I have a firm opportunity to take a much higher paying job and expand
my education but taking the family might be difficult. If I have to
leave them I'd like to find some way to fly myself back and forth for
frequent visits for the 4-5 years I will be there. Flying commercial
is not an option as it is a 8-9 hour trip each way tied to carrier
schedules once driving to/from major carrier airports is included. I
know there are plenty of planes that can cruise in the 200+ range,
however, so flying myself would be an alternative as both locations
have airpots within 10 miles of town centers.

I only need to carry myself and minor luggage so passenger capacity
isn't a concern.

My mission requirements are a 700 nm range with reserve and a flight
time under 4 hours facing occasional IMC weather as I will be flying
between GA and east Texas. I'd also prefer something with as low a
fuel burn as possible for cost savings.

In investigating this, it looks like a Cozy/Aerocanard is going to be
the way to go. With a 1000 mile range, service ceilings approaching
class A and greater than 200 mph cruise I can't find anything else
that matches this in an affordable package to build. As I have past
experience as an auto mechanic, being able to work on the plane to
keep costs down is important so I'm going to have to go with something
I build myself.

Are there any good alternatives outside the canard family?