There’s no getting around it: Everything we buy is more expensive than it was a year ago.
Prices are up. That’s true for peanut butter as much as it is for avgas. Even the folks who moved up to diesel powerplants so they could take advantage of the more readily available and price stabile Jet-A are feeling the pinch.
Inflation ain’t just for tires and pool floats anymore.
Thankfully, I am old. Not as old as the hills, but older than most living people.
You see, I am a time traveler. I came to this planet during the Eisenhower administration and have personally witnessed or lived through the great celebrations and tragedies of the past several decades.
Recent history is not a theoretical area of study for me. I saw with my own eyes a time when gas was 35 cents a gallon, when a loaf of bread cost a quarter, when a middle-class family of four or five owned only one car, and when those families lived in homes that had only one bathroom.
When I first began thinking about buying a home, mortgage rates were in the ballpark of what we think of as normal for credit cards today. Minimum wage was $2.30 per hour. Computers cost massive amounts of money and were scarce at best, even in industrial and office settings, and if you suggested to your boss that you were going to work from home, that expression was essentially equivalent to saying, “I quit.”
The Internet had not yet been invented.
Times change. Technology morphed our lives to include activities and information that was hardly imaginable in an earlier time.
That’s just the way life works. Civilization thrives, then struggles, then thrives again, with an occasional total collapse thrown in so guys like Irwin Allen and Roland Emmerich have something to base their movies on.
Our current issue is shared across all spectrums of American life. Economic inflation is hitting us hard, biting us in the butt, and making it nearly impossible for many general aviation enthusiasts to ply the skies with the frequency and duration we might like.
Take heart, dear reader. There is hope.
It’s likely you don’t know Jerome Powell personally. The head of the Fed isn’t listed in my contacts list, either. But no matter. Even if we were deeply valued lifelong friends, it’s unlikely Jerome would change federal policy based on my input. Nor should he.
I’m not an economist. It takes years of study to develop the skills that allow someone to be that specifically wrong that often.
Nope, I’m just a pilot and a mechanic and a writer. I’ll stay in my lane. I advise you to do the same.
And that’s where our salvation can be found. For while you and I can’t positively affect global or even national economic policy, we can take steps that will have a profound impact on our own bank account.
You may find this suggestion to be condescending, or impractical, but I assure you it is neither.
Here is my solution to fighting inflation, rising fuel prices, and general economic stress: Get a second job.
While I’ve spent a lifetime crafting a public image of a dude who is very chill, barely motivated, and spends a great deal of his free time laying around doing nothing, the truth is the polar opposite of that. Throughout my life I’ve had a full-time job while carrying a full-time student load, or two full-time jobs, or a full-time job and at least one part-time job. Always. No kidding.
In my entire adult life, I have never, not for a single day, found myself with only one job. As a result, even when times were tough, I had something to do that I really wanted to do, and a few extra dollars coming in that could help me through the difficult days.
Even now, I hold down a full-time job that I love. It’s time intensive, requires significant effort, and regularly runs well over the traditional limits of a 9 to 5 workday. I also write for a small selection of publications, most notably General Aviation News, where I have written the Politics for Pilots column for more than 12 years. In all that time I have not missed a single deadline or taken a week off. I also manage a small stable of rental properties and run a fledgling YouTube channel.
I’m not bored.
As I see it, that extra effort isn’t a sacrifice. It’s an opportunity.
I once worked for minimum wage. In fact, having been raised with a family farm to run, I worked for years for well under minimum wage. That was a burden, I’ll readily admit to that. But when I realized the counterpoint to minimum wage just didn’t exist, my whole life changed.
There is no maximum wage. There is no cap to the amount of effort you can put into your work, your education, or your relationships. You and I can be what we want to be and do what we want to do. The only real limitations we have are self-imposed.
Whether you’re just starting your aeronautical journey or if you’re decades into it as I am, don’t quit because of an economic speed bump in the road. Fight back. Take your future into your own hands. Work one shift a week as a line service worker. That income will pay for a bit of flight time even as it introduces you to a long line of like-minded folks you’ll be glad to meet.
Bag groceries, mow lawns, wash cars, do freelance IT work, build a neighbor’s shed — whatever your time and skill set allows, do it. Keep doing it.
Over time, my experience suggests you will become incrementally better off, more secure, and more confident in your abilities to overcome whatever stands in your way.
Or…you could just complain about high prices and stop doing the things you love because it’s easier to quit than correct for the situation.
It’s your choice. Truly, it is entirely up to you.
Good luck, whichever path you choose.
Yes I had a kick at the cat also but reading the some of the replys
brings back some of my own experiences ‘ I also got the flying bug
when in my 20s but thats when the girls were more attractive then airplanes
Being a farm boy and a family of 4 flying lessons were not in the picture’
So as mentioned earlier taking a second job was the only solution;
As it turned out I got things turned around and I got my flying wings 2 years
later no regrets. So every thing is possible with determination
Depends which type of tail you prefer.
Two main factors are driving the surge in gas prices: the recovery from the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Crude prices tumbled during the pandemic, even going negative at one point, but demand has come roaring back.
Count your blessings and fly every chance that comes your way. I will only fly with a copilot now having recently made it to 93. My reflexes are also showing my age even though I am still driving a van, but do get honked at because my speed is usually 5-10 miles below the limit. Sold our Dakota several years back for more than I paid for it, and invested the proceeds in a safe 8% fund . Still go out to see the aircraft going over when the engine sound is not familiar. Bottom line – use the abilities you still have and give thanks for every new day.
I will add make reading a habit . Inflation? Find a good basic book on macro economics .
James Sowell, Milton Friedman are good authors to start. At least you’ll know why politics and economics are so closely intertwined with repeated outcomes of success and failure.
And yes I worked two jobs for many years.
You do what you have to do. Having spent a career in the Air Force as an enlisted man the pay never was great, so a few part time jobs here and there helped. Wife worked after raising the kids to 5-6 years old. A few times I had 3 jobs. Flew for the commuters as they were called in the 80s that grew into one of the largest regionals where the pay wasn’t great until many years later. Retired from the airline now, and having maxed out my 401K and IRAs living comfortable. I’m 74 and been back instructing since my retirement, not for the money but pleasure of teaching people to reach their flying goals. Very rewarding.
Or just stop voting democrat
At least today’s democrats!
F You!
Mark Scardino
Jamie, one of the better, on the spot articles I’ve read in a while. 100% on target.
Well Jamie you have hit the nail right on its head. I came into this world when FDR was president, yes FDR, most people will have to look that up. Unfortunately, I think it falls on deaf ears. The entitlement crowd just doesn’t get it. Worked 2 – 3 jobs most of my life, washed airplanes to get flying lessons. Saved when I could, spent only what I could afford, invested wisely. Physically active most of my life, ate good food and not to many bad habits, absolutely no drugs. 86 years old and still flying, biking, diving and riding my Harley.
Korean war veteran
Here and now…. if you fly for business presumably your expenses dictate what you charge. Other than that it’s only a hobby, park it, sell it, shift priorities if you must.
Australians for decades only flew with full seats to split cost due to expensive fuel. Believe UK was the same.
Great article as always Jamie! My dad always said that a little hard work never hurt anyone. True, high prices are hurting everyone now. But we have seen this in the past.
We got through it then and we will get thru it again. A lot of people who cringe at the thought of getting two jobs have never seen it. A big problem in this country is that we have a lot of people who have never experienced tough times. This inflation thing is making them very nervous. It will make a lot of them grow up really quick.
This is a despicable article. You should feel ashamed of yourself. “Just get a second job.” For so many people, that just isn’t a realistic thing that can be done even if they wanted to. Make one, full time job actually pay a living wage. Don’t try to sell people on giving up even more of their lives by saying the best advice is to just get a second job.
The author covered your option too, right at the end.
This is an excellent article, applicable far beyond the need to continue to fly. I wish more youngsters could be imbued with this attitude about self-determination, accomplishment, and industry.
People are getting a living pay, that’s how we got here.
Wow. Are you kidding? I hope.
As someone who grew up in the 70’s, I try to tell my kids now that we only had one TV and the remote control was me turning the channel (with the dial until the TV got old enough and then a pair of pliers) until my dad picked out what he wanted to watch. Then I had to adjust the antennae until the picture was satisfactory, which usually took several tries. Thanks for another great article.
I came to earth during the Truman administration, so I understand this post. May I suggest another way to cope with soaring fuel costs? airnav.com/fuel. Most airports around here are getting close to $7 for a gallon of 100LL, but there’s one a half hour away that is $5.19. Saving almost 2 bucks per gallon (multiplied by my 68 gallon tanks) is worthwhile.
Excellent perspective! I would only add that (1) inflation and fuel price surges are a worldwide phenomenon—not just a US thing, (2) as someone smart once said, “this too shall pass,” and (3) no one is dropping bombs on us and our families, so whining about the price of gas for our airplanes is kind of meek. “The Greatest Generation” overcame a decade of the Depression followed immediately by World War II. I’d like to think we could get through this. Thanks for all the great writing through the years!
I might have you beat on age as I will finish 3/4 of a century this very Friday. Please, no gifts. Your words will unfortunately fall on deaf eyes. We are in the era of candy whiskey, chocolate beer, HELP WANTED signs, and if you watch the current crop of commercials, we all live in bliss in an urban environment, spending a lot of time dancing in the streets and on the rooftops. Since you must recall an original slacker, Maynard G Krebs, his “kryptonite” was the word “WORK”. I, too, came up wondering how I was going to make enough money ride the city bus in Omaha, to see a movie downtown. (I only needed a buck). I mowed lawns, scooped driveways, caddied, sold greeting cards door to door. As I got older, yes, getting a real job most likely came with NEEDING to get a second job, maybe a third. As you can tell, your story hit me where I live. My Cessna 195 is paid for, has a new engine, and burns 18 gallons an hour. I flew it 45 minutes yesterday. Anyone want to hire an almost retired architect? Do they still publish “GRIT”?? Hmmmm, maybe there is my opportunity. Thanks for the story.
Excellent perspective, my friend!
So, why did I go to all the expense and time to become a CFI (at age 50)? Just to flip burgers? I’ll just be content flying an hour a week, low and slow counting teepee rings — signs of a civilization and way of life that came to a sudden end ….
Absolutely wonderful article. You understand life. I’m an independent contract CFI and work independently for 4 different schools and the American Bonanza Society. My wife says I’m retired and those are my “fun jobs”. Oh, and my first mortgage 40 years ago was at 18% interest and we were happy and lucky to be able to qualify for it.
If you do not take an interest
in the affairs of your government,
then you are doomed to live under
the rule of fools.
Plato
Jamie,
You forgot about the “National Uproar” that occurred when Mickey D’s raised the price of a burger from 15 cents to 19 cents!
Comment *Well written Jamie. We might all count our blessings and not our troubles.