{
  "slug": "wet-dry-rental-breakeven",
  "title": "Wet vs Dry Rental Breakeven Calculator",
  "heading": "Wet vs Dry Rental Breakeven Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/wet-dry-rental-breakeven",
  "summary": "Find the annual hours where wet rental beats dry, or vice versa.",
  "description": "Wet rental bundles fuel into the hourly rate; dry rental charges a lower hourly rate but you buy fuel separately at whatever the FBO or your own tank charges. Which is cheaper depends entirely on your fuel burn, local fuel price, and how many hours you fly per year, because dry rates sometimes carry a minimum monthly fee or require club membership dues that wet rentals don't. This calculator compares total annual cost under both structures across your expected hours and tells you the breakeven point.",
  "formula": "Wet cost = wet rate × hours. Dry cost = dry rate × hours + fuel burn × price × hours + membership dues. Breakeven hours = dues ÷ (wet rate − dry rate − fuel burn × price).",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=wet-dry-rental-breakeven",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "wetRate",
      "label": "Wet rental rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 165,
      "unit": "$/hr",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "dryRate",
      "label": "Dry rental rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 120,
      "unit": "$/hr",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "fuelBurn",
      "label": "Fuel burn",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 9,
      "unit": "gal/hr",
      "min": 0.5,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "fuelPrice",
      "label": "Fuel price",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 6,
      "unit": "$/gal",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "dues",
      "label": "Club dues (dry option only)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 600,
      "unit": "$/yr",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "hoursYear",
      "label": "Hours you plan to fly per year",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 60,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "cheaper",
      "label": "Cheaper option at your hours",
      "format": "raw",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "savings",
      "label": "Annual savings with cheaper option",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "wetTotal",
      "label": "Wet rental annual total",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "dryTotal",
      "label": "Dry rental annual total (incl. dues)",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "breakevenHours",
      "label": "Breakeven hours per year",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Wet rental rate: 165 $/hr",
      "Dry rental rate: 120 $/hr",
      "Fuel burn: 9 gal/hr",
      "Fuel price: 6 $/gal",
      "Club dues (dry option only): 600 $/yr",
      "Hours you plan to fly per year: 60"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Cheaper option at your hours: Wet rental",
      "Annual savings with cheaper option: $1,140",
      "Wet rental annual total: $9,900",
      "Dry rental annual total (incl. dues): $11,040",
      "Breakeven hours per year: -1"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter wet rental rate ($/hr).",
      "Enter dry rental rate ($/hr).",
      "Enter fuel burn (gal/hr).",
      "Enter fuel price ($/gal).",
      "Enter club dues (dry option only) ($/yr).",
      "Enter hours you plan to fly per year.",
      "Read your cheaper option at your hours on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "wetRate": 100,
        "dryRate": 70,
        "fuelBurn": 5.3999999999999995,
        "fuelPrice": 3.5999999999999996,
        "dues": 350,
        "hoursYear": 35
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "wetRate": 165,
        "dryRate": 120,
        "fuelBurn": 9,
        "fuelPrice": 6,
        "dues": 600,
        "hoursYear": 60
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "wetRate": 265,
        "dryRate": 190,
        "fuelBurn": 14.4,
        "fuelPrice": 9.600000000000001,
        "dues": 950,
        "hoursYear": 95
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Why would dry ever cost more than wet?",
      "a": "If the club membership dues are high and you fly few hours, the dues alone can outweigh the per-hour fuel savings from dry rates. A $600/yr due spread over 20 hours adds $30/hr before you've bought a drop of fuel, which can flip the comparison entirely in favor of wet rental for low-time renters."
    },
    {
      "q": "Does fuel price volatility change the answer?",
      "a": "Yes, materially. Dry renters bear fuel price risk directly; wet renters are insulated until the FBO raises its wet rate, which usually lags actual fuel cost changes by weeks or months. If you fly at an airport with volatile self-serve fuel pricing, wet rental reduces budgeting uncertainty even if it's not always cheaper on average."
    },
    {
      "q": "What other costs aren't captured here?",
      "a": "Neither option includes renter's insurance (typically $200-500/yr for non-owned coverage), checkout fees for new aircraft, or minimum daily/weekly rental blocks some FBOs require for longer trips. Add those separately since they apply regardless of wet or dry structure."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is dry rental always better for high-time pilots?",
      "a": "Usually, yes, because the per-hour rate difference (often $30-50/hr) compounds directly with hours while the fixed due amount stays flat. A pilot flying 150 hours/year on dry saves the per-hour spread 150 times over while the $600 due becomes a rounding error at $4/hr."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/aircraft-ownership-cost-per-hour",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/block-time-vs-flight-time-cost",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/flight-school-ppl-total-cost"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Wet vs Dry Rental Breakeven Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/wet-dry-rental-breakeven)"
}