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EdFred

EdFred

Taxi to Parking
Joined
Feb 25, 2005
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Michigan
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White Chocolate
Currently sitting on the ramp at K74 just south of Fargo, North Dakota. I have now landed my plane(s) in all 48 of the contiguous states. A stop at LXL on the way home and I will have landed in all the 48 states solo. That's a whole lot of boring miles.
 
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That's a great accomplishment. Congrats!
 
Greg Bockelman said:
Ed, how you gonna land the Comanche in Hawaii?:cornut:
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Hopefully on the wheels. :D


2 x 75 gallon ferry tanks in the back seat/baggage area. I figure that will give me 19 hours of fuel for a 14 hour trip. Will need an autopilot installed first though.
 
Well, Ed, you are only 47 ahead of me! I'm catching up! :D I do have 1 OCONUS state, though. Alaska would be an easy one for you come springtime.
 
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I'm also missing 2 states - Idaho and Maine. I rented a 172 out of Hilo and spent the day surfing the off shore breeze coming off the lava flow on the big island; and, I got my sea plane rating in Alaska - which means I haven't actually landed on wheels there but I have been PIC on flights to every state but those two. And, I haven't landed in any of them to check them off - it's all been recreational flying that took me there for some reason or the other even if it was just a fuel stop and a trip to the bathroom and vending machines.

I met a guy in North Carolina that put his wheels down on every airport in that state in one 24 hour period which to me, is a more impressive accomplishment than checking off states. He actually flew around the state doing touch and goes and some full stops using the traveling salesman algorithm to minimize his time/distance traveled. He mentioned that he couldn't quite do it in the most efficient manner because he had to wait for the sun to come up to land at a couple of the airports.
 
The only thing is, I will be flying TO alaska and Hawaii, and not cheating by flying commercial and renting. That doesn't count in my book.
 
silver-eagle said:
Working on air refueling?
Congrats. That is quite a feat.
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240 gallons on board will give me between 18 and 21 hours of fuel depending on the altitude I fly at. That's a 4-7 hour reserve.
 
EdFred said:
The only thing is, I will be flying TO alaska and Hawaii, and not cheating by flying commercial and renting. That doesn't count in my book.
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I know that ferry pilots do it often but crossing that much water in a single engine airplane strikes me as a stunt. I've talked with a few of those guys and it's always interesting to hear them talk about how the distance/speed fuel calculation never closes until they're about half way when the wind reverses. I talked to one guy that was trying to get a twin home from Hawaii that had to turn around several times when he was more than 1/3rd of the way there because of concern over the winds.

Then there's the notion of running that little piston engine for something like 14 hours without a rest. That's probably just an irrational fear because I'd guess that it's no more likely to fail in those 14 hours than it would the next 14 hours you would have put on it in the pattern.

But finally, 14 hours is a long time to spend sitting in that little can over all that water while wearing a survival suit.

Naaa, I stick with my interpretation of the map which is being PIC and landed and exited the airplane there to interact with the local culture. The big island is a pretty cool place to aviate too. My wife and I hovered a 172 into a 50+ kt off shore wind over the lava flow beside one of the sight seeing helicopters. I can also confirm that a 172 can't out climb the slope of Mauna Kea and we had to turn around it at about 10,000'. Fun stuff.
 
PittsDriver said:
Naaa, I stick with my interpretation of the map which is being PIC and landed and exited the airplane there to interact with the local culture.
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Might as well get a car, drive to all the states, rent a plane at a local FBO, and claim you flew around the whole country.
 
AuntPeggy said:
And why not?
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Because you would have to be a mouth foaming imbecile to make the claim that it's flying around the country. That's like saying I rode a bicycle from Bar Harbor to San Diego, when it was strapped to the back of an RV and and I just rode the bicycle around the KOA campgrounds I parked at for the night.

No, you drove to every state. You didn't fly anywhere.
 
EdFred said:
Might as well get a car, drive to all the states, rent a plane at a local FBO, and claim you flew around the whole country.
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And if someone actually did that I'd assert that they've completed a more impressive feat of aviation than hopping around the country in your own plane. But heck, I'm open to making PoA the rule making authority for that little map and I'm happy to go with what ever the consensus is for the rules that have to be satisfied to color in a state. Personally, I haven't invested a nickel of avgas in checking off a state. I aviated there because I wanted to aviate there for recreation otherwise. It would certainly be easy to fly up to Maine from here and check that one off but what would be the point of that?

(not that there's anything wrong with "checking the off" just for the sake of it. There's one PoA'er that's checked off eating at a Taco Bell in all 50 states!)
 
PittsDriver said:
And if someone actually did that I'd assert that they've completed a more impressive feat of aviation than hopping around the country in your own plane. But heck, I'm open to making PoA the rule making authority for that little map and I'm happy to go with what ever the consensus is for the rules that have to be satisfied to color in a state. Personally, I haven't invested a nickel of avgas in checking off a state. I aviated there because I wanted to aviate there for recreation otherwise. It would certainly be easy to fly up to Maine from here and check that one off but what would be the point of that?

(not that there's anything wrong with "checking the off" just for the sake of it. There's one PoA'er that's checked off eating at a Taco Bell in all 50 states!)
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I think my grandparents drove to all the lower 48. North Dakota was the only one I made a specific trip to. All the others were incorporated on other trips, and I usually took anywhere from 6-12 days My 12 day 18 state trip out west I think I only made 2 stops (CO, NE) where I didn't get something to eat, refuel, or stay the night. That was a fun trip.
 
EdFred said:
That's like saying I rode a bicycle from Bar Harbor to San Diego, when it was strapped to the back of an RV and and I just rode the bicycle around the KOA campgrounds I parked at for the night.
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Naaa, my claim is more like when I flew commercial to Moab and rented a mountain bike to ride there. I wouldn't claim I rode a bike to Moab but the riding there on the rented bike was still pretty awesome.

I've also been diving in some pretty cool places but I didn't swim there either...

Another way of looking it though if those arguments aren't doing it for ya... I spent a week in Alaska flying all other the place and splashing around some of the coolest back country puddles in the state. Let's say you fly your bird there, get fuel and a candy bar at the FBO and fly home. Which map is more authentically colored in?
 
PittsDriver said:
Which map is more authentically colored in?
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The one that used no other means other than GA to get there from your home base.

Of course I also disagree with repositioning flights in order to complete a commercial cross country.
 
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EdFred said:
The one that used no other means other than GA to get there from your home base.
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I can see that as a valid assertion. After all, GA is fundamentally about freedom - the freedom to leave your home and end up somewhere that you'd never be able to be if not for the ticket in your wallet and the skills and plane you have available to you. I've left Baltimore, picked up another couple at Teterboro, and we all went to Nantucket for lunch - can't do that without some pilot stuff happening. I've taken my daughter to 10 colleges in 7 different states in 5 days - that's some fun freedom too. But I would also assert that my wife found herself on a private ride over a lava flow, waterfalls, and one of the most beautiful places on earth because of that pilot stuff too. That was a lot more meaningful aviating freedom than flying somewhere for a candy bar to check it off but hey, I never said you were wrong in your assertion - just defending mine against someone that likened me to a "mouth foaming imbecile."
 
EdFred said:
The only thing is, I will be flying TO alaska and Hawaii, and not cheating by flying commercial and renting. That doesn't count in my book.
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Your own definition. Is this some sort of contest where people need to play by your rules?
 
PittsDriver said:
Another way of looking it though if those arguments aren't doing it for ya... I spent a week in Alaska flying all other the place and splashing around some of the coolest back country puddles in the state. Let's say you fly your bird there, get fuel and a candy bar at the FBO and fly home. Which map is more authentically colored in?
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EdFred said:
The one that used no other means other than GA to get there from your home base.
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Depends on which one used an econo-box:goofy:

I was going to let this slide, but now I will point out that I have flown to and in a state that Ed didn't. In an econo-box. :raspberry:

But non of it was logged because I was just a lowly student pilot at the time (with a P.P. in the other seat). Do I get to color Alaska on a map?
 
EdFred said:
Might as well get a car, drive to all the states, rent a plane at a local FBO, and claim you flew around the whole country.
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Everskyward said:
Your own definition. Is this some sort of contest where people need to play by your rules?
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Does your book allow for people who don't own an aircraft and, therefore, rent?

Lots of POAers use the map to indicate states where they've landed.
 
AuntPeggy said:
Does your book allow for people who don't own an aircraft and, therefore, rent?

Lots of POAers use the map to indicate states where they've landed.
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If you rent a plane from where you are based, and fly it somewhere, yep.

If you fly all the way across the country on Southwest, Delta, etc... and rent a plane, nope. When I flew commercial to look at my plane, and then flew it to another field for a prebuy I did not count that.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
Depends on which one used an econo-box:goofy:

I was going to let this slide, but now I will point out that I have flown to and in a state that Ed didn't. In an econo-box. :raspberry:

But non of it was logged because I was just a lowly student pilot at the time (with a P.P. in the other seat). Do I get to color Alaska on a map?
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Is it in your logbook, and qualifies, as legal logging under 61.51? :D

I've flown commercial to Hawaii, my Hawaii remains uncolored.

I think our definition of econo-box differs. When I think box, I think of something you can actually put stuff in. You can't put anything in a 120 or 150. :D
 
EdFred said:
If you rent a plane from where you are based, and fly it somewhere, yep.
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For a week, I was based at Moose Pass Alaska. Another week I was based out of Hilo, Hawaii. Or maybe you meant "from where I live?"

Here's one that I actually did - I flew my own airplane from Baltimore to California and was based there for about 2 weeks. In those two weeks, I flew round trip flights to Oregon, Nevada, and Washington State that returned to California. Did those three states count or did I have to fly to them from Baltimore?

I guess I'm puzzled like Aunt Peggy - What's it mean to be "based" if you're renting anyway?
 
What about large area mass states like Texas and California? If you land in southern California only, do you get to claim the whole state, or do you have to make a landing in northern California as well? It's early, my mind is wandering. Need coffee now.

I don't care what anyone says, for a private pilot, that is one impressive accomplishment. Congratulations.

John
 
PittsDriver said:
For a week, I was based at Moose Pass Alaska. Another week I was based out of Hilo, Hawaii. Or maybe you meant "from where I live?"

Here's one that I actually did - I flew my own airplane from Baltimore to California and was based there for about 2 weeks. In those two weeks, I flew round trip flights to Oregon, Nevada, and Washington State that returned to California. Did those three states count or did I have to fly to them from Baltimore?

I guess I'm puzzled like Aunt Peggy - What's it mean to be "based" if you're renting anyway?
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You changed your permanent address for a week when you were based in Alaska and Hilo? Did you contact your insurance company for your airplane and tell them your home base changed from wherever it is to Alaska, or Hawaii. List your residence as Alaska and Hawaii for a week on your 1040?

Really, is it that hard to figure out what based means? Holy crap, the stupidity of people never ceases to amaze me.
 
I think I am going to have someone send me a bucket of dirt from Botswana, pour it on my kitchen floor, and then claim that I've been to Botswana. :rolleyes:
 
more than the usual pee in your cheerios this morning Ed?
 
If you really want to get picky, you could say this is all hogwash. You piloted a petroleum driven vehicle to all those places. I know quite a few people who wouldn't be impressed if you didn't get there under your own power.

I'm not one of them. Personally, I think flying and landing an aircraft in all 48 states of the CONUS is a huge achievement, whether you did it in your own airplane or drove to each state and rented one.
 
steingar said:
If you really want to get picky, you could say this is all hogwash. You piloted a petroleum driven vehicle to all those places. I know quite a few people who wouldn't be impressed if you didn't get there under your own power.

I'm not one of them. Personally, I think flying and landing an aircraft in all 48 states of the CONUS is a huge achievement, whether you did it in your own airplane or drove to each state and rented one.
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LOL. I'm waiting on the geneticists to come up with something to allow my pectoral muscles to grow to insane proportions and then get the skin transplant to connect from my wrists to my ankles. :D
 
EdFred said:
LOL. I'm waiting on the geneticists to come up with something to allow my pectoral muscles to grow to insane proportions and then get the skin transplant to connect from my wrists to my ankles. :D
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There are people who have done similar achievements on bicycles, and I would imagine on foot as well. Both are means of transportation.
 
steingar said:
If you really want to get picky, you could say this is all hogwash. You piloted a petroleum driven vehicle to all those places. I know quite a few people who wouldn't be impressed if you didn't get there under your own power.

I'm not one of them. Personally, I think flying and landing an aircraft in all 48 states of the CONUS is a huge achievement, whether you did it in your own airplane or drove to each state and rented one.
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I agree, but I would be even more impressed with someone who walked to each one (as opposed to walking in each one). :D

Either that or I would think they are nuts. :confused:
 
Everskyward said:
I agree, but I would be even more impressed with someone who walked to each one (as opposed to walking in each one). :D

Either that or I would think they are nuts. :confused:
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I think I have taken a pee in 49/50 states. Is that impressive? :D
 
EdFred said:
Really, is it that hard to figure out what based means? Holy crap, the stupidity of people never ceases to amaze me.
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So now I'm "stupid" and a "mouth foaming imbecile" because I happen to have a slightly different interpretation of "the map" than you? I'm wondering about what was in Ed's cheerios myself.

For the record, I've not disparaged your interpretation of the map and even said it sounds like a reasonable use of it - if it floats your boat. I'll be anxiously waiting on that trip report to Hawaii and what I really can't wait to hear is if you just bought a candy bar in the FBO and started back for home or if you actually did some aviating there (OK, maybe that's disparaging it a little :))
 
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