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Avgas price range?

Eddie Foy

MEMBER
South Florida
I am puzzled at the wide variances in Prices for 100LL. How many refineries produce it? Don't they all pay about the same price for it? I realize that some larger airports intentionally keep the price high to discourage the "bug smashers." Please add your thoughts.
 
Sometimes the FBO has a load that he paid for before oil tumbled. That’s the case at my FBO right now. Not enough volume. He is not willing to lower the price until he gets his at a lower price. Also, taxes vary from state to state. I can fly 15 minutes from NY to CT and save a buck a gallon. Finally, it costs the FBO more if he can’t take a full load. I think that’s 9000 gallons. And finally some of them are greedy.

My opinion, anyway.
 
The prices vary wildly in Florida. I assume they all pay the same taxes. Does anyone know how many refineries produce avgas?



Sometimes the FBO has a load that he paid for before oil tumbled. That’s the case at my FBO right now. Not enough volume. He is not willing to lower the price until he gets his at a lower price. Also, taxes vary from state to state. I can fly 15 minutes from NY to CT and save a buck a gallon. Finally, it costs the FBO more if he can’t take a full load. I think that’s 9000 gallons. And finally some of them are greedy.

My opinion, anyway.
 
Our airport manager lowered the price to $2.20 a gallon last weekend. He did it because he secured a load when oil fell negative in value and locked in a very low price. He is trying to sell what he has so he has room for that load.
 
I bought fuel in 2 California locations approximately 180 miles apart on Monday (4/26). One was $2.89, and the other was $5.09.
 
I tried to answer the original question about how many refineries make 100 LL by using google. I didn’t have much luck. I did find one in France, which I guess means there’s more than one since I doubt we get ours from there. I did find a list by region which MAY indicate there are more than a few.

Meanwhile at my airport one FBO just lowered his price a dollar below the other guy.
 
Infrastructure costs also play a large part. At a large regional airport or airline hub the rent is considerably more than at smaller airports. I'd assume even smaller airports have varying rental costs.
 
I don't know the total nationwide but as of a couple of years ago----St Paul MN makes it and Kansas City. Here in NW Iowa the AvGas fuel distributor is based in Omaha and gets it from the KC refinery in a railcar and then trucks it up here----usually stopping at several airports to get rid of a load. Rail is pretty cheap transportation and could probably go anywhere.
 
The Phillips refinery in Borger, TX. (think panhandle) also blends it. A friend of mine oversees it. He’s shown me the test results after it’s been mixed. It often has a higher octane than 100. The breakdown I looked at was closer to 102 octane if I remember right
 
Interesting article. Diesel doesn’t appear to have taken off as predicted.
Gas is cheap. Go fly!


Sent from my iPad using SuperCub.Org
 
I used to pay 38 cents per gallon for 80 Oct, but have had trouble finding it recently. 8)
I think it was 68 cents when I started paying for it in 72. Before that I was renting a J3 for $11 an hour wet. People would ask me how much airplane gas cost and when I told the 68 cents they would be shocked. So expensive!

Rich
 
When I dropped into Miami International on Tuesday, AVGAS was $8.99 a gallon...I passed. I paid $2.50 a gallon earlier in the day at Umatilla Municipal (X23).
 
My neighbor and friend is an exec at Shell. She told me some time ago there are only 3 refineries producing avgas. Avgas will most likely be in jeopardy in the coming years because of the lead added to it. I believe there’s only one producer of the lead still left. I will check with her to see if I remembered correctly.
 
My neighbor and friend is an exec at Shell. She told me some time ago there are only 3 refineries producing avgas. Avgas will most likely be in jeopardy in the coming years because of the lead added to it. I believe there’s only one producer of the lead still left. I will check with her to see if I remembered correctly.
Innospec
https://www.independent.co.uk/envir...sale-export-tel-tetraethyl-lead-a7907196.html

https://www.innospecinc.com/our-markets/octane-additives/octane-additives
 
I confirmed with my friend, there are three major producers that run all the time:
Exxon Baton Rouge, Chevron in Pascagoula Ms(this one is shutting down), and Chevron in Richmond Ca.
Then you have Delek in Tyler Tx that produces a little every now and then and Flint Hills in Pinebend Mn (this all goes to Canada).
I was mistaken on the lead. Each of these facilities has their own lead cell so they don’t have to transport in. Enjoy the low prices now. This is only because avgas demand is low and there is no place to store it. Chevron in Pascagoula May not resume leaving only two major suppliers.
 
In 1958 I started as a 14 year old teen ager at Waukesha County, WI. 80 Octane was 41 cents a gallon and car gas was 27 cents a gallon. And yes, Cubs, were $7 per hour to rent, and if you were rich, C-140s were $10 per hour. Of course my starting wage was 50 cents per hour, and I was probably overpaid because I didn't know anything about airplanes. Soloed in a Cub on my 16th birthday, drivers license couple weeks later. Thanks Dale Crites, Harland Sedgwick, and Bill Kohler!
 
“I used to pay 38 cents per gallon for 80 Oct, but have had trouble finding it recently.
icon_cool.gif



You could also rent a 172 for $16/hr, wet.
I'm so old.
 
Not to hijack the gas price thread, but interesting rental costs. I started flying in '72 by joining the Toledo (WA) Flying Club. Manual flap 150, $7, electric flap 150, $8, 172 $12 and a Cherokee 180, $14, wet!!! Instructor was $5. Times have changed a bit.
Mike
 
And if you'd bought $50,000 worth of Microsoft in 1986 you could be flying your J3 around in your living room. But I digress. Wish I still had the 1957 Nomad I had in High School. <sorry - no more hijacking of threads>
 
Jefferson County (home airport): $5.54
Arlington, 30 miles away: $3.79.
Skagit, 35 miles away: $3.69
Bremerton, 40 miles away: $3.49
Auburn, 55 miles away: $3.70
Chehalis, 95 miles away: $2.84

What a spread!
 
My local airport I go for gas bought a 5,000 gallon load right before the CV stuff hit, bummer. They are done buying fuel until this load is sold. Now with that being said, its $4.25 so that isnt too bad. I guess I could go elsewhere but in the big scheme of things it wont save much and I am loyal to the airport and manager where I buy my gas. They have always been well priced and the pumps work great, the hose and nozzle work well, no over filling mess.

Kurt
 
$5.74 today at my home base. 18 minutes away 100 ll is $3.99.




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