Worth it to Fly?

ARFlyer

ARFlyer

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ARFlyer
As some of you already know K is in WV this summer working. I want to go out a visit her at some point over the summer. So, I'm wondering if you guys can direct me towards if its worth it to fly rather then drive.

The flight out there according to Skyvector and FF is about 6.5 hours w/o winds. Depending on the winds and weather conditions it could take up to 15 hours round-trip. Since I do not own I will have to rent via my school at around $130.81 per/hr for our Maule. I will not have access to our faster planes for various reasons. So the total cost could be around $2000 just to fly out there and back.

Even though I'm a CFI, I have never been past KMEM eastward or on a flight longer than 250NM. So would it be worth it for the ATP x/c time and experience or am I just going to waste money flying?

Either way I'm going. I'm just trying to figure out the most enjoyable way. :D
 
I think it would be cheaper to drive, plus no weather worries. Flying would be more fun though. You may need a vehicle anyway when you get there.

Maybe you need to find a student that needs something & split expenses?
 
I say the experience is worth it. How often do you have such a great reason to take a really long XC? But definitely do it to enjoy the trip, not to save money or time.
 
Will make a great cross country. Can't put a price on fun of flying an aircraft yourself. Could be expensive if the weather doesn't co operate.
 
You could fly the airlines. I know what am I saying. :)
 
When I was younger I always thought flying was worth it. After flying, a lot, it doesn't mean as much to me now. If I can save a lot of time I will fly, as at this point in my life, time is my most valued and limited resource

If you have the money go for it, however if you're putting college on student loans don't do it. Put that towards killing those loans.

Get your XC time on someone else's dime. Nobody is going to look at your logbook later and give you $2,000 for flying it.

Probably not what you wanted to hear, feel free to ignore me, I'm just a grumpy old man :)
 
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I probably wouldn't do it if I had to rent an airplane. However, since I don't have to worry about that I would definitely fly, unless there was a compelling reason not to.

Taking a long cross country trip can be educational, I'd probably do it for that reason alone.
 
timwinters said:
That was my first blush also...

Unfortunately.
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Well I do have airline points I can use. However, that would be a last resort because I'm unsure of the exact dates I'm going.

If I could take our multi I would pay for it in a heartbeat. But our multis aren't allowed to go that far.
 
warthog1984 said:
If you've never done a long XC before, I'd say it's worth doing for the experience- once.

Otherwise, airline time.
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Nope, never done a long x/c trip. I've never been far enough in a straight line to do actual fuel planning.
 
ARFlyer said:
If I could take our multi I would pay for it in a heartbeat. But our multis aren't allowed to go that far.
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What!? A Multi is not allowed to go 6 hrs from home?
They are not trust worthy enough?

It's less than a 1 day, 2 leg trip each way. Are you having to pay a minimum per day? Some schools require at least 3 hrs a day, so 6 hours each way gives you two days of flying and two days to visit.

If you've never been more than 250nm from home, I'd take the trip if you can afford the $2AMU. It's well worth the experience. How much would you spend on a "normal" vacation?
 
No time minimum. You only have to pay for the exact Hobbs time. The summer is our slow time, so it's easier to block an aircraft off for a few days.

Admin doesn't like the multis going beyond basically the state border. They are leased twinkies that have hard to come by parts. We can take them farther if both are up. e.g. Dallas, St.Louis, Gulf Coast... However, one is currently down for a scheduled prop overhaul. I think the farthest one has gone is about 4-5hrs from home via our school. Now the owner has gone further but it's his plane.

Normal "vacation": I've only paid for two big vacations so far in my young life. So I would say around $1500-$2000. One was a European college class and the other was the Caribbean for K and I. Now I've done numerous small <$1000 weekend trips with friends and K.
 
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It will be fun and educational, especially if you've never flown beyond single-tank IFR range. I flew from WV to WY at around 200 hours, sightseeing along the way. That was my first ever weather deviation when clouds closed in below me and I turned around and landed, and also my first deviation where I looked at the chart and landed short because my destination was IMC and I wasn't rated.

Long trips are really just several short trips put together, but it definitely teaches flight planning, especially when using multiple sectionals.

Even if you drive or ride the aluminum tube, do some flying in WV while you're there, just because it's not AR, it's not flat and it will also be educational.
 
Hank S said:
Even if you drive or ride the aluminum tube, do some flying in WV while you're there, just because it's not AR, it's not flat and it will also be educational.
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Apparently, never been to Arkansas! :no:
 
So they answer seems to be it does not make sense money wise.
What about flying does make money sense :D
I say if you want to fly for the fun of it and not worry about the cost go for it.
Do it now before you get married and have kids and are broke for years to come:D
 
Airlines would be cheaper. But you'll be a better CFI with some real-world, long xc experience. Shop around for someone else who wants similar experience and do it together to share the cost.
 
ARFlyer said:
No time minimum. You only have to pay for the exact Hobbs time. The summer is our slow time, so it's easier to block an aircraft off for a few days.

Admin doesn't like the multis going beyond basically the state border. They are leased twinkies that have hard to come by parts. We can take them farther if both are up. e.g. Dallas, St.Louis, Gulf Coast... However, one is currently down for a scheduled prop overhaul. I think the farthest one has gone is about 4-5hrs from home via our school. Now the owner has gone further but it's his plane.
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I'd approach the owner and Admin about taking the twinkie. It's an unusual but well-defined trip, it's relatively quick, and it's a good way for you to build XC experience. If necessary, I'd offer to bring the owner or a ridealong with.

I'm just not seeing the downside for them.:dunno:
 
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