I feel blessed. I have a Warrior that I fly regularly at 95/hr and an Archer at 110/hr. Sure they’re older, all steam gauges (although the Archer has a 430) but it keeps me flying. I also have access to a 172 for 85/hr (but it’s a 64 and basic IFR) , and a 152 (in USAF colors 8) for 65/hr.
Of course, I guess when you look at cost of living / income in my area of Central Illinois compared to East Coast or SoCal, it probably puts it a bit more in perspective. Even Chicago compared to us downstaters is a different scale/
$78 in 1988 is the same as $145.96 today.
$57 in 1988 is the same as $106.66 today.
$145 in 2005 is the same as $164.54 today.
$95 to $105 in 2003 is the same as $113.41 to $125.34 today.
So, it looks like the rate has gone up more than the rate of inflation.
Aircraft Rental Rates*(including fuel):
Model 162 (2 units) $46.50/hr
Model 172 S (6 units) $59.50/hr
Model 172 RG (1 unit) $75.00/hr
Model 182 T (1 unit) $84.50/hr
Model T182 (1 unit) $95.50/hr
Model T206H (2 units) $123.00/hr
All planes except 172RG have Garmin and are 1 - 2 years old.
Makes sense, 100LL took a huge jump from 2001 to 2010.
I rented a '99 182S at P19 for $115/hr wet in 2002. Dispatcher just about freaked when he saw the fuel tickets from Elko, NV for $2.20/gal. It was about $1.80 on the field.
That’s only about $4/hr out of the margins. Can’t imagine what several dollars more vs $.40 does.