If you had 3 months to travel in your plane, where would you go?

Jim_R

Jim_R

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Jim
I'm at an age where I have some money in the bank, but not quite enough to retire on. I've also had a health scare that's reinforced the idea that by the time I _am_ retired, I might not have the capability to do some of the things I'd like to.

My company has recently established a sabbatical option of up to 3 months. Due to current obligations I'm probably 2-3 years away from being able to take advantage of that option, but I'm in the brainstorming phase of thinking how I'd want to spend such a window of opportunity traveling in my plane. (I'd be starting from the TX Gulf coast.)

This isn't the first time I've thought about it, and I have two-ish ideas on how I'd like to spend that time. One is flying to Alaska, but since I'm transitioning to Basic Med that seems unlikely unless Canada starts accepting that.

The other is a circumnavigation of the US, maybe with a visit to the Bahamas thrown in for good measure. Alternately, an extended visit to the Bahamas, with a tour up the east coast and around to maybe the UP of Michigan before heading back home.

Where would _you_ go if you had three months to travel with your plane?
 
US-Europe and back. Spend some days in Greenland, Iceland, etc.

edit: missed the BasicMed bit. Reading is hard.
 
I'd visit every National Park in the system. Beyond that, my aviation bucket list is probably pretty typical (First Flight, Death Valley, Leadville, etc)
 
Alaska, again . . .

I'm optimistic that in 2 - 3 years Canada will realize the economic benefits of allowing Basic Med but if not, hire someone to act as PIC through Canada. It's likely worth the cost of his/her commercial transportation back and forth.
 
Tough one. I’d probably opt for Sep - Nov and hit Maine following Appalachian trail following the leaves, flying and hiking while hitting places related to our war for independence.

Spring, I’d head to FL Gulf Coast then KEYW, over to Bahamas, and back probably hitting Sun n Fun along the way.

Summer would be Dayton, UP, Oshkosh, Cascades in WA, then back.

Winter? I’d ski my ass off flying commercial.
 
If it doesn’t have to be your plane, maybe a rental with instructor. That’s what I did in Alaska, and Hawaii, too.
 
Staying in the continental US, I"d probably do the East Coast - Maine, NYC, Long Island, Kill Devil Hill, Wilmingon, Hilton Head, Charleston, Beaufort, Savannah, St Simon's, Jekyll, Fernandina, etc. All the way to Key West, then up and around the Gulf. Then off to the national parks and monuments and some of the more interesting cities. Obviously, seasonality comes into it - don't wanna be in Key West at the moment, for instance.
 
I'd visit every state in the lower 48, and hit as many national parks as I could along the way. You couldn't do justice to all the parks in 3 months, but a day or two in each state would be doable. I think there's "traveling salesmen" path generators online that can calculate the most efficient route depending on where you're starting from.

On the last aopa podcast, they sounded hopeful that the new faa bill will somehow have a carrot to get Canada to recognize basic med, so I wouldn't give up on that dream yet. A month or so hitting the parks in Alaska is a dream of mine as well.

The most incredible thing I've seen from am airplane is the rocky mountains. I could spend 3 months flying around out there.
 
From dc I’d go to Michigan Illinois Utah and then Florida. Call it the I can sleep on someone’s couch tour

Too bad I can’t tow my plane behind someone’s jet for the Utah to Florida leg. Oh wait my cousin just retired to New Mexico.
 
My bucket list trip is flying the Lewis & Clark trail low and slow, from STL to the Pacific. I have the route all planned out. Tentatively targeting fall of 2024 or 2025. That's probably only a couple of weeks though. Beyond that, a bucket list of extreme airports: furthest N, S, E, W in contiguous US, Leadville and Death Valley. Then the airport where my plane was manufactured (like showing your kid the hospital they were born in I guess). The airport with the identifier that matches my initials. One or more of the lend-lease airports on the border.

Another trip a friend and I talked about was seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. That's probably not going to happen. Once we started talking details he figured out I was talking about flying, and I figured out he was talking about motorcycles.
 
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kyleb said:
Staying in the continental US, I"d probably do the East Coast - Maine, NYC, Long Island, Kill Devil Hill, Wilmingon, Hilton Head, Charleston, Beaufort, Savannah, St Simon's, Jekyll, Fernandina, etc. All the way to Key West, then up and around the Gulf. Then off to the national parks and monuments and some of the more interesting cities. Obviously, seasonality comes into it - don't wanna be in Key West at the moment, for instance.
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This is a close match to what I'm thinking, though I've mostly been thinking about the opposite sequence since I'm starting from the Gulf. And yes, time of year definitely factors into the equation. Unfortunately, the timing when "Bahamas" and "Michigan UP" are both good destinations is somewhat small, but starting in early/mid spring and getting to the UP around the start of summer would work. Alternately, starting out by flying north to find fall color, then working south down the coast would also work. Only conflict with that fall timing is my football season tickets and traditional meetups with friends at the games.
 
Every few years since the mid 1990's, my father and I get in the plane and go wherever. Usually just followed the good weather and it's always worked out great. The only place in the U.S. we haven't made it to is the northwest.
We've talked about a flight around the border of the lower 48, but haven't tried it yet.
 
I think, given the content on my channel, my answer is probably pretty predictable. But I would spend some spring starting in Texas and following spring weather up the mountains to Idaho camping in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming and Idaho. Since I telecommute and can work from the sticks, maybe I'll do some version of that sometime...
 
Clip4 said:
South America.
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I would really like to fly down to Mexico and beyond. If I spoke Spanish a little better (or had a Spanish-speaking companion to travel with), I'd feel more confident about attempting that, but as a gringo with very limited Spanish skills, I'm just a little too apprehensive to seriously consider such a journey.
 
Personally, I would fly to places of interest rather than places just to say you've "flown there". There is SO much to see in the U.S. and Canada, and to me those experiences are far more rewarding than putting a push pin on a map.

One of the highlights of our first Alaska trip was to have no itinerary except to get there. The rest of the month was deciding day-to-day where we wanted to go next based on the variable weather and the conversations with local pilots. It allowed the whole trip to just invent itself.
 
dbahn said:
Personally, I would fly to places of interest rather than places just to say you've "flown there". There is SO much to see in the U.S. and Canada, and to me those experiences are far more rewarding than putting a push pin on a map.

One of the highlights of our first Alaska trip was to have no itinerary except to get there. The rest of the month was deciding day-to-day where we wanted to go next based on the variable weather and the conversations with local pilots. It allowed the whole trip to just invent itself.
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I don't expect to have a set-in-concrete itinerary. I'm talking about taking months off from work and just meandering. But for instance, deciding whether to explore towns and cities along the east coast vs. deciding to explore the open West and camp along the way are two completely different trips that require different preparation. Having some idea of where you're headed is important.

I am more interested in exploring where I find myself than being able to point to pins in maps for the sake of saying, "I've been there!" That said, there are a couple of places I would like to visit just for the sake of being able to say I've done it. I would like to make a low pass over the Shuttle Landing Facility. I would like to land at First Flight Airport once. I could probably think of a couple more things like that. But mostly, those would be "stops along the way" as I continue exploring an unfamiliar-to-me part of the country, Travels With Charley-style (but without Charley).
 
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Jim_R said:
I would really like to fly down to Mexico and beyond. If I spoke Spanish a little better (or had a Spanish-speaking companion to travel with), I'd feel more confident about attempting that, but as a gringo with very limited Spanish skills, I'm just a little too apprehensive to seriously consider such a journey.
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Jim, there is no need to speak Spanish in order to fly around Mexico... all ATC speak English as do most lodging options.
I strongly suggest spending time in Mexico (and BasicMed recognized)... e.g. Loreto, La Paz, Álamos, Puerto Vallarta, Puerto Escondido, etc, etc.
I'm happy to help with any questions.
Buen viaje!
Wayne

Examples:
Flying the Baja
Sonora
Álamos
 
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texasclouds said:
Do the Canucks check your medical at customs?
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I think it depends. They have checked mine, but they've also allowed me to clear customs entirely by phone without checking anything.

I wouldn't want to chance it. The consequences could be much worse than just being denied entry.
 
wayneda40 said:
Jim, there is no need to speak Spanish in order to fly around Mexico... all ATC speak English as do most lodging options.
I strongly suggest spending time in Mexico (and BasicMed recognized)... e.g. Loreto, La Paz, Álamos, Puerto Vallarta, Puerto Escondido, etc, etc.
I'm happy to help with any questions.
Buen viaje!
Wayne

Examples:
Flying the Baja
Sonora
Álamos
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I probably need to talk to you more about possible flights down the east coast towards the Yucatan, if you have any information about that...

I'm less concerned about the actual flying than I am about communicating with folks on the ground. I would guess that major tourist destinations would have enough English-speaking folks that I could get by just fine. But what I'm worried about is if there is a problem with the plane and I need to communicate with a mechanic, or if there's a hiccup with any of the paperwork. I would also like to visit places that might not be full of English-speakers (Mayan ruins other than Chichen Itza, etc.) and wonder how easy that would be without the language.

I've also heard stories (which I don't know whether to believe or not) about folks being asked to pay exorbitant fees at airports. (I wonder how much of that might be related to unnecessarily parking at an FBO rather than just using open transient spaces at the airport.)

So a lot of my trepidation is simply "fear of the unknown". Some of that "unknown" could be alleviated through education and preparation prior to departure. But I would still be facing the "unknown" that can unexpectedly pop up along the way, and that's what I'm most concerned about.
 
I'd spend almost the entire time out west, traversing from AZ/NM/UT/NV all the way up to MT/WA and everything in between. It'd be a trip that's all about natural scenery and tons of mountains.

During that time I would make a point to land on as many unimproved/grass/dirt strips as possible in remote places. Might need a different plane for that... Of all the aviation photos I've seen that's where it seems the most picturesque places are: where other people *aren't*.

I'd bring camping gear and sleep by the plane a lot of the time because... I can out there :)

Alaska is also a huge bucket list item and there'd be tons to see. But my confidence level in a single engine plane might be the limiting factor making some of those vast distance hops between airports :eek:
 
In Mexico you have to negotiate hehe. I’ve actually got discounts on a few stops in the US so a cheerful and friendly smile can go a long way.

I’m sure you could just do the route I did, KCLM-PAKT and skip/overfly Canada. Alternatively put a post here for a PPL with third class medical to join you on the Canada leg, I’m sure you’ll find someone.

Just get out there and fly, plan your route along the way, base it upon weather, stay longer at places you like. I only found Seeley Lake, Montana by overflying it en route to another place, then decided to go back and camp out there.
 
mandm said:
Just get out there and fly, plan your route along the way, base it upon weather, stay longer at places you like. I only found Seeley Lake, Montana by overflying it en route to another place, then decided to go back and camp out there.
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+1 vote for planning your route along the way. Any of my long XCs have been like this and I haven't regretted it. It's just more fun that way.

It's good to have an idea of where you want to go, or what you want the theme of your trip to be, but in my opinion it's best to leave lots of room open for inspiration and spontaneity.
 
3 months is enough time to explore several of the options here.
Definitely Alaska, a bucket-list place, especially if you fly through BC and Yukon, and the flight planning, preparation and execution is educational and fun.
Another for me would be to fly across the US, or around its circumference.
Flying to Europe is another one, but I'm less enthusiastic about that, with immersion suits, rafts, etc. My tiedown neighbor plans to do this later this year in his Cirrus and said his insurance wanted $20k. :eek:
 
I like flying as much as the next person (here) but 3 months of buzzing around sounds dreary. Maybe some challenges mixed in, new ratings, acrobatics, something you can practice and perfect with no time pressure being applied?

But yeah, Alaska is still on my list :)
 
ArrowFlyer86 said:
Alaska is also a huge bucket list item and there'd be tons to see. But my confidence level in a single engine plane might be the limiting factor making some of those vast distance hops between airports :eek:
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You'd be surprised how many airports there are in Alaska and how distances between them are not that "vast". Now with GPS you can just enter airports as waypoints and typically always be in close proximity to one. Even with fairly long stretches between departure and destination there are often a number of suitable landing strips in between. There are 282 public use land based airports but hundreds of other places that you can land.
 
This touches on my daydream to retire soon so I can travel more....

Being a long time East coaster, I'd do a West Coast loop...well more precisely a Western loop...not just the coast. I'd might try to pin it around Airventure..... start it or end it Oshkosh.
Josh on youtube's Aviation 101 is publishing a trip in small bites now...something like Airventure, to Mackinaw, to someplace in Canada, to NYC, etc...eventually as I understand it to the Bahamas, and then I assume back around towards TX. I'd probably just go West instead of East....

Several years ago I was able to get about 3 weeks off work in one shot, took our motorhome out to the Grand Canyon and back in 19 days. Not nearly enough time for that trip but we had a great time. I was drawn to the wide beautiful open spaces and I'm jealous of all the public lands out that way. The photos I've seen form places like the Sierra Nevada Mts, Utah, etc... look to be some of the most beautiful places in the world to me.
 
Jim_R said:
If I spoke Spanish a little better (or had a Spanish-speaking companion to travel with), I'd feel more confident about attempting that, but as a gringo with very limited Spanish skills, I'm just a little too apprehensive to seriously consider such a journey.
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FWIW, the first time I flew to Mexico, my spanish was extremely limited and it was a non-issue.

And you get to fly in places like this:

 
Those three months would go quick! From here I'd fly up through and around Utah, Idaho, Montana, up into Alaska, zoom across Canada then down to Florida and out on the islands, then back to San Diego. 3 Months may not even be enough time!
 
Tantalum said:
Those three months would go quick! From here I'd fly up ... down to Florida and out on the islands ...
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Oh yeah, that's on my bucket list too. Bahamas, Nassau, or island hop all the way down SE to Puerto Rick (or further) and back.
 
MRC01 said:
Oh yeah, that's on my bucket list too. Bahamas, Nassau, or island hop all the way down SE to Puerto Rick (or further) and back.
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Interesting story when I flew to the Bahamas in the C206 with the 250 Ducati in the plane. Bahamian Customs in Freeport wanted me to pay duty on the motorcycle, even though I was just using it to get around locally. Although they said it would be refunded when I left, I didn't trust that, so they had me roll it through the lobby and into their locked storage area, along with various contraband, etc. Fortunately, they did release it back to me when I left, but I would liked to have ridden it around in the islands. :cool:
 
Mary and I would do the southwest and left coast, maybe a National park or two along the way home.

We would also like to do Italy, Ireland and France. A return trip for my bride to Ireland and Italy but all new destinations for me.
 
dbahn said:
Interesting story when I flew to the Bahamas in the C206 with the 250 Ducati
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My first bike (around 1968) was a 250 Ducati. That is where I learned most of my motor cycle repair skills. But it was a great bike when it ran.
 
dbahn said:
Interesting story when I flew to the Bahamas in the C206 with the 250 Ducati in the plane. Bahamian Customs in Freeport wanted me to pay duty on the motorcycle, even though I was just using it to get around locally. Although they said it would be refunded when I left, I didn't trust that, so they had me roll it through the lobby and into their locked storage area, along with various contraband, etc. Fortunately, they did release it back to me when I left, but I would liked to have ridden it around in the islands. :cool:
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When I visited the Cayman Islands in 1991, I arranged to do some diving and fishing, so I brought my spear gun. As I was going through customs they asked what was in that 5' long box? I told them it was my spear gun. They said these weren't allowed in the country, with a surprised expression as if I should have known that. I said, apparently, when I said "fishing" my hosts here assumed that meant rod & reel, I should have clarified. Can you hold it in storage so I can pick it up when I leave? They did so, no charge.
 
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