I'm just curious, but how far do GA pilots go for trips say to ferry passengers, or just because they want to get out of town for awhile?

When I was in Flight School our 'Milk Run' or the route they approved for cross country training was Toronto Buttonville to Muskoka Airport, then to Peterborough Airport, then back to Buttonville. When you are licenced you are limited to the aircraft owners rental agreement as to where you can take their aircraft and pretty much what your budget will allow you, so you could take an aircraft anywhere the owner agrees or regulations will allow you, as long as you can afford the rental and fuel. I don't fly anymore because it was the biggest drain on my wallet.

I'm just curious, but how far do GA pilots go for trips say to ferry passengers, or just because they want to get out of town for awhile?

 

 

There really isn't any such thing as a "typical" GA flight, or for that matter a typical GA pilot.  General Aviation covers a very broad spectrum of both pilots and planes.  Bottom line - if you can imagine it, someone's probably doing it.

 

From my days as an active owner/pilot, I did pretty much everything from short training or currency flights, to $100 hamburger flights, to hops across the state, to Young Eagles flights, to taking co-workers for their 1st GA ride, to multi-state extended vacation adventures with the family, to weekend getaways with my wife, to...  Well, you get the idea.  There really wasn't a typical flight.

 

My personal rule of thumb was that I liked to limit legs on longer trips to no more than 3 hours (a time limit well under my plane's range).  Beyond three hours of single pilot flight, I no longer felt as sharp as I wanted to be.  A short stretching of legs, refueling for the plane and tank draining for the pilot and I was generally good to go for as many as three hops in a day.  Never did more than that.

 

Scott

I bet the average GA flight is less than 1 hour. 

A typical airport to airport for me was 1.5-2.5 hours...up to 4 hours.

 

Gregg 

Hi Folks,

 

Yeah - 2 hours each way is my max for a day trip - prefer 1 and change - as I find I'm pretty tired after flying 4 hours in a day... While not a very physical endeavor - I assume it's just the focus and concentration that wears you out... That said - if I am truly going somewhere - around 6.5 has been my max in a day - 4.5 max for a single leg... I have to stop at less than 5 hours for fuel - and - even the quickest enroute fuel stops probably take me an hour...

 

Regards,
Scott

Limiting factors for younger pilots:-

 

- Endurace

- Regulations

- Budget

 

Limiting factors for older pilots:-

 

- Bladder function.

 

 

:smile:

LOL - well said - Bill...

 

Regards,

Scott

I would usually go far - to justify utility of an airplane (for short trips I might use a car, right?), some ski trips 200 nm away or some Grand Canyon trips (over 600 nm), etc. or some camping in Avalon (300 nm). But I still want to do even further trips like Glacier National Park, etc. But I agree, there is no such thing as a 'typical' GA flight, mind you GA even includes flying on Gulfstreams across oceans. You don't use such airplanes to 'get out of town'.

when i ever i get a chance i go all over . KIAH to LAX .KTPA down to the caribbean or farther down  yes it puts a hole in my bank but you only live once ... plus remember you dont pay all that money just to go down to the next town ...

Twice, a trip around the pattern, changed to flying to Yellowstone, or Jackson Hole, which was a day trip by car, one way.