for IFR instruction and rental out of BFI. Used autogas in that thing and it was great. Go kicked off the airport for self fueling in 5 gal cans, but that's another story....
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Fortunately most of the mogas in Alaska is ethanol free.
 
Kinda comparing apples and oranges, but when I was in Pullman last weekend, Mogas on the field was $5.40 a gallon; 25 miles South, 100LL at Lewiston selling at $5.60 a gallon.

www.pure-gas.org = $$
 
DE727UPS said:
Kinda comparing apples and oranges, but when I was in Pullman last weekend, Mogas on the field was $5.40 a gallon; 25 miles South, 100LL at Lewiston selling at $5.60 a gallon
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Dang, I'm currently paying $4.08 at COE for ethanol free premium and only haul it 1 mile, but that isn't an option for transient aircraft unfortunately.

Of course, I'd expect to pay a bit more on airport but $1.30 more (132%) just seems out of line.
 
rframe said:
Dang, I'm currently paying $4.08 at COE for ethanol free premium and only haul it 1 mile, but that isn't an option for transient aircraft unfortunately.

Of course, I'd expect to pay a bit more on airport but $1.30 more (132%) just seems out of line.
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It could be a volume pricing thing - they don't buy a fraction of the mogas that a gas station would, so their rates are considerably higher.
 
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Murdoughnut said:
It could be a volume pricing thing - they don't by a fraction of the mogas that a gas station would, so their rates are considerably higher.
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Maybe so. You'd think a strategic business person would find a station to split loads with. That's what we used to do back in the day at the little airport I first worked at.... but I suppose each location has its own issues.
 
rframe said:
Maybe so. You'd think a strategic business person would find a station to split loads with. That's what we used to do back in the day at the little airport I first worked at.... but I suppose each location has its own issues.
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A LOT of airports have pumpage fees. You might want to look into that. Any fuel sold on site has to have the fee added and paid to the airport.
 
I knew they didn't need a 207 for that Grangeville to Lewiston run. You able to get all those boxes in the back of your 150?
 
DE727UPS said:
I knew they didn't need a 207 for that Grangeville to Lewiston run. You able to get all those boxes in the back of your 150?
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Haha, no did X/C training for one of my students and we flew down to Boise to pick up a Skylane he bought, he flew the 150 home while I flew circles around him in the Skylane until I got bored then ditched him... .hehe.
 
Bumblebee said:
THREAD HIJACK!!!
I left PUW this am and flew to GIC...two weeks ago I did the UPS run from LEW/GIC and back. I should be here for 12 days...

back onto your discussion...
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Did you by chance switch to choppers? I took video of this big fella coming into the fire base at Grangeville this morning when he came in for a refuel.

fire-helicopter-sm.jpg
 
I'm in Grangeville, now. If you saw the red white and blue 337 on the ramp you took that shot from, that's my bird. I may have been doing some safety studying in the yellow building behind you when you were there.
 
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