I'm never driving to Roanoke again....

Well, it sure as heck wasn't to get rich!

Being able to fly as much as you want is my definition of "rich."

((:-))

vince norris

Yes..a lot...

Just today..2 hrs air vs 5 hrs driving.

Next week, one trip will be 8 hrs X 2 driving, 5 meals, overnight
hotel..

With our Warrior, 1.6 hrs each way, one meal..

Another, 5 hrs drive each way, 1.3 hr flight each way

Most of the time, due to the nature of the work, we can sched these
trips on flyable days....

And we can whup the competition in response time and cost to the
client...

My partner comands $100 / hr + for his services,- pounding down the
highway is expensive...

We also use it for sales visits, most can be scheded around
weather....

It is a spam can, but VERY useful... IFR capable only to be safe(r)
for our OTT ratings...

Did I mention we love to fly?

YMMV..

Dave


On Sun, 20 Nov 2005 23:26:34 GMT, Jimbob
wrote:

My business partner got his ticket last month an we have finally been
justifiying the business expense for our training.

Last month we did our first business trip to KROA. Great trip.
Rented the FBO's PA28-180 with VFR GPS. Got there in about 1:45 with
a massive headwind (from 8A6, near charlotte). Beautiful country from
the air. Landed refreshed, picked up a car and was able to spend
about 4-5 hours with the customer. Flew back in about 1:15 and
arrived in charlotte before sundown, about 6:45. A little tired, but
it was our first x-country with his PP ticket, and first trip to KROA
by air.

Woke up last friday to iffy weather. Gusting winds, not bad but over
our comfort threashold. So we trundle off via car to Roanoke. Hit
traffic with 15 minutes in I-77. A semi lost a load of sheet metal.
Great. Finally free, we are OK for a while until our Mapquest and GPS
didn't agree and we got turned around on !-40 business(vs. I-40
regular) and lost about 30 minutes. Arrived on Roanoke tired and
****ed after a 4 hour journey. Got to spend about 3 hours on site.
Left about 5:00 and after a food stop got home about 10:15.


Wretched. Simply wretched. We were spoiled with our first flight.
We are now thinking about scheduling non-critical customer site times
(i.e. face time) with contingency days in case of bad weather.

Anybody else commute to customer sites regularly? How do you handle
the bad days?


Jim

http://www.unconventional-wisdom.org

Wednesday we are driving 5:30 to Cleveland for the holiday and a
couple of days with my daughter... It is normally 1:30 in the
Apache... I am absolutely dreading it... We have to haul my son's truck
back on a dolly, so we will be 6:30 on the return leg... Did I mention
I am dreading this... Gawd I hate driving...

denny

I've already been told by my travel agent (my wife) that the Dec 10th/11th
we WILL be in Michigan, even if we have to drive.... 8 hours each way
compared to 1:20 in the Aztec. I feel your pain.
Jim

"Denny" wrote in message
oups.com...
Wednesday we are driving 5:30 to Cleveland for the holiday and a
couple of days with my daughter... It is normally 1:30 in the
Apache... I am absolutely dreading it... We have to haul my son's truck
back on a dolly, so we will be 6:30 on the return leg... Did I mention
I am dreading this... Gawd I hate driving...

denny

And I've got to fly commercial to BUF for family emergency. Weather is
forecast to be miserable, not even IFR for me. I checked on Amtrak,
but that's out of the question too -- deadline looms.

curses, foiled again.

Jimbob wrote:

Anybody else commute to customer sites regularly?

Yes, every week.

How do you handle the bad days?

IMO and experience, an IFR rating is, uh, instrumental for commuting. The
days that are really bad I adjust my schedule to leave either earlier or
later than the weather event (t-storms or winter storms, severe icing,
etc.).


--
Peter
























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At one time I had several meeting a year in Roanoke and Charlottesville,
VA. I have never been able to fly to a single one. My meetings were
typically in February or March and the airports were always socked in
for days. Been to ground school....IFR in 06 i hope.
Jimbob wrote:
My business partner got his ticket last month an we have finally been
justifiying the business expense for our training.

Last month we did our first business trip to KROA. Great trip.
Rented the FBO's PA28-180 with VFR GPS. Got there in about 1:45 with
a massive headwind (from 8A6, near charlotte). Beautiful country from
the air. Landed refreshed, picked up a car and was able to spend
about 4-5 hours with the customer. Flew back in about 1:15 and
arrived in charlotte before sundown, about 6:45. A little tired, but
it was our first x-country with his PP ticket, and first trip to KROA
by air.

Woke up last friday to iffy weather. Gusting winds, not bad but over
our comfort threashold. So we trundle off via car to Roanoke. Hit
traffic with 15 minutes in I-77. A semi lost a load of sheet metal.
Great. Finally free, we are OK for a while until our Mapquest and GPS
didn't agree and we got turned around on !-40 business(vs. I-40
regular) and lost about 30 minutes. Arrived on Roanoke tired and
****ed after a 4 hour journey. Got to spend about 3 hours on site.
Left about 5:00 and after a food stop got home about 10:15.


Wretched. Simply wretched. We were spoiled with our first flight.
We are now thinking about scheduling non-critical customer site times
(i.e. face time) with contingency days in case of bad weather.

Anybody else commute to customer sites regularly? How do you handle
the bad days?


Jim

http://www.unconventional-wisdom.org

At one time I had several meeting a year in Roanoke and Charlottesville,
VA. I have never been able to fly to a single one. My meetings were
typically in February or March and the airports were always socked in
for days. Been to ground school....IFR in 06 i hope.

The mean temperature in February (in Roanoke) is 37 degrees, with a bit
over 3 inches of precipitation (From 1948 - 2005) This means a fair
amount of that precip is either ice or snow.

I don't think an IR will help much at that time of year, unless your
aircraft has known icing capability.

I don't mean to denigrate the IR -- I've got 90% of the training done,
and it has made me a much more precise pilot -- but don't fool yourself
into thinking that the IR is going to make your flights that much more
reliable. With the level of aircraft most of us fly
(Beech/Piper/Cessna/Mooney spam cans), we run up against equipment
limitations as much as anything -- especially in the winter.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:
I don't mean to denigrate the IR -- I've got 90% of the training done,
and it has made me a much more precise pilot -- but don't fool yourself
into thinking that the IR is going to make your flights that much more
reliable. With the level of aircraft most of us fly
(Beech/Piper/Cessna/Mooney spam cans), we run up against equipment
limitations as much as anything -- especially in the winter.


Don't be too quick to throw up your hands either. In the Carolinas, back when I
was flying cancelled checks, I was expected to fly five days a week irregardless
of the weather. I stood down only a few times during the winter.... and trust
me, my aircraft wasn't certified for flying in known icing conditions. The FAA
guys used to walk around my aircraft, look at all the leaks on the tarmac and
just shake their heads.

What do you want? It was state of the art in the year I was born.

Seriously, in this part of the world the instrument rating can save many a trip
otherwise not possible.... even in winter. You just have to know the difference
between the goes and the no-goes.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE

Jay Honeck wrote:
At one time I had several meeting a year in Roanoke and Charlottesville,
VA. I have never been able to fly to a single one. My meetings were
typically in February or March and the airports were always socked in
for days. Been to ground school....IFR in 06 i hope.


The mean temperature in February (in Roanoke) is 37 degrees, with a bit
over 3 inches of precipitation (From 1948 - 2005) This means a fair
amount of that precip is either ice or snow.

I don't think an IR will help much at that time of year, unless your
aircraft has known icing capability.

I don't mean to denigrate the IR -- I've got 90% of the training done,
and it has made me a much more precise pilot -- but don't fool yourself
into thinking that the IR is going to make your flights that much more
reliable. With the level of aircraft most of us fly
(Beech/Piper/Cessna/Mooney spam cans), we run up against equipment
limitations as much as anything -- especially in the winter.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

I don't think I would tackle hard IFR into Roanoke, much less flirt with
a freezing level upon completion of my instrument rating. I am
definitely a "spam can" pa32-260 pilot. But once, just once I would
like to avoid the truck traffic on I-81 through those rolling hills.
Your right though, slim chance in Feb., even IFR.