1 person commuter aircraft

The Glasair you suggested would be perfect for the job too. It's looks like a good one. Similar to an RV6 in many ways....
 
lockeed said:
The Glasair you suggested would be perfect for the job too. It's looks like a good one. Similar to an RV6 in many ways....
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Only faster with the lyke/360 constant speed.

I think it's one hell of an aircraft for 57k, and in this market he may take less. (we are hoping)

Here is the spec sheet

http://www.glasairaviation.com/glasairSIIspecs.html

With kit prices like these
http://www.glasairaviation.com/priceglasairSII.html

I'm certain no one can build one for what you can buy this one
http://www.trade-a-plane.com/listing?id=1346213
 
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Ron Levy said:
Don't bet your life or your ticket on that in either direction along that route. You make three or four trips over that route in a 172, IFR, and then tell us what you think,
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Our winds are very predictable @ 10K most winds are Coriolis winds out of 320, and they will be about 15-20.

That said, any low/high pressure cell will change all that.

I have seen out flow thru the gorge that reaches 60k and it happens the other way too. for the most part the high winds come on clear days, so you go high.
 
LearDriver said:
$257

Frontier /
Delta
SEA 8:50a → SLC 4:25p 6h 35m 1 stop (DEN)
SLC 5:11p → SEA 6:20p 2h 09m nonstop
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PAE --D--> SLC
Glassair,, 4.0 hours any time you get off 4hours X 10 gallons per hours = 40 gallons of fuel @ 6.00 = $240.

And if you want to go to 4 corners for lunch, there is another seat, leaving when your ready.
 
zaitcev said:
IIRC, Mite is ridiculously slow: 110 knots. On a retract! Cherokee goes that fast on a 160 hp engine. On that other hand, that RV-6 may be a good idea.
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I knew a guy who had a Mooney Mite. It had a 65 hp engine and would
cruise at 125 or more! The unwritten rule at the airport was that
when he returned from a flight, he had to do a high speed pass down
the runway in that little plane. Everyone turned out to see him
buzz the field at well over 100.
Entire plane was plywood IIRC.

P.S. I would LOVE to have one of those!!
 
Doesn't matter what the fellow gets himself. Trying to do that all the time, the tube will be the eventual winner.

For the airplane, the experimentals sound like a good way to go. Get the two-seaters and he can take the wife flying when he gets there.
 
Tom-D said:
PAE --D--> SLC
Glassair,, 4.0 hours any time you get off 4hours X 10 gallons per hours = 40 gallons of fuel @ 6.00 = $240.

And if you want to go to 4 corners for lunch, there is another seat, leaving when your ready.
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There is no doubt about it the airlines route would be much cheaper and more reliable considering that route has a potential for really poor weather. If you are only considering the cost of fuel versus the airfare then the cost comparison is close. Factor in all the costs and the airlines is the more economical route.
 
Another vote for airlines.
 
The decision to fly myself vs. take the airlines is usually one of economics. For personal trips, if it's someplace that Southwest already flys to, I can't fly myself as cheaply. If I'm taking two or three people, it's usually cheaper to go GA. Big difference if it's a place where Southwest DOESN'T fly.

If it's a business trip, same criteria, except that I cannot get reimbursed the expense if I carry passengers, so, that kills the option of going GA with passengers even if it would otherwise result in a huge net savings to the company. How do you like that logic.
 
does anyone think the LongEZ will fit the bill?
 
steingar said:
It would, and a Vari-Eze might fit it even better.
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What would you think the maintenance costs would be on a GlassAirII, LongEZ, varyEZ, Cozy, vs the C-172 with the same engine? (yes I know the VaryEZ uses a 0-200)

The big question would be how well the Canards do in IMC/IFR
 
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I have heard that the long EZ does just fine in IMC, it was designed with that in mind and has the ability to carry a lot of fuel, proper avionics and has good / excellent stability in turbulence. The vari-eze was a predecessor to the long-ez and I think there were some complaints about lack of space/payload for IFR operations that was addressed with the Long EZ.

No idea on how they handle picking up some ice. Something to look at there, considering the unusual design.
 
Tom-D said:
does anyone think the LongEZ will fit the bill?
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I knew a guy with one back before I thought about flying myself, and his tall tales about LongEZ's speed, range, and payload may need a closer examination, now that I think back to it. The biggest problem with LongEZ, IMHO, is finding a trustworthy prebuy inspector, who knows them well. It is all in the builder and build quality, and how can you tell?
 
Tom-D said:
That's been discussed and probably what will happen when the weather doesn't co-operate.
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The problem with that plan is the cost. Unless you have piles of miles to buy tickets on short notice, the cost to buy a return leg within lets say 2 days (once it is clear that the weather is a no-go) is rather punitive. If you do most of your trips using the private aircraft, you are not going to accumulate the miles necessary to get things like flexible scheduling priviledges.
 
Tom-D said:
try this for a route. PAE D-> BTG D-> BKE D->STL
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Ah, yes. BTG D-> BKE. Our sea level pass through the Cascades. :D You can still get ice through there, but less likely.

Still, my vote is the pressurized aluminum mailing tube. Faster and cheaper, and more likely to get there year round.
 
I'll join the chorus advocating an airline trip.

But if you're looking for an excuse to buy a plane and make this trip once in a while, I'd look for a K model Mooney with long range tanks if there's a little room in the budget. Fly high using the turbo and oxygen and you can make it non stop. If there's no room in the budget I'd look at an E or an F Mooney. A 60s vintage Bonanza may be an option as well, but a suitable plane would run more than $50k and operating cost will be higher than the Mooney.
 
lowry_afb_first_titan_missile.gif
 
Just tallying up the votes, it seems the most practical, least expensive, reliable and SAFEST way to travel regularly is the airlines. And doing any math at all will prove it 5-fold. I love airplanes, and I can think of a dozen reasons I want one...but I consider light airplanes the most impractical way of going almost anywhere. It ranks right up there with boats and, I dunno, horses. If you are a conservative pilot, several of the aforementioned machines will work - once in a while, say 1 time in 3. My advice is forget about ever doing it IFR. Buy a nice RV4 or 6, keep it where the weather is nicest, (varies with the season) so ONE of you can play with it, then fly it to visit, take the airlines home. Buy an airplane for fun, and do the occasional long x-country.
 
smccray said:
I'll join the chorus advocating an airline trip.

But if you're looking for an excuse to buy a plane and make this trip once in a while, I'd look for a K model Mooney with long range tanks if there's a little room in the budget. Fly high using the turbo and oxygen and you can make it non stop. If there's no room in the budget I'd look at an E or an F Mooney. A 60s vintage Bonanza may be an option as well, but a suitable plane would run more than $50k and operating cost will be higher than the Mooney.
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how much fuel will it take to make the trip in each of those?
 
RV-6 with a strong engine would come close to fitting the bill. I haven't looked recently, but it might be difficult to find a IFR -6 in the price range you mentioned, though. If you could find a nice RV-4 that actually has IFR capable radios, it would be a fun 1-person traveling machine.
 
I know someone who bought a Comanche 250, which is just about in the right price range, and tried to commute from Denver to Southern California. That didn't work out too well.

I did my monthly-or-so airline commute today from Denver to San Francisco. No way I would attempt to do that regularly in a small airplane. It would need to be at least a King Air 200. But then I wouldn't be able to sleep most of the way... :dunno:
 
CJones said:
RV-6 with a strong engine would come close to fitting the bill. I haven't looked recently, but it might be difficult to find a IFR -6 in the price range you mentioned, though. If you could find a nice RV-4 that actually has IFR capable radios, it would be a fun 1-person traveling machine.
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Is there any RV-? that will be as well equipped as the GlassAir II in that price range?
 
Everskyward said:
I know someone who bought a Comanche 250, which is just about in the right price range, and tried to commute from Denver to Southern California. That didn't work out too well.

I did my monthly-or-so airline commute today from Denver to San Francisco. No way I would attempt to do that regularly in a small airplane. It would need to be at least a King Air 200. But then I wouldn't be able to sleep most of the way... :dunno:
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I don't see any low altitude crossing available between Denver and San Francisco.

The toughest portion of this trip is not getting over the North Cascade range, it is getting from Boise to Salt Lake That is where you start up on to the great central dome and it's heavy snow country. most all high rocks are east of Salt Lake.

My Advice still stands with the GlassAirII unless some one can provide a better solution in the budget range.

I'm also advising the couple to buy a good O2 unit/system. got any suggestion in that area?
 
Tom-D said:
I don't see any low altitude crossing available between Denver and San Francisco.
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My point is that I wouldn't even want to do it in a much more capable airplane than you are suggesting. Not on a regular basis, anyway.

The guy wants to see his wife, on weekends. Even if you are talking about a three-day weekend, when would he do the flying? After working all day? Then he would need to head back in time to be at work, reliably. I say buy a little airplane if you want one, but don't expect to be able to commute in it over that distance on a repeated basis.
 
airguy said:
An RV9A is. :D
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At the Hangar today, I was told to call a GlassAirII owner and talk to him about the GlassAirII, So, I did, and he says he flight plans 190 KNOTS, that's 218 MPH. and uses 10-12 GPH depending upon altitude, in the IO-360 Constant speed.

That's smoking using his speeds we are now talking about 630miles @ 218 MPH= a 3 hour trip. at 30-36 gallons.

I'm thinking that I'm starting to like these little aircraft.
 
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Question: What are the MEAs on the airways between those two points? Some one said it is 635mn...that's over 4 hours @ 150kts - no wind. I suspect there is often times enough ice for the happy hour on that route, so, the smallest, least expensive airplane I would even consider capable (on an IFR day) is turbo-normalized Bonanza or turbo Mooney or T-210 with TKS. Probably should have some thunderstorm avoidance equipment, but a hand-held GPS with nexrad would work. Oh, and not to be discounted, the pilot(s) should really know what the heck they're doing. We're talking airplanes that start at 175K. Me, I'd want a Merlin 3B. But then, I'm somewhat practical.
 
j1b3h0 said:
Question: What are the MEAs on the airways between those two points?
Victor 2 & 4 Out of SEA is 8000' east bound that will put you east of the North Cascade Range

Some one said it is 635mn...that's over 4 hours @ 150kts - no wind.

Flight planing for 190 KNOTS which is 218 miles gives you a 3 hour trip.

I suspect there is often times enough ice for the happy hour on that route, so, the smallest, least expensive airplane I would even consider capable (on an IFR day) is turbo-normalized Bonanza or turbo Mooney or T-210 with TKS. Probably should have some thunderstorm avoidance equipment, but a hand-held GPS with nexrad would work. Oh, and not to be discounted, the pilot(s) should really know what the heck they're doing. We're talking airplanes that start at 175K. Me, I'd want a Merlin 3B. But then, I'm somewhat practical.
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we don't always have to go over the high country to get east, we go to Portland and then turn east thru the gorge.

it really depends upon where the precip is and how high the freeze level.
 
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Tom-

I like the Glasairs, especially the 3RG. And I like the Lancair Legacy and the RV8 they all really scoot. But most are well over 50K. Any of them could do the mission. And there are plenty of motorcycles that could provide transportation from Seattle to Anchorage...but, like the OP, if he did it once or twice - even at 190kts it's a six hour round trip - the airlines might look pretty inviting.

So, you're smitten with the Glasair? Instead of or in addition to the F24?
 
Geico266 said:
Agree, if it is priced at $50k. ;)
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You could easily build one for that as a simple VFR machine, but for the trip he's wanting to commute on, I would not fly a VFR-only machine. I have a buddy in Houston that's losing his medical and selling a very nice hard-IFR Lancair, but it's still above the $50k limit by a fair margin. It's gonna be tough to find a good fast IFR machine for $50k.
 
SLC is a Delta hub, they fly this as a non-stop for $261.60. The outbound friday night leaves at 6:05pm, the return on sunday night at 9.46pm.

A 9:46pm departure leaves you enough time for an early dinner in Salt Lake, btdt.

If he tries to do this in a bugsmasher on a schedule, he will figure out pretty soon that wed afternoon is not an accepted time to show up for work if you are scheduled to show up on monday. In the best case scenario, after trying this for about 3 trips, he will have a nice plane up in Salt Lake to spend time with his wife on the weekends. In the more likely worst case scenario he is going to push the weather and end up in a hillside, dead.

From podunk to podunk in the flatlands up to 500nm, GA is competitive for a weekend commute. Between two major airports and with icy rocks in between, anyone who tells him that sneaking through the valleys in a bugsmasher at night is a viable alternative to the airlines is not being honest.
 
j1b3h0 said:
Tom-

I like the Glasairs, especially the 3RG. And I like the Lancair Legacy and the RV8 they all really scoot. But most are well over 50K. Any of them could do the mission. And there are plenty of motorcycles that could provide transportation from Seattle to Anchorage...but, like the OP, if he did it once or twice - even at 190kts it's a six hour round trip - the airlines might look pretty inviting.

So, you're smitten with the Glasair? Instead of or in addition to the F24?
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I'm not the one buying
 
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