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$100 hamburger

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aviation slang
[40px]
Look up $100 hamburger in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

$100 hamburger ("hundred-dollar hamburger") is aviation slang for the
excuse a general aviation pilot might use to fly.^[1]^[2]

Background

[edit]

A $100 hamburger trip typically involves flying a short distance
(less than two hours), eating at an airport restaurant, and then
flying home. "$100" originally^[when?] referred to the approximate
cost of renting or operating a light general aviation aircraft, such
as a Cessna 172, for the time it took to fly round-trip to a nearby
airport. However, increasing fuel prices have since caused an
increase in hourly operating costs for most airplanes, and a Cessna
172 now^[when?] costs US$95-180^[3] per Hobbs hour to rent, including
fuel.^[4]

In California, for example, in the San Francisco Bay Area one could
fly short distances up to the Nut Tree in Vacaville, or down to
Harris Ranch in Selma. Often the meal is upgraded to steaks, rather
than just hamburgers.

In Perth, Western Australia, a similar mentality resulted in the
'Rotto Bun Run'. A group of pilots who had run out of hot cross buns
on Good Friday decided to fly to the closest open bakery on Rottnest
Island. The run is now an annual charity event.^[5]

References

[edit]

 1. ^ Preusch, Matthew (October 26, 2007). "Cleared for Lunching: The
    $100 Hamburger". The New York Times. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
 2. ^ Daniels, Lauren Drewes (2020-02-17). "Come Fly With Us to
    Pilots' Favorite '$100 Hamburgers'". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 
    2021-07-06.
 3. ^ "Fleet Aircraft". San Carlos Flight Center. Retrieved 
    2020-04-29.
 4. ^ "Flights Inc. - Flight Training and Aircraft Rental".
    www.flights-inc.com. Archived from the original on 2022-05-23.
    Retrieved 2017-06-02.
 5. ^ Royal Aero Club of Western Australia - Commemorative Flights,
    2011-01-30, archived from the original on 2011-02-17

Stub    This aviation-related article is a stub. You can help
icon    Wikipedia by expanding it.

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Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=
$100_hamburger&oldid=1295560968"
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  * This page was last edited on 14 June 2025, at 14:18 (UTC).
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