Last June, Cessna 150 owner Mark “Prigs” Priglmeier, president of EAA Chapter 551 in St. Cloud, Minn., estimated that he’d save around $800 annually using mogas. He just sent us the following description of the actual savings from 2012, which were nearly twice his original estimate:
“For the year ending 2012, I burned a total of 1,052 gallons of mogas in my Cessna 150. (Yeah, I know…what can I say, I love to recreational aviate.) It was on a rare occasion that I used 100LL. I would say I used 100LL just a handful of times where mogas was unavailable. Other than that, for the most part it was straight mogas. I built a new engine in January 2012 and I must say my ship has been running flawlessly. I have been operating in all temperature ranges here in the Midwest with mogas. At least what the Midwest will throw at you anyway.”
“So lets put things into perspective: In my local area throughout 2012, it appeared 100LL averaged between $1-$2 higher per gallon than mogas. So let’s look at some figures…
1052 gallons @
$2/gal less than 100LL: Annual savings of $2,104
$1.50/gal less than 100LL: Annual savings of $1,578
Now even if mogas was only $1/gal less than 100LL (which was rare), the savings still would have been over $1,000! Now from a recreational aviator’s point of view and when you are not getting paid to fly, this is a significant chunk of change!
Hmm…now what to do with those extra bucks? Aircraft or pilot supplies, cover the expense of an annual, take a vacation, engine rebuild fund? Better yet, MORE mogas for the plane…yep, that’s the ticket!”
Mark confirms what common sense tell us — if you want to sell more of something, lower its cost. If pilots are to fly more, the cost of flying has to be reduced. Using mogas whenever possible provides the vast majority of piston-engine pilots with this possibility. Thanks Prigs!
Kent,
Where can you buy alcohol free auto gas in MN or is it top secret?
Thanks
mogas 5.25 100ll 5.65 40 cents whoopee
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I fly an experimental with a C-85-12 in it and have been using midgrade non alchol auto fuel with no problems. I use less fuel at a set RPM than when am required to fuel with 100 LL, the plugs run much cleaner also, the oil smells cleaner. The timing is set to what is required buy the book.
I’m sold! I want to save money too! Please get California to stop placing wooly headed “green” mandates in front of common sense.
If I could get non ethanol mogas I’d sure use it but it’s not available in this state.
I am a motorcycle tech and I remember all the fuss in the Harley world back in the 1980’s about the elimination of leaded gas at the pump. Wild stories about valve siezure and melted engines were in every publication. What happened? A few parts retailers and shops got a pretty penny selling stellite and nitrided valves and upgraded guides as well as complete lead free “conversions”. Well actually I put 150’000 miles on a 72 Shovelhead without any head work done running no lead gas and had NO PROBLEMS. Why can’t we just re-engineer our aviation powerplants to run on lead-free gas. Address compression issues, reshape combustion chambers and be done with the whole thing?
Many aircraft engines can run very well on mogas, the big issue is the blended ethanol, not the lack of tet. lead. The fuel systems, aluminum tanks and lines, varnished cork gaskets etc. have problems with the alcohol. These parts must be FAA approved on a case by case basis, not just replaced with”modern components”. This is what the S.T.C. for Mogas does it documents the testing of the whole fuel system with the different fuel.
Well done on the auto-fuel!
I love the picture of your plane on the iced-over lake in front of your ice house. My one regret is that I never got to fly my airplane to go ice fishing. That day my come yet…….