Originally Posted by
Dan64456
Crude is now 59.33 a barrel. Gas averages at 2.22 a gallon again (Under 2 dollars in some states! Awesome!). Yet my FBO still charges 13.99 per hour for fuel surcharge, and 135 an hour on top of that for a 1999 Cessna 172... The price has probably almost doubled in 4 years, yet now when fuel is cheap again, it doesn't change? What's up with that? I understand that the airlines buy their fuel at a set contract price (they pay 1 amount of what the fuel is worth at the time, regardless of what it will be 6 months from then, or something like that) But do FBO's do the same thing?
I'm at a point right now where I want to get on with my life... I'm working in IT now and make decent money, but want an adventure/learn new things, see new places, meet new people, fly planes... This whole color vision thing I'm working on getting behind me by taking the MFT, and the other setback is money... It just makes me angry that 4 years or so ago, the same school that was like 25 grand is now 60 or 70. Yet my income doesn't even grow at the rate of inflation. (Housing and rent costs have risen even faster than inflation)
I guess my question is... do you see the cost of training going down any time soon if the fuel prices stay low?
Try to find a 61 school that rents the aircraft DRY! I did and I can tell you it saved A LOT of money! No surcharge and you can even learn how to fuel up your own airplane
..... XC's run at peak economy... works a lot better.
There are reasonable flight schools out there! One I know of in my area rents a 01' 172sp for $65/hr dry ... and PA34 for $100/hr dry .... solid well maintained aircraft ... instruction is $35/hr, fuel at an airport right up the road is $3.15/gal