Plane budget

Once, as a student pilot, I walked out of the building with friends to find M standing by the flagpole, smoking. Another friend waved at him, and as we approached, he said "Man, how can you smoke those things?"

If you're expecting a self-righteous defense, or a long lecture about health, or any of the usual things, you're at the wrong place and time, wrong memory. R shook his head and continued. "I mean, they're what, like, a gallon of avgas a pack?" Everybody laughed, and M just grinned as he took another drag.

Years later, as I'm planning logistics, his crooked grin in response to the ribbing made me laugh as I catch myself laying out an exercise plan for gaining strength (sufficient to pull and push the airplane around when loaded in gravel) and losing weight... 'cause, you know, every six pounds I lose is one more gallon of avgas, or 20 minutes more flight reserve...