real life use of general aviation for this newsgroup

Tony wrote:
If you're a fairly experienced pilot -- say 300 plus hours -- what is
your usage profile like?

About 5% are "overhead" (post maintenance test flights, currency, BFR)
About 10% are charity (Young Eagles and other donated flights)
About 85% are cross country family trips

We do use the plane much like many others would use a family car or a
motor home. It allows for trips and activities that would not otherwise
be possible due to driving time, or commercial aviation shortcomings (no
commercial service to destination/lack of seats on short notice/high
cost for 4-6 seats/flight times/etc).

We can pack much more into a weekend, such as being in town for a
commitment like one of my kids' baseball or soccer games AND visit the
grandparents in Phoenix (P19) or hit the ski slopes in Mammoth or Big
Bear.

With the traffic problems in Southern California, the time benefit of
flying can be pretty substantial. A friend from work drove up to Big
Bear to spend New Years with us (we'd flown up before Christmas). We
both went home on January 1st. It took us 30 minutes to fly home (58nm
L35 to L18). It took him 4 hours to drive back with all of the holiday
traffic. Even without traffic it takes over 2 hours to drive the 110sm
by road.

Steve

PS -- Just recently learned that www.bigbearairporthouse.com (I have no
affiliation with them) has a picture from their web cam at the bottom of
their page which shows our Lance parked in the snow behind their
property back in December. I can just imagine the call from my boss "If
your home sick, how come I see your plane on the web cam at Big Bear?!" :-)

I expect glider pilots will have a different take -- as best I can
tell, that tribe makes no excuses, they fly for the sole pleasure of
flying.


Sail planes are like sail boats..
they are there for the enjoyment..
and the challenge..

It's just you and "mother nature"

BT

On Fri, 26 Jan 2007 22:25:09 -0800, "BT" wrote:


Sail planes are like sail boats..
they are there for the enjoyment..
and the challenge..

Gliding is high on my list of future add-ons, 100% for fun.

I like the way you kind of "wear" the gliders I've seen, as well as
look forward to the lack of engine noise and vibration. G

I've got a little over 1,000 hours in both gliders and light GA.

Soaring was for the challenge and the camaraderie- first staying up (and
talking about it), then going somewhere (and talking about it), then
going somewhere fast (and talking about)... and landing in unexpected
locations (and talking about it).

Sailplane racing is a peak experience - like sailing in 3D.

Light plane flying has been a traveling experience. Living with your
plane means the car often never leaves the driveway for several weekends
at a time. Even with a relatively slow plane, we can go at least twice
as fast as a car to almost any destination 1+ flight hour away. Few
destinations are aviation related. The southeastern US has become our
playground and extended neighborhood.

But having a destination and a desired schedule is also a great
challenge. That led to an IFR ticket and a fair amount of use. Trying
to get there, when you want, despite the weather, is very satisfying and
humbling.

And now I have about 900 hours of building time on an RV10. Another
great challenge. Try it if you can.

Tony wrote:
I've checked my log book, and it looks like almost all of my flights
are XC of one sort or another. That is, the airplane is pretty much
used the way I use my car. It's a convenient way to make a trip that's
a few hundred to a thousand miles long. Not all of the trips are
necessary (just as not all of the car trips I make are necessary,
either). Very few flight legs terminate at the same airport as where
the flight started.

If you're a fairly experienced pilot -- say 300 plus hours -- what is
your usage profile like?

My sense, and it could be very wrong, is that we use GA as a tool:
there's no doubt we like flying, and probably like me you're happy to
be flying, but you have other things to do when you land. For instance,
a typical non-business flight for me to Nantucket Island (off Cape
Cod, MA, USA) and that brings back memories of cobblestone streets and
flowers in gardens behind fences, rather than the CAVU conditions of
the flight. It might bring back different memories if required an
approach to minimums in fog, but that would be the exception.

I expect glider pilots will have a different take -- as best I can
tell, that tribe makes no excuses, they fly for the sole pleasure of
flying.