Commuting with GA

Mtns2Skies

Mtns2Skies

Final Approach
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Mtns2Skies
Does anyone commute to work regularly using GA? Just curious of how often it is done.
 
I commuted weekly from Dallas to Kansas City (367 nm) for 4+ years.
Mtns2Skies said:
Does anyone commute to work regularly using GA? Just curious of how often it is done.
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wabower said:
I commuted weekly from Dallas to Kansas City (367 nm) for 4+ years.
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did you have a separate car at the other airport in KC to get you to work or how did that play out?
 
A friend commuted in a 150 from Daytona to Orlando. Gave it up after a year. I suppose the novelty wore off.
 
Yes. Car and hangar on both ends. Primary mechanic at KOJC, shop at KADS for non-scheduled MX. Most trips were T-210, some Aerostar and Cessna 421 and a few others. Typical trip was 2.1 to 2.4 depending on winds. Made it in less than 2 hours a couple of times in the 210, and also had a few over 2.5. I would do it again in a heartbeat if necessary.



Mtns2Skies said:
did you have a separate car at the other airport in KC to get you to work or how did that play out?
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I have semi-commuted, very semi, btw, but I've done it. It was either a five plus hour drive through NYC/NJ traffic or 1:20 or so flight. My office was practically adjacent to a Class D airport, but I rented a car during those weeks as I had an apartment and needed to get back and forth. There were a few weeks when I could bum rides, and did, but I didn't want to be a burden on co-workers. I stored my car in my hangar upon departure, so that wasn't an issue.

The car at the destination thing is always a PITA when flying. If you are going to do it long term, a beater vehicle kept at the airport is the way to go. I flew more as a mental health break than anything, and it was great when I could do it. The cost of the rental car was worth it.
 
I did semi-communiting between Manchester, NH and PA for a while. In my case, PA was home base. It worked out nicely - turned an 6-hour drive into a <2-hour flight. Would absolutely do it again.

For a while I was considering commuting to Atlantic City for a job there.
 
In the 80's and 90's a friend commuted with a cherokee 140 between KBED and 5B6. He would fly down to his house on the cape Friday afternoon and fly back up to work Monday morning. He had a small condo close to work and an old old airport car to handle days that he couldn't fly in. Since the commute to the Cape has improved significantly since then so the benefits are less.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Does anyone commute to work regularly using GA? Just curious of how often it is done.
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Not a regular commute, but I often use GA for transportation up to 600 miles to job locations where I work on TV transmitters. Currently I work in larger cities and use a rental car or am picked up by coworker at my destination.

In the past I worked on repeaters spread across New Mexico. Most were on mountain tops and we had vehicles at nearby airports. In one case, the site was on a mesa and we had a landing strip carved out among the tumbleweeds and could taxi right up to the building. I was flying a TriPacer at that time.
 
Sort of, I was commuting between the San Joaquin Valley area and the SF Bay Area for a few years, roughly three times a week.
 
I don't commute every day but I have two houses, one in Virginia and one on a residential strip in NC. I keep a truck down in NC. If the weather isn't amenable, I can drive back as well.

Dan Masys who worked at NIH used to compute over form the eastern shore doing the bay crossing (Bay Bridge - College Park) in a 182 every day.
 
Did it for a year+ whenever the weather allowed. Beats driving 186miles/day. Kept an older car in the hangar at work, for one to get to work but also to drive home if the weather turned within the 6hrs I was at work.
 
I'm planning on commuting from Aspen to Dallas this summer. I will be spending 4-5 days in Aspen then 3-4 days in Dallas. And then repeat. Cessna 206 and I cannot wait!
 
Wow, that's a hike, hope you enjoy it. I briefly considered commuting to Gunnison last year but have flown to CO over the years in other planes and couldn't pull the trigger.

Gubbins said:
I'm planning on commuting from Aspen to Dallas this summer. I will be spending 4-5 days in Aspen then 3-4 days in Dallas. And then repeat. Cessna 206 and I cannot wait!
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I've often fantasized about doing this...the Mooney Mite seems like the perfect commuting plane, assuming you have a hangar on either side. Don't want that wood and fabric taking too much of a pounding outside.... Some Mites are even IFR capable! Burn less fuel than a car, too. Hard to beat that.
 
A few times a week. turns a 175mile (~3hr drive) into a 60 nautical mile 25 min flight. Really helps me to recapture a significant portion of my day that would have otherwise been windshield time. The flight can also be done $20 cheaper than the drive.
 
jpower said:
I've often fantasized about doing this...the Mooney Mite seems like the perfect commuting plane, assuming you have a hangar on either side. Don't want that wood and fabric taking too much of a pounding outside.... Some Mites are even IFR capable! Burn less fuel than a car, too. Hard to beat that.
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The 'ideal' aircraft is the one that has a high dispatch reliability, low operating cost and the capability to complete the mission under somewhat adverse weather conditions.
 
I do consulting work. My current job, by air, is 80 nm from home. I fly to work and back each week. It is a two hour drive by car but 50 minutes or less by plane. My truck is at my home airport and my car is at my work airport. If the weather is too bad I can drive home if need. On the few occasions I have driven home, I sure did miss my plane. There are a lot of lousy drivers on the road.
 
I commuted daily for 2 years in my Glasair from Pensacola (82J) to Tyndall AFB (KPAM). It was about a .7 each way. A few times I had to fly to 200 / 1/2 and a few times I had to suck it up and drive over early. It's neat and you'll really get to know your airplane, but it does get old.
 
When I was forced to be stationed at Barbers Point, my wife found a position with a law firm in Wailuku, Maui. Since I had a regular, rotating duty schedule living there was practical, and I could meet the 2 hour emergency recall requirement. I bought a 182 and made the trip weekly.
 
weilke said:
The 'ideal' aircraft is the one that has a high dispatch reliability, low operating cost and the capability to complete the mission under somewhat adverse weather conditions.
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Mite sounds perfect then! :)
 
I commuted to school when I could, 20 min flying beat an hour driving!

I also had to work for a week at LUK, but driving there from home I had to pass ISZ so I flew. In that case I made a <10min hop in the plane to save what would have been close to an hour in the car at rush hour.
 
Actually if you're looking for more payload / commuting with 2 people, the Liberty XL2 doesn't sound half bad.
 
jpower said:
Actually if you're looking for more payload / commuting with 2 people, the Liberty XL2 doesn't sound half bad.
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Anything that is not common enough that the mechanics helper can fix a problem and that parts can't be overnighted for is not a good commuter.

In a way, an experimental that you have built yourself is the best option as you can fix stuff yourself. There is one guy who had a VFR LongEZ for his commute. Unless it was a windy day, he just dropped it on the nose, walked through a turnstile exit gate to his parked motorcycle to got to work.
 
weilke said:
Anything that is not common enough that the mechanics helper can fix a problem and that parts can't be overnighted for is not a good commuter.

In a way, an experimental that you have built yourself is the best option as you can fix stuff yourself. There is one guy who had a VFR LongEZ for his commute. Unless it was a windy day, he just dropped it on the nose, walked through a turnstile exit gate to his parked motorcycle to got to work.
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Yeah, it's true...as of February 2009, they had only made 100 according to the infallible Wikipedia. But specs-wise, it looks pretty good. And if you're not commuting too terribly far....
 
jpower said:
Yeah, it's true...as of February 2009, they had only made 100 according to the infallible Wikipedia. But specs-wise, it looks pretty good. And if you're not commuting too terribly far....
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'specs wise' doesn't help much you if your plane is parked at work and you are being told that it will take 3 weeks until the manufacturer in Taiwan makes and ships a new coolie-hat switch for the trim or until the dilithium crystals in the FADEC have been recharged.

The blandest and most common aircraft is what you want for a commuter. Few people in the US commute to work in a vintage Alfa Romeo either.
 
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A coworker of mine commutes from NH to NJ in his RV-8.
 
weilke said:
'specs wise' doesn't help much you if your plane is parked at work and you are being told that it will take 3 weeks until the manufacturer in Taiwan makes and ships a new coolie-hat switch for the trim or until the dilithium crystals in the FADEC have been recharged.

The blandest and most common aircraft is what you want for a commuter. Few people in the US commute to work in a vintage Alfa Romeo either.
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Yeah yeah yeah, I know...it's unfortunate though, because it seems like a nice economical plane.
 
Depends on the flight, but if I ever do the commuting thing it will probably be in an M20. They're fast.
 
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