Aircraft Multi Day Out of State Rental

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Renesh Kumaresan

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I’m finishing my flight training and checkride will be in a couple weeks and I wanted to do a cross country trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas with family in a 172. It would probably be 3 nights leaving on the 4th day. I know that many rental companies and flight schools make you pay a minimum amount of hours for the amount of days you take it out. I wanted to know if anyone has done something similar to this, and if they know any rental companies in the area?
Thanks
 
I once rented a 172 for ten days, from the school where I'd done my training.

They charged me a three-hour minimum per day (which was their standard rate for renting a plane for any entire day).

I had an adventure. Flew almost halfway across the country and back. I had <200 hours and a fresh instrument ticket at the time.

I thought the price was reasonable, to be able to do such a thing at all, in a rental. It was an amazing trip.
 
I would seriously look into local flying clubs/partnerships. Sounds like you are going to be flying a lot and flying with a club is generally 50% cheaper than renting.

I’ve been on several multi-day trips, in club aircraft. It’s a blast. The club I’m currently in only charges a minimum of one tach hour per day, which is $45 for a 172.
 
I've done it before too. Minimums were 2 hours on weekday nights and 3 hours on weekend nights. I carefully planned the trips so that I'm pretty close to the minimums. Cut it super tight more than a couple times, but never dipped below.
 
So would I just arrange an fbo to take care of parking at the destination airport?
 
I've flown a minimum per day rental as well. 3 day trip and the school said 2 hours per day. Fortunately the trip was 3.5 hours there, 3.5 hours back. So I didn't "lose" anything on the days the airplane sat there.


Renesh Kumaresan said:
So would I just arrange an fbo to take care of parking at the destination airport?
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Always a good idea to call ahead and find out details such as where to park on arrival, or where short term transient parking is, rental car availability, fuel costs, ramp fees, and if they prefer you to make a reservation. Then add the appropriate notes to your "trip kit" to have handy after landing.

At this time, you can make special requests or arrangements or instructions. Do not expect the ramp crew or the desk gal/guy to know what to do with your airplane or handle it properly by default.
 
I've done the rental thing for long term as well. I've had places want anywhere from 2 to 3 hours per day out.

LA to Vegas is a little short for a 3-day trip.
 
I’ve got a question, if you rent from Friday noon to Sunday noon, is that two days or three?
 
PaulS said:
I’ve got a question, if you rent from Friday noon to Sunday noon, is that two days or three?
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One place I rented from, it was two. The school owner said the simple way to explain it was to count the number of times you had the airplane past 0000 hours.
 
Renesh Kumaresan said:
I’m finishing my flight training and checkride will be in a couple weeks and I wanted to do a cross country trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas with family in a 172. It would probably be 3 nights leaving on the 4th day. I know that many rental companies and flight schools make you pay a minimum amount of hours for the amount of days you take it out. I wanted to know if anyone has done something similar to this, and if they know any rental companies in the area?
Thanks
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Once upon a time the FBO where I was teaching let me take a Twin Comanche for a week, and on several occasions they rented planes to pilots that they knew well (not strangers off of the street) for multi-day trips.

Bob Gardner
 
Renesh Kumaresan said:
I’m finishing my flight training and checkride will be in a couple weeks and I wanted to do a cross country trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas with family in a 172. It would probably be 3 nights leaving on the 4th day. I know that many rental companies and flight schools make you pay a minimum amount of hours for the amount of days you take it out. I wanted to know if anyone has done something similar to this, and if they know any rental companies in the area?
Thanks
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That’s not the first XC I would recommend for a new pilot.
 
I blanked on the fact that you will be a newbie. I agree with Clip4 that you should take some shorter trips before venturing that far from home base, unless you and your CFI have done some long cross-countries during your training. There are mountains to think about.
Bob
 
I flew from Iowa to the Chicagoland area shortly after my checkride... Then I took family up in the rented 172...

I think I did take some buddies up for shorter trips prior to that... But not by much.

It seems as though training is a bit more intense and the atmosphere a bit more complex than it was when I was newly minted... But training has evolved to that.

If you're comfortable but not cocky about the trip... Do it.

You're probably more "current" right out of the gate than you will be in the future.
 
Rgbeard said:
I've done the rental thing for long term as well. I've had places want anywhere from 2 to 3 hours per day out.

LA to Vegas is a little short for a 3-day trip.
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Yeah, the short trips is where it gets you. If you are renting dry it’s not that bad if you go ‘over’ and have to pay for some time you didn’t fly. My gripe is wet rentals. They expect you to buy gas that was never used. I ran this by a place that rented wet and had daily minimums once. I’ll gladly pay the time I go over minus the portion of the rate that is fuel. I even offered to pay the margin they make per gallon on selling gas that they wouldn’t be getting while I had the plane out of action. They said no. One other thing that factors in on this is while the plane is gone for days, their instructors are not getting any business from the plane being available to students.
 
The frustration of rental situations, and not being able to use a plane as you'd like to, is one of the major factors that'll eventually get you to either a) ownership, or b) withdrawing from flying altogether.
 
luvflyin said:
Yeah, the short trips is where it gets you. If you are renting dry it’s not that bad if you go ‘over’ and have to pay for some time you didn’t fly. My gripe is wet rentals. They expect you to buy gas that was never used. I ran this by a place that rented wet and had daily minimums once. I’ll gladly pay the time I go over minus the portion of the rate that is fuel. I even offered to pay the margin they make per gallon on selling gas that they wouldn’t be getting while I had the plane out of action. They said no. One other thing that factors in on this is while the plane is gone for days, their instructors are not getting any business from the plane being available to students.
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Unless you are renting from a very low volume school, the lose money every time they let you rent with a 2 hour per day minimum. The fuel they charge you for not using does not make up the difference.
 
Renesh Kumaresan said:
I’m finishing my flight training and checkride will be in a couple weeks and I wanted to do a cross country trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas with family in a 172. It would probably be 3 nights leaving on the 4th day. I know that many rental companies and flight schools make you pay a minimum amount of hours for the amount of days you take it out. I wanted to know if anyone has done something similar to this, and if they know any rental companies in the area?
Thanks
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First time flying with passengers is a major step. There will be distractions during flight and on the ground, and the stress level will be significantly higher than a solo flight. Many pilots have made poor judgement calls in these cases with bad outcomes. So don't take this too lightly. Instead, take your family on short flights around town. Take them to a nearby airport for breakfast, or for a hundred dollar hamburger. That way you can build up your experience without the stress of meeting daily minimums and other time pressures. For longer journeys, rental is not really practical. You need to either join a club or buy an airplane.
 
LA to Vegas is not hard, per se, but I agree that I'm not sure I'd make it my first XC with family after the checkride.

There are mountains, and though they are not hugely tall along that route, they are there and they are sections of nowhere good to land, and also sections of potentially pretty choppy air. Does your family have any experience in small planes, and how are they with bumpy rides? My recollection of that area is that there are some sections that are consistently pretty bumpy, though this time of year will be better, most likely.

Where in the LA area would you be coming from? What route did you have in mind?
 
I was thinking before the Las Vegas trip, I might just take them down the coast to San Diego for a day visit, or maybe even Catalina. I will be doing this a couple times so I get used to flying with others. I’m not too worried about the distractions part yet, I’ve flown with friends and family on flight lesson to other airports.
 
Have you landed at Catalina before? I have not, but I gather it can be a bit tricky.
 
Everybody else is right... Any trip is too stressfull. Anything but your home drome is tricky to land at. Stay in your local training area and the pattern. That's safest. This flying thing is just a dangerous hobby with no real function. Don't expose family and friends to your adrenaline death wish. At least until you have your ATP, and then only in a plane that requires two in the cockpit.

Or not.
 
Clip4 said:
Unless you are renting from a very low volume school, the lose money every time they let you rent with a 2 hour per day minimum. The fuel they charge you for not using does not make up the difference.
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Yeah. I’ve rented from places that have a 4 hour minimum. And places with minimums that waive it depending on the circumstances. But yeah, times are booming and they ain’t gonna wanna take their C172’s, PA28’s etc out of action
 
Renesh Kumaresan said:
I was thinking before the Las Vegas trip, I might just take them down the coast to San Diego for a day visit, or maybe even Catalina. I will be doing this a couple times so I get used to flying with others. I’m not too worried about the distractions part yet, I’ve flown with friends and family on flight lesson to other airports.
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If you have landed at Catalina before, fine.

Else, go with an instructor first, please. The visual cues are wonky and it’s easy to mess up.
 
I took a club skyhawk to Oshkosh a couple of times. We only have weekend minimums, but since the flight to Oshkosh and back is 14 hours, I cleared those easily.
 
Of course, I wouldn’t go alone my first time. I’ll take my friend with my instructor.
 
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