The Cost of Flying
The least expensive airplane fuel around is $4.63 per gallon. My airplane averages about 15 gallons per hour, so it adds up pretty fast. The cost of the fuel is only a fraction of the total costs of flying your own airplane, although that fraction has grown a bit lately. One way to save fuel is to lean out the air to fuel mixture, which burns the fuel more efficiently, but hotter. My mechanic says that this is foolish as a little extra fuel burnt is much cheaper than a burnt valve or melted piston. Everyone is talking these days about the high cost of transportation fuels and how it affecting their lives. It is definitely making people think about the choices they make, and I think that it is about time we all did, but that doesn't make it any less painful. I don't know where it will all lead in the coming years, but I doubt it will be good for my fledgling aircraft charter business.
Today is my little girl's 4th birthday and she is in seventh heaven. Zoe is amazingly smart. I think her brain is soaking up the world so fast that it sometimes makes her head spin. Having a girl has been such a joyous experience in our lives, it makes you wonder why anyone would ever choose not to. Happy birthday, little one!