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I found it interesting that about the time I left my dipstick at fuel stop in California that the “dipstick topic” showed up on the forum.

Of course the first thing I did was call FD and ask first “if they had them” and second “how much are they”. “Yes, they had them in stock” and “they are eighty bucks”. Well of course I fell off my chair and went about figuring out a way around it thinking that’s a pretty stiff price for a dipstick!

Then I thought about it for a while. I still think it’s a pretty step price for a fuel dipstick and there are other options so why so much…

Part of the answer came to me a few days ago when someone at a show ask me why are Rotax 912 engines so expensive…

My conclusions:

Manufacturing things normally will become cheaper the more you can manufacture and move out the door… As we all know airplane “stuff” is light on the manufacturing quantity side of things. In other words there aren’t a whole lot of airplanes manufactured, not a lot of airplane engines and certainly not a lot of “dipsticks”. So if we want them we’ve got to pay the price - the price that it cost to manufacture (R & D, etc., etc.) and allow the manufacturer to make a reasonable profit too.

If we don’t allow them to make a profit and stay in business then who gets hurt - we do - the consumer that’s purchased their product. The last thing I want is for my airplane manufacturer to go out of business because there goes my airplane along with it to a big degree.

Sure we can find a dipstick, or a part somewhere else and maybe cheaper saving ourselves a few bucks… BUT in the long run are we really saving?

If it’s a product that my airplane company doesn’t make then obviously you have to go elsewhere but if it’s something my aircraft company makes and it costs me a few extra bucks to keep my airplane company it business then….

I’m ordering my $80 dipstick but I’m sure as hell going to tell them it’s way to high priced so they better be around when I need the next one AND please try and figure out how to make it cheaper so I don’t go broke keeping up my airplane and you!!