Anyone have any guess' what will happen to GA with the increasing fuel price. As per usual there is a lot of talk of the airlines cutting routes etc and trying to be more efficient, but i haven't heard much about GA.
Just thought i'd put it out there to see what everyone's thinking
I am just as concerned as you are. To my opinion i do not think it will effect GA as much as it affects the airlines. GA flying is fast becoming a sort of recreational thing and a bit of a luxury for most of us these days due to rising cost of insurance, maintenance etc. Most of the flying schools mainly rely on overseas students and airline cadetships, the charter side of flying will still be happening because the declining number of companys available. I live in Sydney and i think the ever increasing fuel prices are more pronunced here but i travel the roads every day and i do not see any decrease in the volume of traffic. It is in the publics opinion that there is nothing we can do about it and nothing Kevin07 can and will do about it so put up and shut up or stay home. As for the aviation side of matters, it will not stop the weekend warriors that's for sure.
there's been a few rumours flying around about Virgin not going to be able to cope with the rising fuel prices and possibly going under, sounds like ansett all over again... bye bye pilot shortage
Anyone know of any economically viable fuel alternatives for GA. Obviously diesel has been done but is that competitive with avgas & avgas engines at the moment?
there's been a few rumours flying around about Virgin not going to be able to cope with the rising fuel prices and possibly going under, sounds like ansett all over again... bye bye pilot shortage
Sounds nothing like Ansett all over again - different set of problems.
Tell us more about this Virgin rumour. Sounds unlikely.
I think you need to read the last few pages on the Virgin thread. JP Morgan have now said Virgin will make a profit over the next 3 years.
I think you will find there is a very good chance of seeing a few GA companies going under due to the higher fuel costs. Most of these companies run on a smell of an oily rag.
So what is the price of Avgas in your area. Particularly interested in remote area prices. Might have to get a bank loan if im gonna fill up at Birdsville this year.
Jetstar have remained quiet about their profit this time round. Will it be higher than their last record profit??? Or are we going to see something like 50m??
I don't want to be the best pilot in the world - Just the oldest
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Here and there
Posts: 1,042
Quote:
So what is the price of Avgas in your area. Particularly interested in remote area prices. Might have to get a bank loan if im gonna fill up at Birdsville this year.
GAAP Airfields and the Itl airports are all around $1.83. Remote places in WA around $1.90.
Yulara is most expensive on the mainland at $2.03. And if you need Avgas on Lord Howe Island expect to pay $2.71.
Above prices are latest off the Shell price list. I'd expect BP and Mobil to be similar.
I think you will find there is a very good chance of seeing a few GA companies going under due to the higher fuel costs. Most of these companies run on a smell of an oily rag.
At $400/hour to hire a 182, it does make you wonder where all of this will go...
Any suggestions on what new aircraft will replace the proven design of the 30-40 year old museum pieces? How old you think the aircraft is that you are flying right now? Why do you think the RAAF finding it difficult to replace the Pig and the Hercs? They have proven themselvs to be irreplacabels in many ways.
I do not think you realise the red tape and costs involved in re-engine a Cessna-Piper-Beech today. You might as well buy a brand new one of the proven design, it will cost you less i can assure you.
At my remote base in the NT, the pump price for avgas is AU$2.50/L. A place 10 mins flight from here is already charging $3.00, needless to say I don't get fuel from there.
How about the thing that was on tonday tonight this evening? Some lawnmower mechanic modified their car to run on a water/petrol blend. Seperates the Hydrogen out from the water and mixes it in the inlet manifold with the fuel/air mixture. The saving touted was 75% fuel at the cost of a few litres of water per week. An application for aviation, particularly piston driven GA aircraft?
How about the thing that was on tonday tonight this evening? Some lawnmower mechanic modified their car to run on a water/petrol blend. Seperates the Hydrogen out from the water and mixes it in the inlet manifold with the fuel/air mixture. The saving touted was 75% fuel at the cost of a few litres of water per week. An application for aviation, particularly piston driven GA aircraft?
That idea has been around for some time and the savings are real, but it burns valves out prematurely.
Much better to collect the fairy sh$t from the bottom of the garden and grind it real fine in a pestle and mortar and sprinkle it once a week over the air cleaner element. The savings aren't quite as good around 65% but the finer you grind it the better the results.
With the growing scarcity of fresh water fairy sh$t is much cheaper and readily available.
Don't make the common mistake of using gnome do do though, much lower octane rating, and leads to detonation.
Similar Threads 
Linear Mode
