"Boris" wrote in message
om...
The following are questions about the reality in going from no flying
experience to being qualified to fly my family away on weekends.
Please indicate if this is the wrong newsgroup for these questions.

The weekend drive from my home in Grosse Pointe, MI to Lake Ann, MI is
230 statute miles, about 4.5 to 5 hours each way.

Detroit to Traverse City (30 minutes from Lake Ann) is 180 nautical
miles. There are municipal airports near Grosse Pointe although I have
not investigated them. There is a grass strip about 5 minutes from
Lake Ann.

I dislike driving this distance for a weekend. I am considering flying
occasionally as an alternative.

1) Is 3K-5K a realistic estimate of the cost of getting VFR rated?

perhaps a little low, but that is reasonable - a lot depends on you.

2) Being the Midwest, it is frequently cloudy. Is IFR a realistic
requirement to be able to return home safely on a given weekend?

If you plan on making it your mode of transportation - I suggest you plan on
getting the intstrument rating

3) Is another 3K-5K realistic for an IFR rating?

depends on the training - but that sounds ok.

4) What plane would be suitable to hire for this distance, a grass
strip, 2 adults, 2 young children and some luggage?

I have heard rumors of FBOs not allowing landing on grass strips, though I
have little experience with it - I bought a plane.
You should do a little research on the web for this kind of thing - it
depends on what you all weigh, how much baggage you dring, etc.
It could be doable. A cessna 172 (ubiquitous) can fly this type of
mission - but it all depends on the load you are carrying.


5) What rate would you expect to pay per hour?

depends on the plane and the area and if you belong to a club or partnership
or rent from an FBO. Probably $70 to $125 per hour.

6) If the answer to (2) is yes, what is the rental availability of IRF
aircraft and is there a premium?

I doubt there will be a problem renting suitable IFR capable planes.
Generally there is no "premium" specifically for IFR capable planes, but the
rates may be higher just because the acquisition and maintenance costs are
higher. (4 place plane with lots of neat toys in the panel is more
expensive to buy and operate than a 2 seat trainer with minimal equipment -
training abuse notwithstanding)

6) What would the flight time be?

depends on how fast you fly. Fixed gear 4 seat planes will cruise at about
95 to 115kts. (110 to 140 mph) - you do the math. There is the added time
of getting to and from the airports, preflights, briefing, etc. You may not
cut off as much time in door to door travel as you think...

7) Can you generally leave your car at municipal airports free?

I have never had a problem with that. Never paid for car parking.

8) If I left on Friday afternoon and returned at dawn on Monday
morning, what additional charges are applied to the rental?

This is the big issue - many places will charge minimum rates for weekends.
Perhaps 4 hours or so - so for a weekend flight it looks like you would pay
roughly $800 for a rental plus or minus about $300 depending on the rental
rate. That is heck of a lot of cash in my opinion and one of the main
reasons I bought my own. However, I am not advocating that you go out and
buy a plane.

You may also be charged (plane) parking fees - some airports do not and
sometimes the fee is waived if you purchase gas. I have paid anywhere from
0 to $20 per night/day


Is this a realistic alternative idea for weekend family trips or a
pipe dream?

That is up to you - it may not turn out to be what you expected, but it is a
heck of a lot of fun. How does your family feel about it?

I would do it all again given the chance.