1- or 2-person XC travel from Houston to SE Wisconsin? I'm a dual resident, working on PPL, and want an option for my commute that doesn't involve TSA every....single.....week. Parameters are:
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Thoughts on these? Are there any in this category that I have missed?
One of the pleasant aspects of being late to a thread is the realization that there’s a great deal of knowledge and wisdom on PoA. If you’re still following replies, I’d like to show support for some of the previous replies and add a couple of notes from my perspective.
Insurance will limit your options.
1000nm range is not sufficient to reliably and safely fly your proposed route. You will sometimes require alternate(s), and depending on local weather characteristics, the closest usable alternate may be 100nm or more from your destination. Enroute winds may not be favorable. A line of convective weather may require a detour. Etc.
A route of that distance, in that part of the country, may traverse several different weather systems. Of particular note, thunderstorms will pose significant challenges from late March through September; and as you are aware, icing will be a contender during the winter months. Being properly equipped to deal with these contingencies is important, but equipment alone does not ensure success. Experience, and a
devotion to the craft (so to speak) are also necessary.
Those who cautioned against undertaking a flight of that duration after a long day of work are absolutely right. Fatigue is an insidious killer—pilots often do not recognize the seriousness of their cognitive and physical impairment until it’s too late (if at all). Even well-rested, a 6-hour flight can be quite tiring.
Your experience: We don’t know what we don’t know, and especially when we are relatively new to flying, there's a LOT that we don't know that we don't know. To quote another cliché, a pilot license (all of them) is a license to learn. Hiring an experienced and competent pilot to fly with you until you gain some real-world experience is good advice, especially if you can get someone who has logged many long X-C trips, preferably in GA aircraft.
As if that were not enough to contemplate, I think that there are other important considerations that haven't been mentioned. Do you really like flying? Would you enjoy the challenges presented by planning and executing flights in an aircraft with limited capabilities, in widely varying weather conditions? An enthusiasm for flying makes it much easier to endure, and perhaps enjoy, some of the downsides that traveling in GA aircraft impose.
Further, and perhaps most importantly: do you possess the ability and willingness to accurately and honestly assess risk, and to say “NO” when such risk presents a significant threat to the safety of your flight—even when you feel strong internal and external pressure to press on?
Of the airplanes you listed, the Cirrus, from my perspective, doesn’t have enough range. The Bonanza with tip tanks (depending on which model Bonanza), can do it with relative ease. The PA46 is a good contender.
For your consideration: I used to fly an F33 Bonanza with Osborne tip tanks, with a total fuel capacity of 120 gallons. The tip tanks gave that airplane about 8.4hrs endurance at a cruise speed of 155kts with 1 hour reserve, so still-air range was, realistically about 1250nm. At the time I was living in San Francisco, and my parents lived in central Texas, far from the nearest airport with airline service. I made many trips from the Bay area to a small GA airport about 15 minutes from my parents’ place. The distance was approximately 1100nm. The Bonanza cut 2.5 hours off of the time required to fly commercial and drive, including the time required to flight plan, fuel, and pre-flight the airplane. It’s important to add that, on all of those trips the weather was good VMC all the way. It’s also worth noting that, due to winds, I was not able to comfortably make the westbound return flight without a fuel stop. Not having to deal with TSA and traveling on my own schedule hugely favored the Bonanza. Plus, I really like flying.
As for the PA46, that would be my first choice of the airplanes mentioned. I had the opportunity to fly one of the very early Malibus back in about 1985. While I did not find the handling characteristics to be (subjectively) appealing, the performance capabilities and comfort are as close to ideal for your mission as you are likely to find in a piston single. The 310hp engine that was original to the type proved to be problematic, but the 350hp engine seems to be much better.
Lastly, if you’ve read this far, it’s great to read that you are learning to fly, and planning to put your skills to practical use. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best.
RW
