What do you consider a "long" trip?

Mistake Not...

Mistake Not...

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Mistake Not...
I'm considering taking a job 6 hours away from where I grew up. Well, over 5 west to east and probably 7? east to west.

Anyway. While that's not a big deal in a car, for some reason it seems like a long time in a plane. Even with fuel stops to break it up, sitting in a plane for 6 hours seems like a big deal right now. My longest cross country so far has been a little over three.

Does it get easier? Is it just lack of experience? I have an ANR headset and music on a tablet, but it's not the boredom.
 
It sounds completely impractical to me, but hey, that's me.

Have you factored in delays for weather? mechanical? and probably a dozen other things I'm not thinking about? And yes, six or seven hours in a small plane is grueling to my middle aged bones.

I hope this job pays $200/hr. or you'll be flying upside down into the poor house....
 
Oh, right. No... not my immediate family. My parents. It'd be a trip I'd make maybe half a dozen times a year.

Commuting that weekly would definitely suck. :)
 
Maybe because 6 hours in a car maybe gets you from Minneapolis to Chicago but 6 in an airplane can get you from Minneapolis to New Orleans?
 
Six hours in a plane depends an awful lot on the plane.

Is it comfortable? Do you have O2, and the ability to get up where it's cool and smooth?

Do you have a good autopilot?

If you have these things, six hours is nothing. If you don't have these things, six hours is interminable.

The longest flight (in agony hours) I've ever made was from Iowa City to Milwaukee, in an Ercoupe. It was almost six hours, with no comfort, no ability to fly high, and no autopilot.

I've done 5.25 hour LEGS in my old Pathfinder, with all of the above, and been tired but happy when we landed at the end of an 11 hour day.

So, the answer (as always) is: It depends.
 
Six hours in a reasonably fast plane that is rigged well is no big deal. Even an hour in a poorly rigged airplane that you have to wrestle the entire time can be tiring. Uncomfortable or noisy planes can also be tiring.

I'd personally break the trip up into two 3 hour legs. Then the trip won't feel so bad.
 
Two three hour legs is a piece of cake to us old folks. Just did 34 hrs in 5 days,was well worth the effort.
 
It's all relative. Two months ago I would have considered any single leg over 2.5 hours a long trip. Now I've made four 4-hour legs, from MI to VT and back. It's a bit boring, and is right at the edge of my bladder range, but as long as the weather is decent (and more importantly, safe) it's not a big deal.

Two 3-hour legs sounds very doable. I did a 6-hour XC in three legs as a student pilot. I was tired at the end, but not extremely so. If you're only going to be doing this a few times a year, I say go for it. Just be sure your schedule is flexible. The biggest danger with flying yourself for transportation is get-there-itis.
 
5 and 7 hours isa lot of flying. Usually about all I want to do in a day. To do it regularly - no way. I've commuted 2 hours and it is a long flight on a weekly basis. Fun, but long on a regular basis.
Not cheap either!
 
Mistake Not... said:
I'm considering taking a job 6 hours away from where I grew up. Well, over 5 west to east and probably 7? east to west.

Anyway. While that's not a big deal in a car, for some reason it seems like a long time in a plane. Even with fuel stops to break it up, sitting in a plane for 6 hours seems like a big deal right now. My longest cross country so far has been a little over three.

Does it get easier? Is it just lack of experience? I have an ANR headset and music on a tablet, but it's not the boredom.
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What airplane? What's the fuel range? What's your rear-end's tolerance?
 
I'm all discombobulated.

To clarify, OP, you're talking about flying home a few times a year FROM your new job correct?

In that case, like others have said, six or seven hours in the right plane will be fun. I thought you were talking about flying this every week ...
 
Anything over three hours begins to suck. This is independent of the airplane/cockpit.
 
I don't think you need an AP and you don't need O2. If you can fly earlier in the AM and trim for cruise airspeed, then doing 6 hours is a ton of fun. An AP can be helpful sometimes for sure though.
I think you are likely to encounter more weather problems the further you go though, esp if VFR. I did a flight up to WA one time from TX and back. Took me three days to get there because of weather. Was delayed in Oregon for a day and a half. But I got back in one shot, one day. Great experiences and lots of learning both ways.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
mondtster said:
Six hours in a reasonably fast plane that is rigged well is no big deal. Even an hour in a poorly rigged airplane that you have to wrestle the entire time can be tiring. Uncomfortable or noisy planes can also be tiring.

I'd personally break the trip up into two 3 hour legs. Then the trip won't feel so bad.
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Very true. As a pilot, 6 hrs is a great day of flying. Either two 3 hr legs or three 2 hrs.

Personally, I'd consider 8-10 a long day and I do that a couple times a year.

Now 6 is probably a pretty long time for pax. My family is not as crazy about 6 hrs in a spam can as I am.
 
I find 5-6 hours in a plane far easier than 5-6 hours in a car. Heck, for the last 15 years or so, I've never driven over 3 hours since if it's further than that, I'm flying!

Cars do not have autopilot. You have to be focusing on the road every second. Not so in a plane...

You can turn on the AP and use both hands to do things (like eat a sandwich).
 
I commuted anywhere from 3 to 6 hours almost every week for nine years. I was based in Missouri and worked all over SD, MN, WI, OH, TN, KY, GA, AL, MS...

All in a 182 w/ no auto pilot.

The ONLY thing I didn't like about it was flying back and forth across the same route every week. So I didn't. I'd dogleg 75 miles south on one trip, 100 north on the next, etc. so I'd get to see new things. Those jogs would only add 15 to 20 miles to the trip yet provided a lot of new sights to see (on good days).

My longest regular commute was to Waycross, GA when I was still living in Springfield, MO. 690 nm.

Overall it was fun and a great experience.

Having the right job with a certain amount of flexibility helped immensely. Being my own boss helped more! ;)

Edit: Yes, I understand that the OP isn't going to be commuting every week but rather just occasionally to visit friends and family. I just wanted to point out that it's doable. The biggest issue I found is that the farther you go the more chance you have of finding a front. This is also the biggest issue with trying to pull off longer, multiple leg, PnP flights.
 
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Long for me was Cheyenne, Wyoming to Winder, Georgia in one day. About 13 hours flying (16 or so overall) in a 172 with no autopilot. I've done trips to Denver several times in that plane. Lots of other (shorter flights), e.g. Chicago, New York, Miami, Houston, in one day.

I'm not like Jay - I don't need a mini airliner to go further than a $100 hamburger run. Relax and enjoy the trip.
 
txflyer said:
It sounds completely impractical to me, but hey, that's me.

Have you factored in delays for weather? mechanical? and probably a dozen other things I'm not thinking about? And yes, six or seven hours in a small plane is grueling to my middle aged bones.

I hope this job pays $200/hr. or you'll be flying upside down into the poor house....
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WTF! This isn't "Procrastinators Of America". :mad2:
 
I have noticed right about the 3 hour mark, I start wishing I was done.

However, I could shoot landings for 3 hours and not want to stop.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I have noticed right about the 3 hour mark, I start wishing I was done.

However, I could shoot landings for 3 hours and not want to stop.
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Exactly. I fly 3 hours and stop, fly another 3 and have lunch, fly another 3 and I'm at my destination any where in the lower 48. :dunno:

Fly another 3 and I'm in Alaska. Yes, I have done that in a day. :D
 
Driving - if it's more then 4 hours I'm not going

Flying - anything that exceeds my bladder (3 hours) is a long trip
 
Friday I hop in the 310 and will fly a bit under 16 on the Hobbs in 2 days.

I call that normal.
 
I fly long legs from Denver to the West Coast, and also from Denver to Cabo. I make the West Coast flights nonstop and they run between 4 and 5 hours. Like a previous poster said, after 3 hours I wish I was done. For Cabo I go Denver to El Paso, which is right in the middle, then on to Cabo. Each leg is 2.5 hours; roughly 6 hours door to door, but the 1-hour stop in the middle makes it much more bearable.
 
Fearless Tower said:
I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that you wouldn't like P-3s.
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Heh! At least it seems like a reasonably roomy flight deck. Being able to get up and stretch from time to time is a big plus! Do you have time in the P-3? Seems like a really cool airplane.
 
5 hours in my RV-6 is not really a "long trip"... for example WFalls to Oshkosh, in two 2.5 hour legs is not tiring at all.

8 hours from Johnson Creek Idaho back home to WFalls Texas, crossing the rockies in the afternoon and getting the holy snot beat out of you the whole way from mountain turbulence, however is indeed a "looooong" trip.
 
kayoh190 said:
Heh! At least it seems like a reasonably roomy flight deck. Being able to get up and stretch from time to time is a big plus! Do you have time in the P-3? Seems like a really cool airplane.
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No, but I have a few friends that are either current or former P-3 guys. 8+ hour flights are not uncommon.
 
Fearless Tower said:
No, but I have a few friends that are either current or former P-3 guys. 8+ hour flights are not uncommon.
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That's a long damned time! The longest I've ever done in one sitting is 5.9 in a 182R. I was 20 years old then - I think these days I'd make a stop. :)
 
My dad and I did 9 hours one day in a 182P, from Atlanta to south Florida and back. Holy crap, my head hurt, my butt hurt and we almost ran out of gas on the way home!! :hairraise: That was 20 something years ago before ANR headsets and my bladder was better! It was 4 hours down a quick look at a boat and about 5 hours home, landing at night with 7 gallons of gas left! :no:
6 or 7 hours once or even twice a month is a long commute, weekly would be almost impossible for me. Aside from the obvious time and money spent, the weather would make it tough to count on being able to make the trip every week. Getting stuck at work would be one thing, but being at home and having to get to work on Monday could lead to some bad decisions! ;)

kayoh190 said:
That's a long damned time! The longest I've ever done in one sitting is 5.9 in a 182R. I was 20 years old then - I think these days I'd make a stop. :)
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ssonixx said:
I think you are likely to encounter more weather problems the further you go though, esp if VFR. I did a flight up to WA one time from TX and back. Took me three days to get there because of weather. Was delayed in Oregon for a day and a half. But I got back in one shot, one day. Great experiences and lots of learning both ways.
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That's always my concern when flying to visit friends or family for the weekend and I need to get back for work. Everyone lives far enough away that I have to fly and you're more than likely to have a weather system you'll have to contend with. I pick my weekends for visits carefully because of this.

Fearless Tower said:
Now 6 is probably a pretty long time for pax. My family is not as crazy about 6 hrs in a spam can as I am.
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Six is definitely longer than my regular passengers like so we break it up into 2-3 hour legs. The good thing is that we can cruise pretty fast so that helps make up for the list time during stops. Several legs of 2-3 hours will keep everyone happy and as the pilot I don't feel fatigued either.
 
I once did 5.5 hours from KAPA to KTUS. I had a few disposable bottles with me just in case. I did a few 4+ hour legs earlier this month. I was happy to get out of the cockpit and stretch. And use the restroom.
 
3 is max. and even that usually requires a full porta-johns worth.
 
I consider a long trip as one that takes 30% longer due to higher than expected headwinds. i.e. a trip of two 3.5 hour legs that turns into 5 hour legs due to headwinds.
 
My longest day was just under 8 on the TAC and 14 on the wall clock. My longest drive was 16 on the clock and about 900 on the odo. I was much younger then but I could probably live with both.
6 hours to go visit family or friends, no problem.
 
It's a bit more tiring than driving, but I consider an 18hr day flying a long day. A 5 hr leg is one set of tanks with a goodly reserve and gets me 900 miles, 3 of them gets me 2700 miles in 18 hrs with leisurely fuel stops. I can also make 3100 miles in 18hrs if I go with FAA VFR reserves and do quick turns on fuel, 10-15 minutes is not an abnormal turn time for me. Two tanks is a pretty average day flying for me.one set of tanks is a hop.
 
I flew the Flybaby 14 hours once in a day. That's pretty damn tiring. Headwinds are a ***** in it, I think I averaged 40 knots over the ground. Sometimes less than 100 miles between fuel stops.

I can do 4 hours before the tanks run dry but sometimes with snail like ground speeds you have to stop early as there isn't a viable airport on your course for gas.

Things really get dicey on days with high surface winds. It really sucks trying to figure out how to land it in 40 knot winds when you only have about three gallons of gas left.
 
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