How much does a Hundred Dollar Hamburger actually cost?

Question

Recently, the Technical Difficulties discussed the \$100 hamburger on their show Citation Needed.

A "\$100 hamburger" refers to the practice of flying to another airport, eating a hamburger there, and flying back again.

The hamburger is used as an "excuse" for flying — the actual reason is just getting flight time to meet minimal flight hours. Presumably, it once cost around \$100 to do this, which is a lot for just getting a burger.
The Wikipedia article mentions that a hundred dollar hamburger likely costs more than \$100 these days, due to increased fuel prices.

Is it feasible to accomplish this mission (in the United States) within a \$100 budget today (2017)?

Answer 1

The flight school I fly out of rents a 152 at 86USD an hour wet. Assuming you need some cash for the burger lets say you save the remaining 14 dollars for that you are right at your 100. With the 152 cruising at just about 95 Kts you need to keep the distance (both ways) under 95nm to say in our budget.

KDYL → Sky Manner (N40) is a 15nm hop and Sky Manner has a nice little restaurant.

If you want to put some actual time on the plane

KDYL → KRDG is a 39nm hop and there is a restaurant there.

Both of these hops keeps the hobbs at under or right at an hour of flying which keeps you under your total of 100USD for the flight and the burger.

That being said, there are bigger, faster, more expensive planes you can fly much farther to get food. I was chatting with a guy who flew his PC-12 from PA to Martha's Vineyard for lunch with some clients... I assume that was far more than 100$.

Answer 2

It depends on location. The prevailing rental rates at a busy airport near me are around \$200/hr wet Hobbs for a C172. Only \$100 gives you about enough time to start up the plane, taxi out, wait in line, do your run-up, taxi back to the hangar, and grab a burger on your drive home. At the nearby (but less busy) field where I fly from, it's only \$150/hr and no line, so you might actually get a few laps around the pattern before running out of money.

With avgas prices of \$4-5/gal and typical light planes burning 8-10gal/hr, two or three hours of flying can easily reach \$100 in fuel costs alone. Add the cost of the plane itself—and of the burger, of course—and that burger costs a lot more than it used to.

Answer 3

A "\$100 hamburger" refers to the practice of flying to another airport, eating a hamburger there, and flying back again.

Is it feasible to accomplish this mission (in the United States) within a \$100 budget today (2017)?

Seeing as you've set no minimum distance that must be flown, the answer is unambiguously "yes".

For example, they sell hamburgers at the airport in Salem Oregon, and the airport at Independence Oregon is only about 10 miles away.

Actually they sell hamburgers at the airport in Independence too, so you could make the trip either way.

You could even make the trip in an ultralight if you wish-- which b.t.w. the FAA does consider to be "aircraft" (see related ASE questions)-- and some are known to be based at the Salem airport, despite the Class D airspace.

You could even make a round trip with hamburger consumption at both ends, or at all three ends. As long as future medical bills are not included in the accounting, you might still stay under budget.

You could probably even swing a round trip (including consumption of a single hamburger) in a rented aircraft from Lebanon Oregon, where as of the time the question was originally posted, a 2-place Cessna aircraft could be rented in the ballpark of 40-50$/ hr (wet).