Yes, that was expensive at somewhere around $6.20/gal, but I had no choice. A, I didn't have enough fuel to go to a smaller field, and B, if you don't uplift fuel they won't waive their overnight fee, so it negates any savings you might do by filling her cheaply. Think we filled 147 gals, if memory serves. All the FBO's at bigger airport charge a premium. These were not the worst, either. I've been quoted up to $8/gal at the real fancy ones. Normally, self serve is around $5.50/gal, but in Texas and some of the states closer to the Gulf one can find Avgas for under $5/gal at times. Cheapest I've ever seen was $4.50/gal. Avgas is normally around $1-1.5/gal more expensive than premium Mogas. These are the taxes levied at the pump. I guess even at $8/gal it's still cheaper than in Europe, so in that regard it's easier here. I could never afford having a twin in Europe. Or at least not afford to fly it much. What's the fuel price for Avgas in the UK now?
It's always cheaper to fly to smaller airfields with no fancy stuff and fill yourself up, but that needs to be balanced against having some conveniences. Many of these smaller airports are in smaller towns that might not have a car service or even a motel (if it's really small), so if one wants to spend the night, it's sometimes just easier to go to a bigger airport and suffer the handling/overnight fees. I've spent a few nights in my sleeping bag in the back of the Commander when I couldn't get any hotel/pickups. I have to say that the USA is pretty good even at the smaller airports in this regard - there's almost always a free courtesy car you can use and even the smallest towns tend to have some kind of motel and a fast food joint to clog up your arteries.
Last edited by AdamFrisch; 7th Jul 2013 at 18:10.