![\"yy1SIGCF001\"](\"http:\/\/www.balsaworkbench.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/yy1SIGCF001.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe usual reason given for this trend is that glow fuel has become terribly expensive.\u00a0 Thinking back to my heyday in the early 90s as a bachelor who flew RC planes whenever I wasn’t at work, it seems that fuel was a lot cheaper back then. \u00a0But wasn’t everything? \u00a0What if you adjust the price for inflation?<\/p>\n
If I remember correctly, I used to pay\u00a0around 13 dollars for a gallon of fuel with 10 percent nitro in 1992. \u00a0Let’s consult the online inflation calculator<\/a> to see how much that is in 2020 dollars. \u00a013 dollars in 1992 is equal to 24 dollars in 2020. \u00a0A quick look at Sig’s website shows that their standard fuel is $21 for 5% and $27 for 10% in 2020. \u00a0Gee, that doesn’t seem so bad when you consider that it’s about the same amount\u00a0I was paying in 1992.<\/p>\n Back in those days when I was young, carefree, and mostly broke, I remember thinking that the speed freaks were crazy for paying $17.99 or even 20 dollars for their high nitro blends. \u00a0The handy inflation calculator tells me that these high nitro fuels would cost 33 to 37 dollars in 2020. \u00a0Well, that sounds about right. \u00a0Sig’s 25% blend is listed on the website at $41. \u00a0Maybe a little bit high, but not out of line. \u00a0The helicopter pilots were paying more like 20 to 25 per gallon for the fuel with high nitro and tons of oil. \u00a0$25 in 1992 money is the same as $46 in 2020.<\/p>\n I’m a frugal guy. \u00a0Some would say cheap. \u00a0I like to shop for bargains. \u00a0In 2019\u00a0I bought a case of Omega 5% for $17.50 a gallon. \u00a0Holy cow, that’s $70 for a whole case of fuel. \u00a0Did I really spend that much? \u00a0That’s a ton of money. \u00a0If you go back to that online calculator you can put the later date in the top window and the earlier date in the bottom window to figure out how much something today would have cost in the past. \u00a0According to the inflation calculator, my $17.50 fuel in 2019 would be $9.60 per gallon in 1992. \u00a0But I was actually paying $13\u00a0in 1992 and it seemed normal. \u00a0I would have loved to find fuel for $9.60. \u00a0If I take it all the way back to 1985 when I bought my first gallon of glow fuel, my 2019 bargain fuel\u00a0would be $7.37. \u00a01985 was a long time ago, but I’m pretty sure I paid ten dollars for that jug of fuel, and it seemed like a lot of money at the time for a 17 year old with no job. \u00a0$7.37 would have been a real bargain. \u00a0I got a really good deal on that fuel in 2019. \u00a0Adjusted for inflation, it’s the cheapest fuel I’ve ever bought from a hobby store.<\/p>\n (2025 update:<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0 I recently saw an ad in a 1966 magazine where fuel was advertised at $6 per gallon.\u00a0 In 2025 dollars that would be around 60 bucks.\u00a0 Fuel does not cost that much today, even with shipping and hazmat added to a 4 gallon case.\u00a0 They were paying a lot of money for fuel back in the good old days.\u00a0 That’s why RCM used to publish so many construction articles and plans for 049 to 15 size planes in the 1960s and 70s.\u00a0 The articles for these planes would always mention how smart you would feel showing up at the field with your tiny, sporty plane, because you were beating the high fuel costs.)<\/p>\n I think what I’ve determined is that fuel really doesn’t cost too much. \u00a0It costs about the same as it always has, or less. \u00a0The real problem with glow fuel today is that it’s hard to find, because internet sales have destroyed the local stores. \u00a0Back in the good old days just about every town had a hobby store that could sell you a jug of glow fuel for the going rate, but now that most of the stores are gone there isn’t anywhere for a lot of us to buy fuel. \u00a0Even worse is the hazmat situation. \u00a0We used to be able to order cases of fuel from Tower Hobbies, but nowadays the hazmat fees on gallons makes the price truly outrageous.<\/p>\n Glow fuel had its heyday from the late 70s to the early 2000s, when you could buy it just about anywhere. \u00a0Before then people had to go out of their way to find it. \u00a0The club in my home town used to order a barrel and split it into gallon containers in somebody’s garage. \u00a0The only reason we’re crying about the situation today is because we were accustomed to fuel being available at the local store for 30 years, and now we have to use a little bit of brain power the way they did back in the old days.<\/p>\n If you read the online chatter there are always complaints about the price of fuel. \u00a0But the real issue is availability, not price. \u00a0So if you are fortunate enough to have a hobby store in your area that sells fuel, go and buy it before they decide to quit selling it. \u00a0Some would say that it’s silly to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on toy airplanes in the first place. \u00a0Why should the price of a gallon of fuel be the deal breaker?<\/p>\n It just wouldn’t be the same without those puffs of smoke.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When I started building RC planes in the 1980s the nearly universal power source was the glow engine, but since then electric motors have taken over a large part of the market. \u00a0At the same time, a lot of engine … Continue reading <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>