Which states are most affordable for aviation?

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DMD3.

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DMD3.
A few months back, someone posted that they had moved from Indiana to Florida, and that their hangar rent was around $200 in IN, but would be over $700 in Florida (I don’t remember which airports, or the exact number for hangar price), so as with anything else, the cost can largely depend on where you live.

Of course, it gets more expensive when you start dealing with larger class d or c airports, and that includes fuel prices, landing/parking fees, etc. And even at some small airpor with the surrounding airports having reasonable prices, someone may jack up the price at one particular airport. But in summation, which states or areas in the U.S. seem to have the most affordable costs (mainly for hangar space, but including fuel, etc.)
 
Don’t forget taxes, especially if you’re based at a field where the manager is a rat for the tax collector.
 
I would think some rural area with strong proximity to a 100LL refiner, and a state with no large city to draw in taxes is the answer sought.

Where does Kansas or Nebraska get its 100LL? :)
 
I’ll throw iowa in as a contender, currently have a hanger at an airport with a less than 4 year old 3500’ concrete runway, 100ll on site with a self serve padlocked pump (key comes with hanger and uses an honor system card reader in the field base office) haven’t filled up yet this spring to see the current fuel price, but it’s a municipal airport without any markup beyond cost of filling their fuel island. Nice tee hanger (cement floor, hydraulic tilt up door, but no dividers between the stalls so “open inside” building) $60 per month, electricity included.
 
Smaller town Midwest seems to win, although Texas and Arkansas in certain areas probably compete as well. The problem is most people don't want to live in smaller town Midwest.
 
Taxes notwithstanding, rural will be urban for both hangar rentals and fuel costs.
 
Skyvector can display prices on the map. It seems the states closest to the gulf have the lowest prices (excluding FL). East and west coasts have the highest prices. None of this should be very surprising.

fuel.png
 
Judging by fuel prices, southeastern states. GA, AL, MS, TN, parts of FL, etc.
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
Smaller town Midwest seems to win, although Texas and Arkansas in certain areas probably compete as well. The problem is most people don't want to live in smaller town Midwest.
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If people wanted to live there, hangar prices would be high :D
 
schmookeeg said:
If people wanted to live there, hangar prices would be high :D
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Yes it is a terrible, horrible, tortured place to live, just today I had to drive ten minutes to take my sons fishing this morning.. with zero other people around, a 25” carp gave my 6 year old son one heck of a fight, he felt like he caught a whale, smiling ear to ear for catching a fish that was taller than his waste line, came home and checked our bee hives (queens laying!), then transplanted the Atlantic giant pumpkins they have been growing from seeds for the last 6 weeks..tomorrow should probably thin the radish, spinach, and beet rows, got a good rain and they emerged thicker than they should. And I’d put a $50 bill at 3/1 odds on my 6 year old in a 40’ target shooting contest with a red Ryder BB gun against anybody. Different priorities for different people I guess.. Atleast on the bright side for me I own my 3.75 acre yard and home, airplane, classic Harley, sailboat, and classic car collection, and have had zero debt since I was 25 years old with a only a high school education and a good work ethic.. but these places are crap, they got no clubs..
 
As mentioned, most of the Southern states as well as the Plains will likely score well. Lower cost of living, lower hangar rent and fuel prices. Fewer Class B/C airports normally results in lower landing fees. Cost of flying in OK is a bargain compared to many coastal areas.
 
Sorry if I seemed like I was throwing shade -- I wasn't -- this exercise tells me we're needing to go to a place nobody wants to live (with depressed rents), and I thought it was funny to have that pointed out.
 
I think its as much distance from big cities as what state.
 
schmookeeg said:
Sorry if I seemed like I was throwing shade -- I wasn't -- this exercise tells me we're needing to go to a place nobody wants to live (with depressed rents), and I thought it was funny to have that pointed out.
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As another lifelong midwestern dweller I take no offense. It's reality!
There is a reason why you can buy a 5000sqft house in Illinois for the same price that you pay for a 1 BR apartment in San Francisco! But I'll take my extra 4300sqft and higher standard of living thank you very much!

DMD3. said:
Which states or areas in the U.S. seem to have the most affordable costs (mainly for hangar space, but including fuel, etc.)
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Instead of aiming for "lowest cost of aviation" I'd aim for state with "lowest overall cost of living". Because every dollar you don't spend on rent, car payments and keeping up with the neighbors is another dollar you have to fly :cool:
 
schmookeeg said:
Sorry if I seemed like I was throwing shade -- I wasn't -- this exercise tells me we're needing to go to a place nobody wants to live (with depressed rents), and I thought it was funny to have that pointed out.
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I didn't say nobody. I said most. Our nightlife isn't great. Our sports team is a single A baseball team and a second rate minor league hockey. But we have a waterfront, you will get some big name music acts here (ZZ Top came last month) and our cost of living is hard to beat. We're 2.5 hours to Chicago and 2.5 hours to St. Louis so you can get to the big city in a reasonable time. We're an acquired taste, but I acquired it. I grew up in the burbs of Chicago and lived in Houston and Dallas. I'll take the smaller town life (although 400,000 in the metro isn't THAT small) and not go back to the big city life.
 
need to make a list of associated expenses, ie

purchase price
tax on sale
insurance
maintenance
fuel
hangar
property tax

etc.

then to the right, estimate the price, for several places.
total each column & compare.
Im thinking the total cost of items that are location sensitive will not be significant compared to other things that play into the choice of moving.
 
DMD3. said:
A few months back, someone posted that they had moved from Indiana to Florida, and that their hangar rent was around $200 in IN, but would be over $700 in Florida (I don’t remember which airports, or the exact number for hangar price), so as with anything else, the cost can largely depend on where you live.

Of course, it gets more expensive when you start dealing with larger class d or c airports, and that includes fuel prices, landing/parking fees, etc. And even at some small airpor with the surrounding airports having reasonable prices, someone may jack up the price at one particular airport. But in summation, which states or areas in the U.S. seem to have the most affordable costs (mainly for hangar space, but including fuel, etc.)
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The 13 originals are probably not high on the list.
 
DMD3. said:
and that their hangar rent was around $200 in IN, but would be over $700 in Florida
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My hangar rent in Winter Haven, FL is less than half that. Florida is a big state with lots of variation.
 
I did a spread sheet on this a few years back. Iowa and Oklahoma were the top 2 if I remember correctly.
 
I loved flying to Florida (Daytona Beach), it was busy yes, but I enjoyed reasonably priced fuel and free parking, plus maintenance was cheaper (oil change), I was able to get it all done with a phone call too. People were friendly and thankful for your business too.
 
Flatiowa said:
I’ll throw iowa in as a contender, currently have a hanger at an airport with a less than 4 year old 3500’ concrete runway, 100ll on site with a self serve padlocked pump (key comes with hanger and uses an honor system card reader in the field base office) haven’t filled up yet this spring to see the current fuel price, but it’s a municipal airport without any markup beyond cost of filling their fuel island. Nice tee hanger (cement floor, hydraulic tilt up door, but no dividers between the stalls so “open inside” building) $60 per month, electricity included.
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I knew I should have taken that job in Iowa!

Our non-existent hangars will be $300/ month if they ever get built. I live in small town SC. Yes, that small town.
 
You might be able to approximate it by comparing the cost of living by state. Lot's of that data available with Google-Fu. I imagine aviation costs will roughly mirror that. Though some places have massive hanger shortages, of course.

You can probably eliminate the entire west coast and the large metros in the east. NY is likely right out, though maybe the rural up state areas could be reasonable? I dunno. A friend in Connecticut says, "Uh, no!".
 
For reference, (to far of a drive for me, but I was tempted to buy a couple just because of the price) around 2016 in Allison iowa on a nice groomed long grass strip only airfield old open faced cantilevered tee hangers (independent buildings) were being offered for a purchase asking price of $380 apiece plus a 10 year contracted annual fee of $250 that went towards the mowing expenses. There are a few open bays in my $60 a month hanger’s building and 6 miles from it is another paved surface runway airport that has ONE airplane in its 8 bay hanger. Like all real estate location, but sometimes the numbers are jumbled by local demographic interests. Here most people that can afford to keep a plane (toy essentially) are also farmers and find it cheaper/more convenient to just keep two acres of mowed grass in the shape of a runway next to their machine shed.
 
The most affordable state for aviation by far is the state of denial, at least that’s how it feels.
 
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