Allen County Airport has the some of the cheapest fuel sold to aviators of any airport in the nation.
Bill King gave county commissioners a tutorial Tuesday morning, prompted by anonymous letters they had received asking about purchase of “cheap gas” for cars.
“We price our auto gasoline at the airport at or above the price in town,” said King, director of Public Works. “Our fuel is only cheaper than that available at other airports. We’re not in business to sell gasoline for cars.”
The road gasoline was priced at $3.349 Tuesday, while 100 octane was $4.609 and jet fuel was $4.179.
Even if it were priced attractive enough for motorists to journey to the airport for a fill-up, the process would be more complicated than driving up to a pump in town.
“Vehicles aren’t allowed on the apron,” where a trio of pumps with hoses long enough to snake over an airplane are, Mitch Garner, airport manager, told the Register. “They’d track rock” onto the apron and could pose a safety hazard with airplanes arriving or leaving.
Any non-airplane fuel sales could be accomplished only with a hand-carried container, King said.
“We have had some people pump a can or two of jet fuel for use in heaters,” he added.
The auto-grade gasoline is purchased by owners of older airplanes that don’t require a higher octane blend, and those that have modified their airplane’s engines to accommodate the fuel.
Last year’s fuel sales at the airport totaled 51,038 gallons — 3,389 low-octane gasoline, 21,272 100 octane low-lead gasoline and 26,377 jet fuel.
That total is about what was sold the last two years — 49,231 and 50,110 — but appreciably less than prior to when the recession hit.
As recently as 2008, 65,993 gallons were sold. The high-water mark was 86,962 gallons in 2005.
Even though sales have dipped, King expects fuel purchases at the airport to improve with the economy. While fuel prices at the Allen County Airport are cheaper than many others across the nation, the two grades of gasoline and jet fuel still are sold at a modest profit.
Garner said during less pleasant flying weather, when cold and windy conditions dominate, two or three planes a day stop for fuel. On bluebird days, six to eight drop by.
The county doesn’t make a point to advertise its lower-priced fuel, but word gets around, between pilots and on websites they frequent, Garner said.
