SARA offering avgas discounts ahead of National Aviation Day

Aviation news international – Saturday is National Aviation Day and to celebrate, the fixed-base operation at South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field is offering a discount on avgas purchases.

Johnathan Estes, SARA manager, said pilots who stop in this week to refuel with avgas will receive a discount of 25 cents per gallon.

The offer is good through Sunday.

SARA’s FBO sells avgas, or 100LL (low lead), and jet fuel.

Avgas is used for smaller, piston-engine aircraft, while jet fuel is used for larger aircraft with jet, turbine engines.

As of Monday, the price of avgas at the SARA FBO was $5.84 and the discounted rate is $5.59 after taxes.

National Aviation Day was established in 1939 as a federal observance to celebrate advancements in the field of aviation.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a proclamation designating Orville Wright’s birthday as NAD. Wright was born on Aug. 19, 1871, and died in January of 1948 at the age of 76.

He was one half of the Wright brothers, aviation pioneers who built, operated and flew the first motorized airplane in the world.

The brothers launched the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered aircraft in December of 1871. Wright’s brother Wilbur died in 1912 at the age of 45.

NAD encourages Americans to celebrate with activities that promote an interest in aviation.

Estes said SARA will take part in the observance with the avgas discount, which is available to pilots across the country who stop in at the full-service FBO this week.

The SARA FBO typically sells more jet fuel than avgas each month.

Overall, fuel sales have been down over the past few years, compared to pre-COVID numbers.

The pandemic slowed aviation activity across the country during its height, thus fuel sales for aircraft.

“We’ve got to celebrate the love of aviation and aircraft. It’ll be nice if we generate at the same time, but it’s just a notice that aviation is a fun part of the life, whether it’s going up in a plane and taking a tour or getting into the ownership aspect of aviation, there’s all kinds of stuff you can see from the air,” Estes said.