In a message dated 12/13/2003 5:12:50 PM Central Standard Time,
VTAILJEFF@aol.com writes:
I can't remember all the details but he had a formula that
took gallons per hour (Rich of Peak) times price per gallon times a
constant and voila you had a pretty close estimate of your cost per flight
hour. I think for a retract single the constant was 2.5 to 3.0. For a
fixed gear single it was about 2.0 and for a light twin it was better than
3.0.
Jeff,
You are right, It worked for my Skymaster clt twin when gas was
about $2.20/gal, 20 gph times 3 equaled $132/hr - very close.
However, experimentals require carefully calculated
adjustments.
Take a retractable single (please) -- Adjust the constant 2.5
as follows:
subtract .5314466667 if the builder/repairman maintains the airplane and
more than one motorcycle,
only subtract .000122257 if the builder/repairman likes
"gadgets"
add .100067 if you live in Texas or Oklahoma and only do intrastate
travel utilizing cheap avgas.
add 3.666667 if your airplane is based in an OPEC country not yet invaded
by the coalition (cheap gas again) and you actually fly.
add .5 if the owner bought the plane and uses a "certified" mechanic
(later tool/parts purchases are not yet added in).
add 0 if the builder/owner is a "certified" A & P (general
practioner, fabric speciality, prior boat owner, has his own roll of safety
wire)
add 1.5 if the builder/owner did not do the firewall forward
work and had the panel built by some cad/cam shop with
professional terminal crimpers (ya still gotta drill your own holes
later).
add 2.0 if the builder/owner is a certified jet mechanic and only knows
what "vane" means (no, no, not vein - thats for doctor/pilots).
add another 1.0 for those "owners" that have had 3 or more
"incidents"
There are other positive adjustments (especially for those that
have executed their first high key without changing their vocal
pitch, use mach numbers for all speed indications, only use straight in
approaches, can't remember where the "pitot heat" sw is, etc.).
Prop costs must be calculated separately.
Note: if I have failed to offend any specific group, please let me know
so I can correct that in the future and become more compassionately
inclusive.
Scott
Krueger
Sky2high@aol.com
II-P N92EX IO320 Aurora, IL
(KARR)
"...as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know
we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there
are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns - the ones
we don't know we don't know." D.
Rumsfeld