Concern About the Jet
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-------- Original Message --------
| From: |
DK |
| To: |
AUReporter |
| Subject: |
About Danny |
| Date: |
Sat, 21 Apr 2007 06:36:01 -0400 |
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I have a few questions. I understand that 3ABN has a Cessna
Citation VII jet. It is listed on the internet as a very expensive
jet to lease and from one source is well in excess of $30,000
per month. This does not include the cost of piloting and fueling
this jet. I may be mistaken but I think Danny flies all over
in this jet using up a considerable amount of fuel and monies.
I am just wondering how 3ABN can justify an expense like this?
They beseech the viewers to donate more and more stating the
needs are great and the whole time they are jetting all over
spending money like there is no tomorrow. I recently bought
a ticket from Air Trans and paid $99 one way. Doesn't this seem
more reasonable? I actually was very surprised to learn about
the 3ABN jet. Does anyone know whether any other SDA ministry,
any Conference or perhaps the General Conference has a jet to
fly around to wherever? To my knowledge they take the Air Trans
or another airline way and travel like the commoner. Very interesting!!
DK
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Thoughts to Ponder
We are unaware of "any other SDA ministry, any Conference or perhaps the General Conference"
that "has a jet to fly around to wherever."
For those ministries that might be considering getting a jet, there are other considerations
than just stewardship and financial ones. For example, sitting next to strangers in an airport
or on a commercial plane is an excellent opportunity to witness and share the three angels'
messages. Just a thought.
Costs of Operation
Regarding operating the jet itself, that would go well beyond the alleged monthly lease expense of
$30,000 to $40,000. For example, maintenance is a pretty big and major expense. Pilots may cost around
$700 per 24 hours, we are told.
How about jet fuel costs? Previously we were using a stated fuel capacity for a Cessna Citation
VI and VII of 7,385 gallons from
RisingUp.com to calculate fuel economy,
but after one kind reader pointed out that that figure couldn't be correct, we called Cessna and discovered that
what RisingUp.com was calling
7,385 gallons was really 7,385
pounds. Or, as Cessna usually tells people, 7,329 pounds, and the number of pounds must be divided by 6.7
to get the rough number of gallons. So 7,329 lbs. / (6.7 lbs. / 1 gal.) = 1,094 gallons of fuel capacity on
a Cessna Citation similar to 3ABN's 7-passenger Citation jet.
Now since a Cessna Citation VI
has a range 2,345 nautical miles
(2,699 miles) and a
fuel capacity of 1,094 gallons, that gives a fuel economy figure of roughly 2.47 miles per gallon.
And how much does aviation jet fuel cost? The
average
global price paid at the refinery for jet fuel as of April 24,
2007, is $2.055 a gallon, and we are told that as of April 30, the average price at the pump is around $4.30
a gallon. Divide 2.47 miles per gallon into $4.30 per gallon, and you have a fuel cost per mile of roughly
$1.74.
So a round trip from 3ABN to Sacramento, which is roughly 4000 miles, should at the very most
cost $6,964 for fuel, according to these figures.
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