Common instruments on small aircraft

I have used my airplane to travel to jobsites for many years. It has
several advantages.

1) By the time you wait in line to get on an airliner, and have extra
stops and plane changes, especially with today's security issues, I can
usually get their quicker.

2) I can often get there cheaper, especially if it's a last minute
trip, or when I consider fees for changing tickets for my unpredictable
return trip, or fees for extra luggage for the test equipment I
sometimes need to carry.

3) Easy to change plans or add a new destination, which I have done on
numerous occasions.

4) It makes me a happy camper.

It's certainly not impractical.
--
Gene Seibel KB0NNN
http://pad39a.com/gene/broadcast.html
Because I fly, I envy no one.



Mxsmanic wrote:
Judah writes:

But what if the weather is bad or there is low visibility?

I walk IFR.

Just because it doesn't present value for you doesn't mean it has no value.
Evidence would suggest that GA presents value to some number of people in the
world, because there are many people, both pilots and otherwise, that use
General Aviation as a form of transportation. If there is no value in it,
they wouldn't use it.

I think it more likely that many private pilots use the pretext of
transportation as an excuse to fly. Not that there's any harm in
that, but they should just admit it and not try to pretend that
aircraft are actually practical transportation for general purposes.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

On 25 Oct 2006 10:51:07 -0700, "Gene Seibel" wrote:

I have used my airplane to travel to jobsites for many years. It has
several advantages.

1) By the time you wait in line to get on an airliner, and have extra
stops and plane changes, especially with today's security issues, I can
usually get their quicker.


BEFORE today's security issues I could normally beat the airlines out
to about the distance of Denver/Boulder/Orlando which is max nonstop
for the Deb.

2) I can often get there cheaper, especially if it's a last minute
trip, or when I consider fees for changing tickets for my unpredictable
return trip, or fees for extra luggage for the test equipment I
sometimes need to carry.

On a last minute trip with a non discount airfare the Deb would be
cheaper. With Joyce and I it was cheaper than a pair of discount
airfares.


3) Easy to change plans or add a new destination, which I have done on
numerous occasions.

If the mood hits you can change.


4) It makes me a happy camper.

I love mine too.

It's certainly not impractical.

But the weather is much more of a factor than it is flying commercial.
Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Many cities that had airline service 30 years ago, no longer
have any service, even an old Beech BE99 doesn't stop
anymore.
Years ago a company with offices in Wichita and Burlington
would have regular staff meetings. In order to get four to
six people to Burlington for an 8 AM Monday meeting they had
to buy six tickets and leave Wichita Sunday morning. They
then had to have rooms at the hotel for 6. The meeting
would run until 4-5 PM, after the last flight out that day,
so another night in the hotel. Then they would travel on
Tuesday, getting home in the late afternoon. Cost was in
the $5,000 range, considering lost time, even more.

But they could charter a King Air for a round trip cost of
$2.00 a mile [higher now] and depart Wichita at 6 AM and be
there for the 8 AM meeting. When they finished at 5-6 PM
they'd go back to the airport and be home for a late dinner
and their own bed by 9 PM. No lost week-end, no strange
hotels, no days missed in the office.

The cost was a King Air, a motel room for the pilot so duty
time limits could have the required 10 hours of consecutive
rest between "days" and a charge for meals and taxi. They
also paid a wait time charge for the pilot and airplane for
time in excess of the flight time waiting.

It is hard to beat the time from LAX to NYC, even with a
personal G-V and most Lear Jets require a fuel stop coast to
coast. But most business trips are under 1,000 miles and a
200 mph Bonanza can cover that in 5-6 hours. The airlines
require you check-in 1-2 hours early, fly a 2 hour flight
and take 1/2 an hour to get your bags.
You can't get any real work done on the airlines and you
"meet the 'nicest' people on the airlines."


"Roger (K8RI)" wrote in message
...
| On 25 Oct 2006 10:51:07 -0700, "Gene Seibel"
wrote:
|
| I have used my airplane to travel to jobsites for many
years. It has
| several advantages.
|
| 1) By the time you wait in line to get on an airliner,
and have extra
| stops and plane changes, especially with today's security
issues, I can
| usually get their quicker.
|
|
| BEFORE today's security issues I could normally beat the
airlines out
| to about the distance of Denver/Boulder/Orlando which is
max nonstop
| for the Deb.
|
| 2) I can often get there cheaper, especially if it's a
last minute
| trip, or when I consider fees for changing tickets for my
unpredictable
| return trip, or fees for extra luggage for the test
equipment I
| sometimes need to carry.
|
| On a last minute trip with a non discount airfare the Deb
would be
| cheaper. With Joyce and I it was cheaper than a pair of
discount
| airfares.
|
|
| 3) Easy to change plans or add a new destination, which I
have done on
| numerous occasions.
|
| If the mood hits you can change.
|
|
| 4) It makes me a happy camper.
|
| I love mine too.
|
| It's certainly not impractical.
|
| But the weather is much more of a factor than it is flying
commercial.
| Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
| (N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
| www.rogerhalstead.com

I find that the weather is not a factor 80% of the time. The airline or
driving option is there for those times. I have to fly commercial
ocassionally to properly appreciate GA.


Roger (K8RI) wrote:

But the weather is much more of a factor than it is flying commercial.
Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com