I need a travel plan

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Noah Gray

Filing Flight Plan
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Noah Gray
I'm trying to put together some mock vacations that are only possible with general aviation in order to persuade myself and the family. Thinking something like the 'great loop' for boats, but in a plane. I've looked at AOPA Pilot Magazine, Pilot Getaways, and a couple books. Also scouring regional event sites. Any tips on how to discover great stops for a multi-week loop?
 
Paging @Katamarino or @kath .... these and others have traveled around a lot and great writeups to go with it.

What kind of plane and is this for North America only or beyond?
 
@Sinistar Bahamas is definitely on the list, as is the keys, hopping up the east coast, savannah, new orleans! I don't see us going past Mexico or Canada. No plane yet, but a local club I'm looking at has a 172 that would barely get us an our tweens out for the weekend.
 
For some women having an airplane to go to where you can only go by small plane means limiting shopping.
 
Noah Gray said:
I'm trying to put together some mock vacations that are only possible with general aviation in order to persuade myself and the family. Thinking something like the 'great loop' for boats, but in a plane. I've looked at AOPA Pilot Magazine, Pilot Getaways, and a couple books. Also scouring regional event sites. Any tips on how to discover great stops for a multi-week loop?
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I've done quite a few of these trips and have written them up on my website. I've put a lot of photos and maps up there alongside the write-ups. Should be some ideas there to get started with!

http://katamarino.co.uk
 
My "loop" to and from Alaska and around the lower 48 is here: http://beetlejuiceadventure.wordpress.com.

It took 12 months, but I did a lot of "stopping for a week or two" at a lot of places, which gave me a lot of freedom to choose good weather flying days.

Not very much of it was planned in advance. I had "anchor" must-get-to destinations, but most of the trip in between was made up as I went. The best way to discover great stops is to ask the locals -- they know the cheapest fuel stops, places to stay, things to do.

It would help to know more from your end... how many weeks timeframe? Solo, or with family? What's the goal of the trip? (Distance? Culture? Natural wonders? Friends and family? Leisure? Camping?) Going on the cheap, or willing to splurge?
 
I still like the Bahamas idea. From where you are it’s not too far so you’re not starting off on some endurance event. From the air it’s visually appealing. And they’ll figure out that the airplane made it all possible to get into those small island strips.
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
all-48-contiguous-capitals
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I could see doing that for a very long trip! Just enjoying each city for a few days would be a 6-month undertaking.

Katamarino said:
I've done quite a few of these trips and have written them up on my website. I've put a lot of photos and maps up there alongside the write-ups. Should be some ideas there to get started with
Click to expand...
So did you end up crossing the Pacific???? What a covid cliff hanger!

kath said:
My "loop" to and from Alaska and around the lower 48
It took 12 months, but I did a lot of "stopping for a week or two" at a lot of places, which gave me a lot of freedom to choose good weather flying days.
Not very much of it was planned in advance. I had "anchor" must-get-to destinations, but most of the trip in between was made up as I went. The best way to discover great stops is to ask the locals -- they know the cheapest fuel stops, places to stay, things to do.
It would help to know more from your end... how many weeks timeframe? Solo, or with family? What's the goal of the trip? (Distance? Culture? Natural wonders? Friends and family? Leisure? Camping?) Going on the cheap, or willing to splurge?
Click to expand...
Each have you have all achieved so much! I'm really moved by what you undertook, and what the experience must have meant to you and those you included. Genuinely thank you for your responses and questions, I'll address them below:
how many weeks timeframe? Solo, or with family? Once I get some cross-country experience under my belt solo, I'm thinking 4-6 weeks each summer with the family, 4 of us total. I know that with the heavy weight flying out of elevation will be a marginal experience that will take thorough planning.
What's the goal of the trip? (Distance? Culture? Natural wonders? Friends and family? Leisure? Camping?) Oh great questions! The plan for my first trip is to go to Jacksonville, Savannah, North Georgia and back from Tampa Bay. Next trip will be to the keys. The bigger plan is the 'family summers', and everything you mentioned is on the table, focused on culture, natural beauty, and events. I've got a list of every festival in the northeast (such as Lobsterfest) that's running next summer, an my wife is tentatively enthusiastic.
Going on the cheap, or willing to splurge? Cost is a factor, so I'm thinking a 1/4 mix of camping, and a 3/4 mix of Airbnb/Hotels. that should run about 4-5k/mo in lodging alone. We'll mix in some keystone experiences too. I should also mention that I'll probably end up working remotely to an extent as well. That worked fantastically last summer, and we're sold on the idea of summers outside of Florida.
 
Oh additionally I since discovered the RAF Airfield Guide which has been a godsend for finding and researching camping spots.
 
@Noah Gray - I love your energy to explore flying with the family!!!. Often flying isn't for the "whole" family. So don't be discouraged or give up if one or two of them just don't like it. You never know it might just end up being you and your wife or just you and a kid.

So I was going to ask. What is the longest trip you have done as a family so far? That might give us a better idea of where you are at w/r to the family comfort zone and your experience already.

For example, if work wasn't taking up our time my wife and I would hop in the old Skylane and fly all around the country. My daughter would be "no thank you Dad".

However, I just got her scuba and nitrox certified in Key Largo in August. If we were based down there, she would have already pestered me to no end to hop over to the Bahamas. But the wife isn't a water person and would be rather nervous on that and I could see here sitting it out...the first time :)
 
Sinistar said:
@Noah Gray - I love your energy to explore flying with the family!!!. Often flying isn't for the "whole" family. So don't be discouraged or give up if one or two of them just don't like it. You never know it might just end up being you and your wife or just you and a kid.

So I was going to ask. What is the longest trip you have done as a family so far? That might give us a better idea of where you are at w/r to the family comfort zone and your experience already.

For example, if work wasn't taking up our time my wife and I would hop in the old Skylane and fly all around the country. My daughter would be "no thank you Dad".

However, I just got her scuba and nitrox certified in Key Largo in August. If we were based down there, she would have already pestered me to no end to hop over to the Bahamas. But the wife isn't a water person and would be rather nervous on that and I could see here sitting it out...the first time :)
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Kind of you to ask, yes we've had brilliant luck hauling our two tween-age daughters around the world, Italy, Canada, Bahamas, a number of other southeast vacations. They've done well travelling with us, for at most a month so far. I've no illusions that it'll last forever, but we balance what's interesting to them against the rest of the trip and so far they're eagerly picking our version. I'll admit a bit of hope that by college years, the idea of meeting us at the airport and going on more vacations will be a carrot.

Camping isn't our strong suit, but RV travel worked out for a number of years for us as a family. After about 3 years of having a motor home, the idea of driving 12 hours to go somewhere frankly still close to Florida was frustrating for me, which is not at all a reality in a plane. Now that you mention it, I do have all the scuba gear in the closet, I should rent a tank and get them started in our pool :)
 
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