Month: May 2022

AvGas Prices

AvGas has always fluctuated and always will, but as we know, these extreme prices affect every aspect of flight.  We look forward to the low numbers that keep the wings in the air.  Here are the most recent trends:

In US Dollars:

Date: Alaska NW Pacific SW Central Great Lakes South NE New England
June 14 8.74 7.34 7.72 7.04 6.48 6.89 7.28 7.41 7.33
June 7 8.72 7.19 7.59 6.90 6.35 6.77 7.12 7.29 7.23
May 31 8.65 7.06 7.46 6.74 6.16 6.63 6.95 7.11 7.13
May 24 8.36 6.99 7.42 6.67 6.10 6.51 6.88 7.03 7.10
May 16 8.28 6.84 7.29 6.56 5.97 6.33 6.74 6.89 6.92
May 10 8.22 6.77 7.24 6.54 5.93 6.28 6.72 6.83 6.85
May 3 8.18 6.70 7.13 6.40 5.87 6.22 6.59 6.76 6.79
Apr 21 8.14 6.62 7.06 6.30 5.80 6.13 6.47 6.64 6.71
Apr 20 8.14 6.62 7.07 6.31 5.80 6.12 6.48 6.64 6.70

*Highest to lowest:  Alaska, Pacific, New England, NE, NW, South, SW, Great Lakes, Central

To watch these trends yourself, check out the map at GlobalAir:

https://www.globalair.com/airport/region.aspx

– – – – – – – – – – – – –

Have more questions? Need help? Contact Us

Monday thru Thursday: Open from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Friday, Saturday, Sunday & IA Seminars:  The office is Closed. Calls, voicemails and emails will be responded to within a reasonable amount of time.

A Device Mystery

A device mystery, solved, with our good friend, Dean Showalter.  Enjoy reading:

PART 1:  The Mystery…

Good morning friends!

I have a puzzler for you today… last Saturday, I was out on the ramp at our airport, and I saw this A-35 Bonanza with a device on the left wing, and I wasn’t sure what it is. Here’s a photo:

Wing Warning Switch

I have a guess, but I’d like to hear your guesses.

Hit reply and tell me what you think this is… I’m confident we can figure it out together!

Thanks for joining me in the process of continuous learning!

Have a great Saturday,

Dean Showalter

PART 2: Mystery solved!

Hi Friends,

In my last email, I was asking for feedback on what you thought about the strange device I’d seen on a Bonanza’s left wing recently… well, here’s the answer, in the words of my good friend, Aram Basmadjian:

“That is the stall warning vane commonly found on the early Bonanzas.”

Thanks Aram!

He even provided a screen shot of one he saw for sale:

Warning Switch

​

Notice it’s 14 volt… Aram later told me it’s connected to a stall warning horn.

Now I know yet another detail about the amazing Bonanza’s 🙂

Thanks so much to all of you who responded with thoughts about what this gizmo was. Most of the responses were right on target, having something to do with stall warning and AOA detectors.

Norman also got it right, when he said, “Double vaned, stall warning device. Made me look it up Dean. I hope I’m right!” Yep… you were right Norman!

Some other guesses were:

    • Maybe Hobbs airflow switch?
    • A manual gear indicator?
    • Wing root vortex generator to prevent airflow stalling at low speeds. (This person later changed his guess to a stall warning device.)
    • No clue unless it is a mechanical cricket used for signaling a left turn.
    • How about a mechanical down and locked indicator?Gear position indicator?

I always enjoy learning new things about airplanes, and this one was especially interesting.

Thanks for joining the adventure!

Dean Showalter

​===========

If you enjoyed Dean’s articles you can find more on his website at:  http://airplaneownermaintenance.com/