A $100 Hamburger is aviation slang for a private general aviation flight pilot who is looking for an excuse to fly, and decides to dine at a non-local airport. A $100 hamburger trip usually involves flying a short distance (less than two hours), eating at an airport restaurant, and flying home. "$100" originally 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, ever-increasing fuel prices have since caused an increase in hourly operating costs for most airplanes, and a Cessna 172 now costs $95-130/hr to rent, including fuel.[1]
