Good weather -- flying more?

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
ups.com...
We fly year-round, but many pilots around here seem to shut the hangar
door after Thanksgiving, and not open it again until Easter.

This year, with such unseasonably warm weather, I'm wondering if anyone
is seeing more GA traffic? We're not any more than a normal January
here in Iowa City -- which I find rather surprising, given the really
nice weather.

I suppose it's a habit thing: It's January, dammit, and folks just
don't expect to be flying -- so they're just NOT? Dunno -- but it's
sure been wonderful, flying in shirtsleeves in January...

What are you guys and gals seeing in your neck of the woods? Are you
taking advantage of it, and doing any (perhaps abnormal for mid-winter)
cross country flights?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay

For me flying less is not related to weather but cost and inconvenience. I
guess I'm no longer a true believer but at $50/hr just for fuel in my 182
( approximate $.80/mile total cost) I mostly drive if it is under 400 miles
( approximate $.20/mile total cost) and fly commercial over 500
miles.($.10/mile/person or less). I know cost and inconvience are part of
the whole light GA experience but for me personally some threashold has been
passed. As an example I can drive from Santa Cruz to Sacramento door to door
faster than fly WVI to SAC. And when I get there I have my car not a rental.

Using the WVI - SAC example. If I am really fast and efficient and
conditions VFR that flight would be door to takeoff 1 hour, flight 1.2
hours, tie down, rental car drive to destination 1 hour. I have been flying
31 years now and the early mantra still is true. "If you have time to spare,
go by air".

So I find I am flying less and enjoying it less. More cost and inconvenience
than a weather issue. As I fly less fixed costs are approaching 3X variable
costs. Mogas is not a viable solution at WVI.

When AVGAS went from $2 to $4/gal. It only raised my total operating cost
perhaps 20% but it did something to my thinking about flying. I started
considering costs. Something I hadn't done before. Now I think about the
cost and convenience of a trip and GA almost never does well in that
analysis. My flying now consists mostly of local flights for IFR currency
and and occasional long xcountry (1000-1500 miles) just for the sheer beauty
of flying in the West.

Howard