Florida to DC; where to stop?

J

JOhnH

Touchdown! Greaser!
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We are heading to DC area for an interment at Arlington. Leslie's Father died almost two years ago and it took this long to get scheduled.

We will be leaving Florida (KOMN) towards Brunswick GA. (BQK) in order to keep the over-ocean time down and from there to 2W5 (Indian Head, MD). It will be around a 4 hour flight (615NM), which we could make in one leg, but we'd rather NOT do that in and then have to pay their $7.65/gal for 100ll.

Ideally, we would find a stop within around 175-225 NM of 2W5 with reasonable fuel cost and an on-site, or nearby restaurant.

KEYF is about 250NM from 2W5 and has $4.70 fuel, but it is just a little closer to home than we'd prefer and I don't know anything else about the airport, like food service.

Thoughts?
(PS, today the flight would be around 3.5 hours there and 4.5 hours back.)
 
When I made that trip regularly ( FDK, OMN) I stopped at Lumberton, NC LBT for quick turn. Been a few years though, no idea what services are available anymore.
 
Just to get started, I often drop some criteria into the Air-Nav flight/fuel planner. Of course on the day(s) of, one has weather, Notams, airspace issues & the rest to mix in.

http://www.airnav.com/plan/fuel/

 It can be as individual as we, ‘just want to try this stop’.
 
I like Baxley, GA for a stop to and from the Space Coast.
 
KEYF

$4.70 per gallon. Technically self serve, but the credit card machine doesn't work, so the guy came out and filled my plane, then processed the charge in the FBO
 
Anyone tried KRWI? Cheaper fuel, full service FBO.

Problem with some like KEYF is it has no on-field service.
 
I think it depends what you are looking for. If I'm doing a fuel stop on a "need to be there" flight, it's fuel price, service availability, and weather and distance to the destination. Iffy weather at the destination, I want my fuel stop to leave me with the most diversion options.

Cheap fuel and services is where EFBs and websites showing fuel prices excel. In addition to KEYF south of Fayettevile NC mentioned by @Pinecone, a quick check of ForeFlight shows two others east of RDU not far from your route of flight with AvGas under $5 per gallon. They also nicely skirt the Ft Bragg restricted areas near Fayetteville. KEYF, which @Pinecone mentioned is good to - just south of Fayetteville.
 
In February, I flew from Laconia NH to Fort Lauderdale International Airport. I had my stops carefully planned out weeks before. The day we left there were 50 knot headwinds for the whole flight. Plus the next couple of days were going to be high surface winds low ifr most of the coast. So the day I left, I planned to push to Savannah GA with an intermediate stop. The plane I was flying trued out at around 172 knots, my ground speed was between 125 and 135 knots pretty much the whole first day. So I had to stop 100 miles short of my first planned stop, then push on to Savannah, I wanted to be south of where the front was going to hit. My point is to make your plans, but be prepared to change up the plans. I use Foreflight, and had "packed" the trip, so the change of plans was easy. But the wife was not too happy spending over 6 hours in the cockpit for what should have taken just over 4 hours.
 
Have made several trips from KFIN to the Northeast. Have stopped at several different places that roughly along your flight path KRWI was a decent one with reasonable fuel. Used the SSI VOR as turnpoint to keep feet dry.
 
BTW, AirNav will show you your options for stops at desired distance with all the airports that are close and their fuel prices.

That is how I found KEYF. You put in departure and destination, desired leg length (miles or hours with cruise speed) and it gives you a list. It allows you specify a minimum runway length and whether or not you require an instrument approach.
 
When living on the east coast, with a daughter at a Florida university, I very much enjoyed my stops at KRWI flying from Florida to Maryland.
 
Turns out that weather is to "iffy" for a "must get to" destination. They are not going to delay the services at Arlington cemetery because we get socked in somewhere. So I am making the ultimate sacrifice to honor my FIL by flying commercial.

edit: I realized that "ultimate sacrifice" was a poor choice of words, even if it was tongue in cheek. I have known too many people that really did make the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom for me to try to claim that same mantle.
 
JOhnH said:
Turns out that weather is to "iffy" for a "must get to" destination. They are not going to delay the services at Arlington cemetery because we get socked in somewhere. So I am making the ultimate sacrifice to honor my FIL by flying commercial.

edit: I realized that "ultimate sacrifice" was a poor choice of words, even if it was tongue in cheek. I have known too many people that really did make the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom for me to try to claim that same mantle.
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Good choice on the flight.
 
Time to spare, go by air.

If you make a similar trip in the future, JNX has average priced fuel and a new BBQ restaurant on the field. The other fuel + restauranct choices "near" your route in NC / Southern VA are MTV (Martinsville) and PGV (Greeneville, NC)
 
So much crummy weather right now, and recently. Low clouds, rain, drizzle, & high winds.

Hopefully we’ll average it out as May gets underway.
 
I've flown from Leesburg VA (KJYO) to Spruce Creek (7FL6) dozens of times. When I needed a fuel stop I always use Berkley County (KMKS). Nice country airport, easy, and cheap.

I like it a lot.
 
jbarrass said:
I've flown from Leesburg VA (KJYO) to Spruce Creek (7FL6) dozens of times. When I needed a fuel stop I always use Berkley County (KMKS). Nice country airport, easy, and cheap.

I like it a lot.
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+1 for KMKS. I get fuel there often and they have always been prompt, courteous, & professional.
 
JOhnH said:
Turns out that weather is to "iffy" for a "must get to" destination. They are not going to delay the services at Arlington cemetery because we get socked in somewhere. So I am making the ultimate sacrifice to honor my FIL by flying commercial.

edit: I realized that "ultimate sacrifice" was a poor choice of words, even if it was tongue in cheek. I have known too many people that really did make the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom for me to try to claim that same mantle.
Click to expand...
Damn. I hate flying commercial!
Soon after leaving the house I received a text that my flight is cancelled and I have been rebooked 2 hours later, with a message that I will miss my connecting flight and that I need to find an alternate flight. So I returned home.

I did find an alternate flight, but I can't select seats. They will be assigned at the gate. Does this mean we are on standby?
 
JOhnH said:
I did find an alternate flight, but I can't select seats. They will be assigned at the gate. Does this mean we are on standby?
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Generally no, not standby. The airlines hold some seats for last minute assignment. They also will have some no shows, like you would have been for your original connecting flight. What airline?
 
JOhnH said:
Damn. I hate flying commercial!
Soon after leaving the house I received a text that my flight is cancelled and I have been rebooked 2 hours later, with a message that I will miss my connecting flight and that I need to find an alternate flight. So I returned home.

I did find an alternate flight, but I can't select seats. They will be assigned at the gate. Does this mean we are on standby?
Click to expand...
Double Damn. flight was rescheduled 2 hours and we weren’t going to make our connecting flight so we decided to have breakfast before departing.
But as soon as we ordered bfast I got a text that the flight was changed again. They moved it up an hour so I had to cancel my order and rush to the gate. we still don’t have assigned seats on the connecting flight.
 
My understanding is that you’re probably not standby, i.e., they’ll buy someone out if there isn’t enough room for you. Could depend on airline though.
 
Eric Pauley said:
My understanding is that you’re probably not standby, i.e., they’ll buy someone out if there isn’t enough room for you. Could depend on airline though.
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Quite possibly they were confirmed on that flight, but the remaining unassigned seats were 'desirable' and the airline was still trying to get someone to pay $15 to $75 to select those seats. So when someone paid extra for that aisle exit seat, our friend got assigned the now vacated middle seat in row 30.
 
Once I'm on my way to the airport I just go, unless it is a raging snowstorm. It's generally easier to fix this stuff at the airport and sometimes you can get to another flight with minutes to spare. Can't do that at home. Hope you are on you are in the air now.
 
catmandu said:
Quite possibly they were confirmed on that flight, but the remaining unassigned seats were 'desirable' and the airline was still trying to get someone to pay $15 to $75 to select those seats. So when someone paid extra for that aisle exit seat, our friend got assigned the now vacated middle seat in row 30.
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Actually it is 32b (last row).
If we had flown the Bonanza we would have been there by now. Winds on the ground are not as bad as forecast.
 
Jekyll Island (09J) for a free golf cart to find lunch.
 
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