Do you fly in your own neighborhood?

[Mxsmanic]

When you fly VFR for pleasure, do you prefer to limit your flying to the area
around your home base, where you know the geography and airspaces and
navigation points, or do you prefer to fly to many different places that
you've never seen before?

It seems like it would be a trade-off between seeing the same things again and
again but being able to plan a flight easily (since you'd know almost
everything by heart after a while), and seeing completely new things at the
expense of having to work out a detailed flight plan and following it so that
you don't get lost. A cross between adventure and convenient comfort.

A constraint unique to the real world is the need to physically get the plane
from airport to airport. If it's 200 nm to your destination, you'll need to
fly 200 nm back at some point. Fortunately that is not an issue in
simulation, although the serious simmer forces himself to start at the same
airport at which he landed during the previous flight.

--
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[Gene Seibel]

On Feb 12, 10:08 am, Mxsmanic > wrote:
> When you fly VFR for pleasure, do you prefer to limit your flying to the area
> around your home base, where you know the geography and airspaces and
> navigation points, or do you prefer to fly to many different places that
> you've never seen before?
>
> It seems like it would be a trade-off between seeing the same things again and
> again but being able to plan a flight easily (since you'd know almost
> everything by heart after a while), and seeing completely new things at the
> expense of having to work out a detailed flight plan and following it so that
> you don't get lost. A cross between adventure and convenient comfort.
>
I prefer new places. Making a flight plan and seeing it come alive is
part of the fun. Getting lost is a non-issue. I prefer adventure.
Convenient comfort and knowing everything by heart only set you up for
complacency.
--
Gene Seibel
Tales of Flight - http://pad39a.com/gene/tales.html
Because I fly, I envy no one.

[Michelle P]

Mxsmanic wrote:
> When you fly VFR for pleasure, do you prefer to limit your flying to the area
> around your home base, where you know the geography and airspaces and
> navigation points, or do you prefer to fly to many different places that
> you've never seen before?
>
> It seems like it would be a trade-off between seeing the same things again and
> again but being able to plan a flight easily (since you'd know almost
> everything by heart after a while), and seeing completely new things at the
> expense of having to work out a detailed flight plan and following it so that
> you don't get lost. A cross between adventure and convenient comfort.
>
> A constraint unique to the real world is the need to physically get the plane
> from airport to airport. If it's 200 nm to your destination, you'll need to
> fly 200 nm back at some point. Fortunately that is not an issue in
> simulation, although the serious simmer forces himself to start at the same
> airport at which he landed during the previous flight.
>

No I do not, but many do.
I will fly across country or from top to bottom in a matter of a day. I
regularly fly 500 miles a day. Of Course I fly for living.

Michelle

[Mxsmanic]

Not as Arrogant as Mxsmanic writes:

> I'm trying to simulate your life, so next time, I'll just leave my plane at the other
> airport and have someone pack it up and ship it to the next airport I'm going to.

I've already received some good and interesting answers. I suppose watching
the kiddies chime in is the price I must pay for that.

--
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[Jay Honeck]

> >I've already received some good and interesting answers. I suppose watching
> >the kiddies chime in is the price I must pay for that.
>
> Just as any real pilots who still frequent this group have to put up with your nonsense.
>
> **** You Tony.

Maybe I live a sheltered life, but I don't know any real pilots who
treat others with such rude disdain.

Thankfully.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Honeck]

> > Maybe I live a sheltered life, but I don't know any real pilots who
> > treat others with such rude disdain.
>
> Look at how the real pilots here are treating Mx.

My point exactly.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jose]

> Maybe I live a sheltered life, but I don't know any real pilots who
> treat others with such rude disdain.

Look at how the real pilots here are treating Mx.

Jose
--
Humans are pack animals. Above all things, they have a deep need to
follow something, be it a leader, a creed, or a mob. Whosoever fully
understands this holds the world in his hands.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN[_2_]]

Jay Honeck wrote:
> Maybe I live a sheltered life, but I don't know any real pilots who
> treat others with such rude disdain.


You really are a boy scout. And yes, you lead a *very* sheltered life.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

[Jay Honeck]

> When you fly VFR for pleasure, do you prefer to limit your flying to the area
> around your home base, where you know the geography and airspaces and
> navigation points, or do you prefer to fly to many different places that
> you've never seen before?

Personally, I prefer long cross-country flights to new realms. I am
never happier then I am whilst over-flying areas of this continent
that I've never before seen.

Reality, however, is inconvenient. Unlike the sim world, I am
constrained by finances, weather, and time. This means that most of
our flights are within 200 miles of Iowa City, since we (at most)
usually have 4 or 5 hours off at a time. After flying twice a week
for 12 years, simple math proves that most of our flights will be to
areas we've visited multiple times before.

Luckily, partially because of the seasons in the Midwest, it's hard to
get bored with flying. For example, flying into St. Louis in January
is NOTHING like flying in July, and the fall colors along the
Mississippi River in October are hard to beat.

Ultimately, three or four times each year, we launch ourselves toward
areas unknown, comforted by the knowledge that all those local flights
have kept us sharp for the challenging longer ones.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jose]

> When you fly VFR for pleasure, do you prefer to limit your flying to...

I don't like to limit my flying. :)

> or do you prefer to fly to many different
> places that you've never seen before?

I suppose that one. I like to fly either way, but it is true that the
same flight again and again (say, down the Hudson) by myself becomes
less rewarding. OTOH, taking new people on an old route is always fun.

> A constraint unique to the real world is the need to physically get the plane
> from airport to airport. If it's 200 nm to your destination, you'll need to
> fly 200 nm back at some point.

Well, sort of. I do sometimes take the big aluminum tube to other parts
of the country, and when there I've been known to pop into an FBO and
fly. Upside down, even. So, in that case I've managed to fly in a new
area without having to get the plane there or back. :)

> although the serious simmer forces himself to start at the same
> airport at which he landed during the previous flight.

Why? In real life, pilots fly different planes, starting at different
locations, for many reasons. Commercial pilots may fly A to B, deadhead
(as a passenger) to C, and then fly from C to A (or even C to D),
depending on the airline's needs. Bugsmasher pilots who fly with a
pilot friend will often split legs. I'll fly from A to B, and my friend
flies us from B to A. Simulating, should I start my next flight at A or B?

Jose
--
Humans are pack animals. Above all things, they have a deep need to
follow something, be it a leader, a creed, or a mob. Whosoever fully
understands this holds the world in his hands.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

[JK]

I like both. Working out a detailed flight plan is interesting and part of
the fun.

"Mxsmanic" > wrote in message
...
> When you fly VFR for pleasure, do you prefer to limit your flying to the
> area
> around your home base, where you know the geography and airspaces and
> navigation points, or do you prefer to fly to many different places that
> you've never seen before?
>
> It seems like it would be a trade-off between seeing the same things again
> and
> again but being able to plan a flight easily (since you'd know almost
> everything by heart after a while), and seeing completely new things at
> the
> expense of having to work out a detailed flight plan and following it so
> that
> you don't get lost. A cross between adventure and convenient comfort.
>
> A constraint unique to the real world is the need to physically get the
> plane
> from airport to airport. If it's 200 nm to your destination, you'll need
> to
> fly 200 nm back at some point. Fortunately that is not an issue in
> simulation, although the serious simmer forces himself to start at the
> same
> airport at which he landed during the previous flight.
>
> --
> Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

[Mxsmanic]

Jose writes:

> Why? In real life, pilots fly different planes, starting at different
> locations, for many reasons.

I think most simmers assume that they own their aircraft, so they can only fly
them from where they last left them. I have a Baron 58, a 737-800 with custom
fittings, and my own 747-400 as well. You might be able to rent a Baron, but
the average FBO probably doesn't have too many 737s or 747s in its inventory.

In real life, I presume that the more expensive an aircraft is, the harder it
is to rent, and the more likely a pilot is to own it (if he's not a
professional pilot).

Which reminds me: I wonder how many people with the money to buy, say, a
Boeing Business Jet (about $45 million, I think) also are qualified to fly it.
John Travolta doesn't count, because as far as I know he is only qualified for
SIC on his crusty old 707.

Which reminds me of still another thing: Real 737 and 747 pilots normally fly
the aircraft with help from another pilot, but simmers fly these aircraft all
by themselves.

> I'll fly from A to B, and my friend
> flies us from B to A. Simulating, should I start my next flight at A or B?

You start wherever your simulated aircraft resides. My Baron is parked in
Aspen, the 737 is parked in Phoenix, and the 747 is at LAX right at this
moment (I just landed--a training flight of sorts as I'm trying to learn the
systems on the 747).

--
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[vincent p. norris]

>... Working out a detailed flight plan is interesting and part of
>the fun.

A group of us like to fly to new places. See new scenery. Usually
four or five airplanes, two per airplane. We've flown to Alaska twice
(taking different routes each time), flown around the perimeter of the
Lower 48, flown down the East Coast to Key West, and toured New
England and the Canadian Maritimes including Newfoundland.

Since the others had little or no cross country experience when we
began these trips, I was happy to do the flight planning. That was
not quite as much fun as making the trips, but it provided a number
of pleasant evenings. And it enabled me to make sure we visited the
places I wanted to see.

vince norris

[Kev]

On Feb 12, 11:08 am, Mxsmanic > wrote:
> When you fly VFR for pleasure, do you prefer to limit your flying to the area
> around your home base, where you know the geography and airspaces and
> navigation points, or do you prefer to fly to many different places that
> you've never seen before?

To a great extent, just flying at all is a pleasure. Each time you
feel the wheels lift off the runway, you marvel again just a bit that
this is possible at all, and you are thankful that you live in such an
era.

I think most of us would prefer to have the time and money to fly long
distances. But if you're limited to a single weekend day, it means
flying around your home base mostly.

Still, planning out a long trip makes for good exercise. I for one,
would love to fly to the Bahamas, so I read with interest anyone's
reports in that vein. I also would love to fly a rental around the
Hawaiian islands.

Kev

[Mxsmanic]

Kev writes:

> To a great extent, just flying at all is a pleasure. Each time you
> feel the wheels lift off the runway, you marvel again just a bit that
> this is possible at all, and you are thankful that you live in such an
> era.

I'll agree that take-off is often the best part. That's how I know that I
like aviation. People with a fear of flying dread take-off more than anything
else; people who like aviation tend to think it's the best part. While I had
some misgivings about the manifest fragility of the first aircraft on which I
rode (a crusty old 737 in the early days of America West), I still thought the
take-off was great (although the whole flight was fun).

> I think most of us would prefer to have the time and money to fly long
> distances. But if you're limited to a single weekend day, it means
> flying around your home base mostly.

So where do you fly? Unless one has some truly varied geography nearby, it
must get awfully familiar very quickly.

Then again, I still fly around my hometown. Sometimes knowing the area makes
it more fun, I guess (and oddly enough it seems to enhance simulation
sometimes).

> Still, planning out a long trip makes for good exercise. I for one,
> would love to fly to the Bahamas, so I read with interest anyone's
> reports in that vein.

How complicated is it to fly to another country, as opposed to staying within
the U.S.?

--
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[Jay Honeck]

> You really are a boy scout. And yes, you lead a *very* sheltered life.

Missed the point, eh, Mort?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Honeck]

> John Travolta doesn't count, because as far as I know he is only qualified for
> SIC on his crusty old 707.

"Only"???
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Morgans]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>> You really are a boy scout. And yes, you lead a *very* sheltered life.
>
> Missed the point, eh, Mort?

No, not at all, Jay. I've never seen pilots treated as poorly as MX has
treated them, here.

He deserves everything he gets here, and more.

So if that a Boy Scout you makes, in defending him, live with it.

He does not deserve it, and will turn on you and bite your hand.

Bet on it. Mark my words.
--
Jim in NC

[Jim Logajan]

"Morgans" > wrote:
> Mark my words.

With what color?

[Mxsmanic]

Jay Honeck writes:

> "Only"???

If I were going to buy my own 707, I'd make sure I could fly it as PIC.

--
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[[email protected]]

>
> How complicated is it to fly to another country, as opposed to staying within
> the U.S.?
>
The usual answer, it depends.
It ranges from easy to impossible.

-Kees.

[Thomas Borchert]

RN,

> And yes, you lead a *very* sheltered life.
>

Hey, it's Iowa ;-)

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Montblack]

("Jim Logajan" wrote)
>> Mark my words.

> With what color?


Green?

http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/green.htm
"It's Not Easy Being Green" (midi)

Frog ...green ...Ms Maniac X... Frog ...Paris

Get it? Get it? Pretty good, huh?

No? I banish myself to the airport for the afternoon, then.


Mont-Black

[JK]

Maybe it's a matter of number of hours in type?
"Mxsmanic" > wrote in message
...
> Jay Honeck writes:
>
>> "Only"???
>
> If I were going to buy my own 707, I'd make sure I could fly it as PIC.
>
> --
> Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

[Tony]

If you fly in the US, you probably know you'll need passports for
flights returning from Canada, Mexico, and the Bahamas. It's been a
while, but some years ago you just put "Notify Customs" on your flight
plan.

I have three stories about the Bahamas. In the first case, after
clearing customs in probably Hollywood FL and stopping for a cup of
coffee before returning to MA, I was approached by a guy who noticed
my Mooney had a MA Department of Aviation decal on its fin. "You from
Boston?" he asked, and I told him not quite, I'd be landing at KBED.
He made an offer. He had 200 pounds of delicate electronics he needed
to get to Boston, and if I'd take them, I could keep 10 pounds for
myself.

I declined. I mean, what would I have done with 10 pounds of powered
electronics?

The second case involved a return from Grand Bahama. We cleared
customs, then watched a family of 4, including two small kids, taxi up
in their Cherokee 6. They went into the office to talk with the custom
guys, and I noticed another agent come out with a dog who began
sniffing around the 6 and then he went crazy. A hit! Buy the time I
departed that airplane was having service panels taken off.

One final story. I was on Grand Bahama, decided to go to Nassau. They
like those flights done under IFR. About 50 miles out the Bahama
version of ATC told me there were some thunderstorms over Nassau, and
they told me to loiter.

I was over an interesting island and noticed a grass landing strip,
plenty long enough for the Mooney. I did the usual thing, dirtied up
the airplane, flew low along it, dragging the strip, checking it out.
It looked good. Swung around into a conventional cross wind, bent it
around to downwind, things looked good.

Base, then a half mile final, full flaps, all set for a soft field
landing, when some guys waving what looked like shotguns stepped onto
the runway. I didn't think they were waving 'come on down.' Throttle
forward, gear up, I bled off the flaps and opened the cowl and away we
went.

I guess that might have been some sort of Fed Ex distribution center
and they were expecting traffic. I mean, what else could it have
been?

Never had anything as interesting as that returning from Canada.






On Feb 13, 2:55 am, wrote:
> > How complicated is it to fly to another country, as opposed to staying within
> > the U.S.?
>
> The usual answer, it depends.
> It ranges from easy to impossible.
>
> -Kees.

[Mxsmanic]

Tony writes:

> The second case involved a return from Grand Bahama. We cleared
> customs, then watched a family of 4, including two small kids, taxi up
> in their Cherokee 6. They went into the office to talk with the custom
> guys, and I noticed another agent come out with a dog who began
> sniffing around the 6 and then he went crazy. A hit! Buy the time I
> departed that airplane was having service panels taken off.

One wonders if it might have simply been a matter of leaving the aircraft
unattended abroad.

--
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[[email protected]]

On Feb 12, 9:08 am, Mxsmanic > wrote:
> When you fly VFR for pleasure, do you prefer to limit your flying to the area
> around your home base, where you know the geography and airspaces and
> navigation points, or do you prefer to fly to many different places that
> you've never seen before?
>
> It seems like it would be a trade-off between seeing the same things again and
> again but being able to plan a flight easily (since you'd know almost
> everything by heart after a while), and seeing completely new things at the
> expense of having to work out a detailed flight plan and following it so that
> you don't get lost. A cross between adventure and convenient comfort.
>
> A constraint unique to the real world is the need to physically get the plane
> from airport to airport. If it's 200 nm to your destination, you'll need to
> fly 200 nm back at some point. Fortunately that is not an issue in
> simulation, although the serious simmer forces himself to start at the same
> airport at which he landed during the previous flight.
>
> --
> Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

Taking off and landing on the street in front of my house is illegal,
so no, I don't fly in my own neighborhood...