Renting a plane while on vacation?

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wildb

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wildb
Hi whats it like to rent a plane while on vacation? Say you flew commercial down to Mexico or stayed in the states, is it worth the time and effort to rent a plane and do some sight seeing? Has anyone rented in Cancun?

What are the steps? Any stories of your experiences renting on vacation?
 
Can't speak for Mexico but yeah, get checked out in a plane and go! I did that in FLA and took my parents on a great trip. I think somedudeintn just did something similar here in Charlotte.
 
wildb said:
Hi whats it like to rent a plane while on vacation? Say you flew commercial down to Mexico or stayed in the states, is it worth the time and effort to rent a plane and do some sight seeing? Has anyone rented in Cancun?

What are the steps? Any stories of your experiences renting on vacation?
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Step 1. Find a FBO, flight school, etc. near where you are going. Google as necessary.

Step 2. Call business. Schedule flight with CFI.

Step 3. Go on vacation. Bring logbook. Either do trip with CFI onboard or do a checkout flight. It's usually much easier to just go with the CFI, and if traveling overseas, may be the only way to do it if you don't want to go through a whole lot of trouble.

As far as whether it's worth it, well that's up to you. I like flying, but often for me vacation is a break from flying.
 
About 20 years ago, I was on temporary assignment in Fallon,NV for some training. I wanted to rent a plane to go to Lemoore to spend the weekend with the wife and kids. An open book written exam and a couple of laps around the pattern and I was good to go. It was a great weekend! YMMV!
 
Depends on how much flying you want to do, figure you're going to do a standard issue 1hr checkout before they will let you take the plane on your own.
 
I inquire everywhere I go. Sao Paolo Brazil has been cheapest internationally, about on par with the States. Kauai was super fun - the tour operator agreed to *teach* me in the left seat for a family tour in a 172.

As a student, I did two of the LAX Bravo VFR corridors in a Cherokee with an instructor, talked to 12 controllers in 15 minutes as a 30-hr student pilot. :hairraise:

Also - just took the 172 over to the Bahamas for ten days of VFR around the islands - priceless.

Australia and Europe are prohibitively expensive ($350-400/hr 172.)

I'd love to fly in Mexico - let us know how it goes there?
 
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eman1200 said:
Can't speak for Mexico but yeah, get checked out in a plane and go! I did that in FLA and took my parents on a great trip. I think somedudeintn just did something similar here in Charlotte.
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Yep! Eman let me know of a good flight school in Charlotte and when I was up there for thanksgiving I got to take my brother and dad flying for the first time! Had a blast! I've done the checkout thing in a few different locations and it's pretty standard. Usually about 30 minutes of ground discussions and around an hour in the plane.
 
I've rented in Northern California a few times.. Once from Petaluma, and once from Palo Alto. Both really easy. An hour check out.. (Petaluma made me do W&B-No biggie) and I was off..
 
I have flown while on vacation a number of times. Usually, it's just a local flight with an instructor because, for flight when I take the airplane, it means a checkout flight before I take it myself. As much as I love flying, I really do choose vacation spots for other reasons. And there can be other bars to rental, especially in other countries.

So my Hawaii flight was an afternoon with my wife and a CFI. Our flight from England to France was with another pilot. turns around a point, the "point" being Mt Hood, was an afternoon break from a conference with an instructor. Same for a trip to Catalina.

OTOT, my first flight around Florida to visit friends and family in three places, while on vacation in Orlando, was after a checkout. Worth it since we had been to Disney many times before. I continued that tradition when my inlaws moved to Florida and took advantage of Christmas weeks with them to fly to visit other family. Northern California and KISP to Block Island are other examples.

BTW, some of the stories of these flights are collected on my website in the "Taking Wing" pages.
 
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I have certainly rented airplanes when on vacation before; it can be great! I once turned a check out into a fight review before renting a turbo 182 to go up to the Grand Canyon. Note that now you have the option of checking out ahead of time with www.openairplane.com if they have a location in your intended destination. That way you don't have to take the time to get a check out while on vacation.
 
gprellwitz said:
I have certainly rented airplanes when on vacation before; it can be great! I once turned a check out into a fight review before renting a turbo 182 to go up to the Grand Canyon. Note that now you have the option of checking out ahead of time with www.openairplane.com if they have a location in your intended destination. That way you don't have to take the time to get a check out while on vacation.
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Yea, I think the open airplane option would be great! Unfortunately for me most of my destinations haven't worked out with what is on there.
 
wildb said:
Hi whats it like to rent a plane while on vacation? Any stories of your experiences renting on vacation?
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Took a trip to Italy last year. Found a local flight school in Rome with a Cessna for rent, scheduled a CFI, and flew around the countryside. Pretty awesome experience.

I also rented a Cessna from a flight school in West Palm Beach and hopped over the Bahamas. Worth the 1-hour checkout!
 
I'm from Mexico.
Last time I was in Cancun (June) there was a FBO in Playa del Carmen Airfield that has 172s and 182s

Check this: http://www.aerosaab.com/es/
http://www.ferinco.com/aeroferinco/aerotours.html

My $0.02
I wouldn't rent in Cancun, maintenance in many of Mexico's FBOs and Flight Schools is questionable
My wife hates flying and even more "me flying". She suggested renting for an hour to do sightseeing, I declined.
 
Kritchlow said:
Rent in Cancun???? My Lord.
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Yeah....when I was training for my IR, a guy in my written prep class was telling a story about how he went down to Mexico and rented a plane......engine failed and he had to put it down on the beach.
 
Can't vouch for Cancun, but I've rented on vacations a number of times. I've also just signed up for either a tour or some instruction to get some right seat time. Got to fly right seat in an Otter on floats in Australia that way. My wife snatched the right seat in a twin otter going out to the dry tortugas another time and flue right seat in a 182 over the Grand canyon. If you're on an air tour and you show you're a pilot, you'll often get offered the right seat.
 
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