AirDC
Pre-takeoff checklist
I had planned to (finally) make the trip to Treasure Cay and Eleuthera last weekend but decided to change destination last minute because I didn't feel comfortable with Beryl loitering around Florida and the Atlantic. Figured we would go to Key West instead and at least have access to a reliable phone/internet in case weather was an issue on the way home.
I had rented a plane from Atlas Aviation in Tampa - same outfit you guys were talking about in the Caribbean thread. The 182/g1000 was $197 an hour and in really nice condition, I was getting 142ktas at 13gph. They let me do a 2hr daily minimum, including the checkout (which was 1.2 hobbs, 2hr instructor). Deric, the owner/president, was extremely helpful before and during the trip. It was a very well run operation and I would strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a Florida or Caribbean adventure.
Weather on the way home was indeed challenging - Beryl was still lingering near Tampa. We took off for Sarasota figuring we would wait for a gap in the weather up there and possibly even be able to sneak into Tampa. We had a clear OUT to the south if needed at any point. It ended up that we got a break and were able to go direct to Tampa, and land in just light rain and 10mi vis.
We got some great photos that I thought you guys would like. I'm still dying to get to the caribbean, but for me, flying over turquoise water was a dream come true. Tampa to Key West is a great GA trip - we used 4.0 on the Hobbs roundtrip and its a 7 hour drive.
I had rented a plane from Atlas Aviation in Tampa - same outfit you guys were talking about in the Caribbean thread. The 182/g1000 was $197 an hour and in really nice condition, I was getting 142ktas at 13gph. They let me do a 2hr daily minimum, including the checkout (which was 1.2 hobbs, 2hr instructor). Deric, the owner/president, was extremely helpful before and during the trip. It was a very well run operation and I would strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a Florida or Caribbean adventure.
Weather on the way home was indeed challenging - Beryl was still lingering near Tampa. We took off for Sarasota figuring we would wait for a gap in the weather up there and possibly even be able to sneak into Tampa. We had a clear OUT to the south if needed at any point. It ended up that we got a break and were able to go direct to Tampa, and land in just light rain and 10mi vis.
We got some great photos that I thought you guys would like. I'm still dying to get to the caribbean, but for me, flying over turquoise water was a dream come true. Tampa to Key West is a great GA trip - we used 4.0 on the Hobbs roundtrip and its a 7 hour drive.
