Nitro Fuel Prices!!

[Joe Messinger]

I went flying today and things were going well until I stopped at the nearby hobby shop to pick up a gallon of fuel.  I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when I looked at the price tags on the jugs.  Last week a gallon of 11.5% synthetic, 11.5% Castor and 10% nitro was $34.49.  If that's not bad enough, today it was $79.95.  I ask the clerk if there was a mistake in the pricing.  She said , "No, that's the right price.  $79.95 per gallon."

I haven't checked elsewhere for fuel as yet, but if this stuff sells for that price (or anywhere near it) everywhere, I'll give up this hobby.  I thought $4.00 + per gallon of gasoline was crazy but $79.95 for one gallon of fuel for a model airplane is beyond crazy.  Last year I could buy that same fuel for $19.49 per gallon.  That's a 400% price increase from last year if my math is correct.

I hope someone can tell me that the price of fuel from other sources is somewhere within the realm of sanity.  They will be serving ice water in Hell before I pay $80.00 for a gallon of fuel!

Joe

[Howard Rush]

Try Powermaster or Sig or Excalibur.  You shouldn't need to pay more than $15 to $20 per gallon.

[Steve Helmick]

IF that's to become a typical price, it's time to mix our own. I'm willing to re-tune for zero Nitro...at least, I'm willing to try it. There are other types of Nitro that will work, also. See if you can get Nitro Ethane cheaper than Nitro Methane. Not as good, but it used to be cheaper. It will help if you are a member of a club that can get a drum of fuel mixin's to split up, or getting multiple cases (a pallet load will ship cheaper per case than a single case). Shop around!  Don't panic!   Steve

[skyshark58]

You had better find a new hobby shop! I just checked a few sources on line like SIG and their prices weren't close to $35.00 let alone $80.00 !
I wonder what else they are ripping you off on?   Mike

[Shultzie]

You had better find a new hobby shop! I just checked a few sources on line like SIG and their prices weren't close to $35.00 let alone $80.00 !
I wonder what else they are ripping you off on?   Mike

WOW MIKE...GREAT TO SEE YOU BACK ON STUNTHANGER....Our friend Joe Dill (although it appears the search engine and members...HE STILL CAN'T GET LOGGED IN?

[Larrys4227]

Was just at my LHS yesterday picking up some odds/ends and they had alot of heli/car fuel which was anywhere from 27.00 - 35.00.  The 35.00 jugs were Maxy's.  I'm pretty good friends with the owner and asked him about the Maxy's and he said alot of the car guys are asking for it, and sells pretty good .... but in all cases he has to by minimums and he's not down far enough in stock to reorder my fuel/airplane fuel.  I always have to start checking 1-2 weeks ahead of time for fuel as he seldom has it when i need it. He did offer me a 15% discount on top of my club discount if i buy a case or more, which would put it around 20.00 per jug.  I can live with that, and have fuel all summer.

If your LHS hasn't mismarked the 79.00 price tag, then he's probably the only LHS in the area, and getting the price he wants, or simply price gouging.  Or he might not be too smart and simply not buying it correctly and pushing all the higher fee's toward the purchaser.

Who knows, but at 79.00 per jug .... you got other options.

FlySafe!  Larry (Larrys4227)

[Leester]

I'd definatley find a new place for fuel, I just checked Sig and Fox and this guy is a screw job !!

[Steven Kientz]

There might be a HAZMAT shipping fee on fuel. Check with the distributor first.

Steve

[RC Storick]

I just bought a case of 10% Sig fuel ,it was $18.00 a gallon. No need to worry the $80 price tag must have been mistaken for a case. Which is still too high.

[Garf]

I buy methanol by the 5 gallon can and mix my own. It's not a lot cheaper, but I can tailor the mix to suit the given engine.

[Mike Keville]

That's absurd!  Contact Mark Smith at Excalibur Fuels, Avondale, AZ.  (Yes, he ships.)

rainydaysmith(at)cox(dot)net

[ildoet]

Dear gentleman.
Here in Brazil I have the same problem. But the price of a galon with 10% nitro and 20% hans't so big.
Then I bought fuel with 20% and mix with a fuel made with my own. One part of castor oil more 3 parts of alchool. Generally a fuel with 20% nitro has in your mix 20% of sinthetic oil. I and my son have used the  PA 75 engine since 2006. One fly for each one and we used 400 ml of fuel.
Mix is the only way to keep flying, but it is still expensive.
Regards
Ildo Eduardo Tozim