How far do you GO?

cocolos

cocolos

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cocolos
As a GA pilot how far are your usual Cross-countries? also what airplane do you fly? Lastly, what's the farthest you've traveled?

Just curious how people use their piloting privileges.
 
I am out of Lincoln and fly a Cherokee. I regularly fly to Santa Barbara to see my son and went to Big Bear a few weeks ago to visit my dad. Most lunch runs are 1/2 an hour to an hour each way.
 
John221us said:
I am out of Lincoln and fly a Cherokee. I regularly fly to Santa Barbara to see my son and went to Big Bear a few weeks ago to visit my dad. Most lunch runs are 1/2 an hour to an hour each way.
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What TAS do you usually get with your cherokee and how long is your flight to Big Bear. FYI I fly out of KSAC.
 
We usually make the weekend runs to the beach all summer, ILG-OXB, around 85 miles one way. I should add that a one way trip by plane, including pretrip and cover at destination is just over an hour. The drive is 2.25ish with no traffic,beach season it could be 3 plus.

My Bride and I make a long adventure every year, last year was Gulf Shores Alabama (1000 miles each way). I fly a Beechcraft Sundowner. I gues the longest trip was Dallas TX to Wilmington DE to bring our plane home after purchase. I flight plan for 110 knots.
 
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Normal mission is 250 nm each way. Longest was Ohio to Southern California.
 
As a newly minted pilot (checkride October 2012) I am still dipping my toes in X/C trips, still only VFR rated, so I watch the weather carefully and plan for a trip accordingly, started off x/c staying within 50nm of home field (KLAL) and now doing on average 100nm each way trips around Florida, I also try to plan on landing at class Delta towered fields and also non towered fields to hone my comms skills and especially pattern awareness entry at non towered fields.
Aircraft - 172SP
Still very much enjoying learning to be a pilot...
 
See the map in my signature.
 
Depends on the day. Our typical for a while was going from home (Ohio) to Houston, New Hampshire, and back. Went to Belize for dinner from Ohio right after Christmas. Go from Ohio to Nebraska now and then to see family, and heading to Newfoundland in a couple weeks to see friends.

The longest single day I had was Los Angeles to NYC in one day.

We fly a Cessna 310. Most say we're a bit atypical from how most folks use piston GA.
 
Typical trip is 300-500nm in a 35 Bonanza. Which is good because I think that's the sweet spot for the Bonanza, anything longer starts getting to be a long flight, anything shorter is expensive and not much time savings compared to driving.
 
cocolos said:
As a GA pilot how far are your usual Cross-countries? also what airplane do you fly? Lastly, what's the farthest you've traveled?

Just curious how people use their piloting privileges.
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Most are 1-2 hours. However I did a 6 hour trip (3 hours down and 3 back) to First flight in Kill Devil Hills, NC in one day.

Piper arrow

Flown the entire East coast and out to MI. Regularly trips to NJ and VA.
 
EdFred said:
See the map in my signature.
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Right behind you, troll breath. :lol: ;)


I regularly fly to KC & Laramie (160 & 400 miles)

I've been to Florida (SnS) in 3 times ultra lights averaging 100 MPH in the RV-12 twice going 130 MPH (1200 miles ). I go to Phoenix 1-2 times a year in my RV-10 :eek:. (1000 miles) I have ferried an RV from Maine to Washington St. drove to Oregon and ferried another RV how to NE. I've traveled all over the country either for pleasure or business.

I'm planning a trip to Alaska this summer in my -10. :eek: (8,000 miles)

Each cross country trip is only a long as your next fuel leg. It's really not all that difficult, plan and execute. :dunno:
 
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Jackson Hole to Oshkosh, about 1000 nm... In a single engine prop plane...

Neighbor has a new CJ-4... trips to South Fla, non stop, about 4 1/2 hours at FL450...:)
 
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Longest has been DC to Bahamas. I go dc to osh every year for past 14 years. Been flying a 182 at 135knots forlast 4 years
 
Bend, Oregon to Louisville Ky in a Cessna 150
Orlando, Florida to Louisville Ky in a J3 Cub

Those are my biggest (slowest) feats ;)
 
Navion (B model with a big engine). Typical trip is 225 miles. Most trips are 150-400 miles. Much shorter than that, it probably is faster to drive rather than going to the airport, getting the plane out, etc.... Longer than that, unless we're specifically making a trip by private plane, the airlines look to be a safer bet.

Of course, we make a 650 mile run to Oshkosh every year and the Navion fly in moves around each year which the longest we've done is 1450 (Cody, WY). We're probably going to Paso Robles which will be 2000 straight line (and probably longer in the route we'll have to take).
 
cocolos said:
What TAS do you usually get with your cherokee and how long is your flight to Big Bear. FYI I fly out of KSAC.
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There are many different Cherokees. A Warrior will cruise at ~100 KIAS, and will take around 2.5 hours, depending on the route and winds. An Archer will cruise closer to 120 KIAS flat out. An Arrow even faster.

You should be able to do this flight planning based on your POH and the San Francisco and Los Angeles sectionals. Big Bear is on the LA TAC, but it isn't useful for approaches from the north.

My trips are typically on the shorter side, due to the expense. Generally around 2 hours round trip.
 
Ohio to southern Florida was the longest, but I've flown trips to Vermont, Philadelphia, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and of course Oshcosh, repeatedly. Of course, the important thing isn't how far or where I go, it's where you decide to go.
 
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VoyagesofWaldo.jpg
 
We live in the Portland area and our grandkids are in Phoenix; and we used to live in Southern California and still have friends and relatives there. So we have pretty much worn out the I-5 corridor and Arizona. There have been a couple of trips to Kansas City, and one round-robin from Washington State to L.A. to Minneapolis and back. Most of the long trips have been in light fixed-gear singles (Cherokee 140, C-172, Grumman Cheetah), but we also owned an old Bonanza for a while.

Routes_130116_small_zps6ae57750.jpg
 
My average cross country trip is 150nm and my furthest was 600nm.
Most if not all my cross country trips have been in a Cessna 172 or 182 with an occasional Commander 114.
 
flav8r said:
My average cross country trip is 150nm and my furthest was 600nm.
Most if not all my cross country trips have been in a Cessna 172 or 182 with an occasional Commander 114.
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How do like the Commander 114 vs the 182?
 
Love to do XC flights.

Did a two week trip from Austin (KGTU) up to Pittsburgh, then down to Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, LA, back to Texas last summer.

Did a couple trips to Northern Florida to go diving, about 5.5 hours in the Cardinal.

Did a couple trips to the beach, about 180 miles.

A bunch to San Antonio, Texas A&M, Llano, etc. for dinner.

-Dan
 
cocolos said:
What TAS do you usually get with your cherokee and how long is your flight to Big Bear. FYI I fly out of KSAC.
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I get about 115 if it is firewalled. I had a push going to Big Bear and made it in 3 hours. Coming home, I had it pulled back for a hot running cylinder (turned out it was a baffling issue) and fought a bit of headwind, so about 3 1/2 hours. I have been as far as John Wayne in OC. I don't mind long slow flights, though and do them quite a bit.

Edit: that time included some runup. It was a bit faster. That is what I logged.
 
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dweyant said:
Love to do XC flights.

Did a two week trip from Austin (KGTU) up to Pittsburgh, then down to Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, LA, back to Texas last summer.

Did a couple trips to Northern Florida to go diving, about 5.5 hours in the Cardinal.

Did a couple trips to the beach, about 180 miles.

A bunch to San Antonio, Texas A&M, Llano, etc. for dinner.

-Dan
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oh hey, another Georgetown pilot! doing my training at Pilots Choice and hope to make similar XC's from GTU :)
 
Longest was Byron CA (San Francisco area) to Anchorage AK (round trip)
Second was Key West FL to Byron CA (one way)
Third was Byron CA to Oshkosh WI (round trip)
All of those in a Maule M7
Currently I'm flying a 90 hp Champ 7EC and the longest has been Byron CA to Cedar City UT (round trip) which was actually a pretty long one with 17 hours of flying time.
Second was Byron CA to Arcata CA
Third was Palm Springs to Byron
The Champ is slow but since my main mission these days is to simply FLY it works. My current goal is to put a hat pin in every public airport on the California sectionals. I'm about half way there but will need to spend some time at both far north and south ends to complete it. I've been working on it for 40 years so yes, I am a patient man ;)
 
John221us said:
I get about 115 if it is firewalled. I had a push going to Big Bear and made it in 3 hours. Coming home, I had it pulled back for a hot running cylinder (turned out it was a baffling issue) and fought a bit of headwind, so about 3 1/2 hours. I have been as far as John Wayne in OC. I don't mind long slow flights, though and do them quite a bit.

Edit: that time included some runup. It was a bit faster. That is what I logged.
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Yea that's about how fast my cherokee flys at. Hoping to make that trip in late march!
 
Everything that I have done or have planned is under 800 miles, with most in the 250-400 mile range.
 
360NM each way to nashville every other month.

Got back sunday from Hilton Head, SC. 220NM
 
cocolos said:
As a GA pilot how far are your usual Cross-countries? also what airplane do you fly? Lastly, what's the farthest you've traveled?

Just curious how people use their piloting privileges.
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Usual cross countries these days 200 to 600 miles. Longest was in 1985 when I flew a TriPacer from Albuquerque, NM to Acapulco.
 
Most of em' these days are around 650 miles or less. Done a few longer (1200 miles) done a lot shorter. Most of my XC time is in the 172, the Mooney is a far superior XC airplane though.
 
cocolos said:
Yea that's about how fast my cherokee flys at. Hoping to make that trip in late march!
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Watch the DA. That airport is at 6,700 feet. It was 20 degrees F when I left. I leaned on the ground and did about 500 feet a minute after I left ground effect. That was with just me and my dog in the plane. Cherokees aren't climbers.
 
John221us said:
Watch the DA. That airport is at 6,700 feet. It was 20 degrees F when I left. I leaned on the ground and did about 500 feet a minute after I left ground effect. That was with just me and my dog in the plane. Cherokees aren't climbers.
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Yes I would think twice about doing that in the summer it would have to be early morning. One plus is I have a climb prop so that helps.
 
I have made a pretty steady run from KMGY to KTRI for the past year. Just over an hour and a half and 210NM.
<------ in that Arrow
Will be making the trip to VA to see my son in Norfolk soon. Thats right at 3 hours one way. That's about all my bladder and back can take.
 
cocolos said:
As a GA pilot how far are your usual Cross-countries? also what airplane do you fly? Lastly, what's the farthest you've traveled?

Just curious how people use their piloting privileges.
Click to expand...

Weekend lunch flights are usually 200-300 miles (< one tank of gas each way).
Cross-country flights once or twice a year are round-trip Atlantic coast to Oklahoma or Atlantic coast to Pacific coast.
C-172
 
Lots of 75-200 brkfst hops, punctuated by 2-4 "flying adventure trips "of 500-1,000, per year. Flying CTsw. 120kts, 800mi range, 5gph. 80-100 hrs/yr.
 
I'm from NE indiana and my main flights are to Indy to see our son, and we try to make Mackinac Island a couple times a summer if possible. I have a 1981 Saratoga Turbo fixed gear. Mackinac is 306 miles from Goshen and it's always been under 2 hours. A trip to Mesa, AZ maybe this winter to see my Dad, and a Bahama trip are next on the list. I get my US Border sticker every year but haven't mustered up that one yet....
IMG_0076.jpg
 
My longest trip so far was a Pilots/Paws run KVLL-KIKW-KELM-KVLL, round trip 700 nm. Most of my XCs are in the range of 100-200 nm each way -- KTVC is a favorite summer destination, as is KMCD (a little over 200 each way). Then there are lots of < 50 nm dinner runs to 3DA and slightly longer ones to KJXN and KAZO (though not recently to KAZO, the last time probably a couple of years ago now).

I'm hoping to do a real XC this summer or next, out to the Bay area to visit a friend and see the country by air.
 
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