The cosequence of a failed return is the question. Any problem with coming back on sat or sun? The old saying is appropriate: Time to spare? Go by air!
As others have noted, watch the forecast and patterns then make the decision shortly before the flight. It helps to think through the delay contingencies beforehand. I'm still in the have an extra day mode on return flights and will leave early if it looks necessary.
Remember, it could be weather, Mx, or illness that keep you there. In any case, the smart thing is to accept that there is
always a possibility that you won't be able to get back when planned. That goes for the airlines, as well as GA.
I think Scott being here is probably why these threads get posted - When he shows up, we learn!
Yup! I always appreciate Scott's input.
Coming back from New Orleans in March, I was watching the weather carefully, because there was a front moving in that was slated to totally block my path northward. I was all prepared to launch a day early in order to beat it, only to find that it travelled faster than expected, blocked my route out on Saturday, and gave me good weather on Sunday, my originally planned departure date. Thing is, I was all ready to launch on Saturday if the weather looked good. Flexibility is the name of the game here!
I typically find that I can leave later than planned and/or return earlier than planned in order to give the needed flexibility. I try, however, to set it up so that I could return a day later if needed with no adverse effects. Note that I'm not considering plane availability here. If I have to keep it an extra day or two, or even a week, in order to be safe, I'm going to do it. The FBO would MUCH rather inconvenience a handful of customers a week than to have to try to repair or replace a broken airplane, or, even worse, deal with an injured or (heaven forbid) deceased renter.
So the FBO knows when I'm going a long distance, and can take the measures they need to take. If Wx looks like it'll delay me, I'll inform them. I did that coming back from the Bahamas in 2005. Heck, coming back from the Bahamas, I was a ful
week late because I had my father's death to deal with! I try to put down the day following my planned return as a
tentative day off from work and avoid scheduling meetings if possible. Work knows I fly, and I am going to make the decision that will keep me alive, not trying to make it to a meeting in which I can just as well participate via conference call. Hopefully, from the Bahamas, Key West or New Orleans!
