For those who don't fly for a living...

455 Bravo Uniform

455 Bravo Uniform

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455 Bravo Uniform
If you travel for work, do you get your flying "fix" while on the road? If so, how? And any examples?

I travel about 20%, but am about to embark on a number of business trips the next 2 months. Not only will it put a damper on my flying, but I am also about 7 flights away from my PPL check ride...so close!

First trip: KELD

Then a few to urban New Jersey & Philly areas.

Then KOXC.
 
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If the weather is good stop in at a local airport and schedule a flight with an instructor. You can tell him you "just want to fly around".
 
I used to bring my logbook just in case a flying opportunity arose. If I had extended time available I'd get checked out in a rental and do some exploring. Other times, I added to the skill set by trying something new, like gliders. Got hooked on those and got my rating, too, mostly on business trips!
 
Why bring your logbook? That'd be the last thing that came with me. The certificate and the medical should be sufficient.

That being said I travel 25%+, but have yet to stop in anywhere. I am usually strapped for time and the airports with rentals usually aren't close by. I'm also not going to get into an argument with an FBO about doing a checkout on a 172 when the entirety of my 60 hours has been in one variant or another.


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coloradobluesky said:
If the weather is good stop in at a local airport and schedule a flight with an instructor. You can tell him you "just want to fly around".
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Don't they have to do paperwork to prove you're not a terrorist or something these days?
 
When weather cooperates I fly to work. 23 minutes v. 2.5 hours driving home on fridays.....
 
denverpilot said:
Don't they have to do paperwork to prove you're not a terrorist or something these days?
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Your already rated. Unless you are seeking specific training toward an advanced rating, no they don't. We get a lot of visitors here that are not used to desert mountain flying. They just want a seeing eye pilot, familiar with the local airspace terrain and how to get to the Grand Canyon and back.
 
BillTIZ said:
Your already rated. Unless you are seeking specific training toward an advanced rating, no they don't. We get a lot of visitors here that are not used to desert mountain flying. They just want a seeing eye pilot, familiar with the local airspace terrain and how to get to the Grand Canyon and back.
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Ahh that's right. Only have to do that on the initial rating or if you had the rating before that silliness started. Thanks.
 
Have you guys seen https://www.openairplane.com


I am not involved with them at all, but it seems like a great way to do exactly what you are saying. Just get checked out on a 172 at your local airport and magically you are checked out on all the 172s anywhere (on the website). Same goes for all other types, but I would think that since 172 is the most common, that would be the best to get checked out on.
 
Why not fly yourself? Nearly half of my 250-300 hrs a year are for business trips. Why fly the airlines when you have a plane?
 
I occasionally fly while on travel for work. More frequently, I'm working 15 hour days and there is no time.

However, I did get my first mountain flight that way. Walked into an FBO in Lancaster asking for a Warrior checkout and a few landings at Tehachapi. The instructor took me to Big Bear instead. Learned a lot that day.
 
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If you're in the area of KCDW and my plane isn't sold yet, feel free to shoot me a PM and we'll go up if you'd like.
 
flhrci said:
Bringing the logbook and flashing the TSA endorsement would suffice.
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Yeah I was thinking about Jesse adding mine when we did the IFR, or hunting for the one from a previous CFI or something "wrong" with it. I dunno. He fixed it. Or whatever.

I had none originally in the book because you know, terrorists with mighty Cessnas wasn't a "thing" back in 1991.

Well, it still isn't, but we pretend it's a big deal now, anyway, and annoy folks who come here for training with some nice extra paperwork.
 
My logbook always stays at home. I don't really bring it anywhere unless I'm doing a dual flight.
 
Maciej said:
If you're in the area of KCDW and my plane isn't sold yet, feel free to shoot me a PM and we'll go up if you'd like.
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Appreciate that! Looks like I'll be 40 south of ya...which by NJ traffic standards is probably a 2 hr drive!

Watcha selling?
 
I'm self employed. I travel for work constantly. Most of it on airlines, but the goal is to eliminate national airline travel 100% over the next years with the new plane. International travel will have to wait until I can afford an even more capable and long range plane.
 
jordane93 said:
My logbook always stays at home. I don't really bring it anywhere unless I'm doing a dual flight.
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Out of habit I have it in my headset case, cuz it's been almost all dual up to now (a few solos including a lone XC). That'll be wierd once I no longer need it!
 
RudyP said:
Why not fly yourself? Nearly half of my 250-300 hrs a year are for business trips. Why fly the airlines when you have a plane?
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Not all employers are ok with someone flying themselves. I'm not saying it is right, it's what it is. Being able to fly oneself is only one aspect of a job (good or bad).
 
I used to love going out to the IBM plant in Boulder, CO for meetings. There was a glider operation just outside the city. I would go there at lunch, rent a glider and terrorize the locals.
I'm thrilled to see it's still in operation!. Mile High Gliding. Great memories.
 
Shepherd said:
I used to love going out to the IBM plant in Boulder, CO for meetings. There was a glider operation just outside the city. I would go there at lunch, rent a glider and terrorize the locals.

I'm thrilled to see it's still in operation!. Mile High Gliding. Great memories.
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Mile High changed hands a long while back but kept the name. The club down the row has much nicer gliders but is an equity club so you have the choice of the Commerical operation with older gear, or the club with really nice gear but higher buy in and dues.

All my flying in the gliders up there was at MH, long ago, but these days, the club would maybe be more attractive to me.

Club has wrecked a couple of Pawnees in recent years so they've struggled a little bit, but from folks who are members, they seem to be surviving the insurance hits fairly well and there's enough members that they're well capitalized enough to buy stuff and upgrade it to get things moving again after stuff gets broken.
 
Anymouse said:
To prove BFR is up to date??? Insurance minimums met??? :idea:
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A copy of the logbook page with the latest BFR and any endorsements should be sufficient. Replacing a lost logbook is too much of a liability.


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Anytime you go for a checkout with a cfi, you get his john Hancock in your log as it is usually an insurance requirement. If you are not yet rated, his signature is just another hour dual. In most cases I'very had, the cfi went through my logbook recent entries and my flight review. On a couple of occations, I have even had a little ground school.
My last trip out to LA, I was perfectly happy to fly a couple of hours with the cfi owning the radio. I flew, she talked. I did the same in LV the year before.
Their plane, their rules. I'm happy just to sightsee for a while.
Last LA trip I flew out of Long Beach. C 17s on the ramp. An Anatov 124 was on the opposite side.
 
RudyP said:
Why not fly yourself? Nearly half of my 250-300 hrs a year are for business trips. Why fly the airlines when you have a plane?
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Isn't there a thread discussing how employers "frown upon" such things?
 
Shepherd said:
I used to love going out to the IBM plant in Boulder, CO for meetings. There was a glider operation just outside the city. I would go there at lunch, rent a glider and terrorize the locals.
I'm thrilled to see it's still in operation!. Mile High Gliding. Great memories.
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A few years ago I had a set of meetings in Boulder that had a weekend in between. Rather than fly back east then out again I stayed the weekend and took a half-dozen training flights in a 2-33A at Mile High. Lots of fun. I wish I had had a few more days, I could have gotten my rating while on the road!
 
paflyer said:
Isn't there a thread discussing how employers "frown upon" such things?
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Yes, and that's fair (also directed at Capn Jack who made the same point on first page of this thread) and in some situations that is a real barrier. That said, I've worked for two companies so far and neither allowed personal GA travel by I have done it anyway. If they don't want me they can fire me, so far it hasn't happened and I've been making business trips on schedule and on my terms for 10 years without flying the airlines.
 
SoonerAviator said:
Why bring your logbook? That'd be the last thing that came with me. The certificate and the medical should be sufficient.

That being said I travel 25%+, but have yet to stop in anywhere. I am usually strapped for time and the airports with rentals usually aren't close by. I'm also not going to get into an argument with an FBO about doing a checkout on a 172 when the entirety of my 60 hours has been in one variant or another.
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Because I was renting and wanted to establish prior experience, AND when I got a checkout or training towards a rating I wanted it logged. And I'm glad I did!
 
SoonerAviator said:
A copy of the logbook page with the latest BFR and any endorsements should be sufficient. Replacing a lost logbook is too much of a liability.


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I suppose the check out could be recorded on that copy and stapled too.
 
paflyer said:
Isn't there a thread discussing how employers "frown upon" such things?
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I'm sure there was. I retired from Intel last June and they prohibited the use of GA on company business with certain exceptions. Those exceptions were listed by tail number and happened to be the company's shuttle fleet. I talked to the risk management person one day and pointed out that the C-172 I would likely be flying from KOLM to KHIO weighed less than my Jeep and landed slower than I drive down I-5. Simple physics said that the Jeep would do more damage. Her comeback was, "Which one would make the 6 o'clock news?" I couldn't counter that one.

Now that I'm self employed, I make the rules. Unfortunately, much of my travel is still international and a C-172 or C-182 just isn't going to get me across the Pacific or Atlantic.

Back to the OP's question - I have flown in Wyoming and several times in Hawaii. Each time I've skipped the checkout and just taken the CFI along. Mountain flying checkout in Wyoming and in Hawaii the CFI runs the radio. He can pronounce the reporting points far better than I can. BTW, the last time I flew in Hawaii was in 2009 and I paid $200/hr dual for a C-172. That was an EXPENSIVE circumnavigation of the big island.

Have fun, whatever you do.
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
If you travel for work, do you get your flying "fix" while on the road? If so, how? And any examples?

I travel about 20%, but am about to embark on a number of business trips the next 2 months. Not only will it put a damper on my flying, but I am also about 7 flights away from my PPL check ride...so close!

First trip: KELD

Then a few to urban New Jersey & Philly areas.

Then KOXC.
Click to expand...

I've done it a few times on the road. Do a couple stalls, a steep turn and a couple landings for the rental checkout and you're good to go. I've never tried the open airplane thing because their rental rates are sky high. As a student pilot I doubt if they're going to turn you loose to solo that easy but getting some dual in and not letting yourself get rusty sounds like a great idea. I would recommend looking for some crusty old coot who has been around a long time. The less experienced ones are more likely to wan't you to fly their way and maybe interfere with your preparation for your check ride. The old coot is more likely to let you fly around in your "envelope" and maybe give you some valuable tips that will help.
 
Anymouse said:
I suppose the check out could be recorded on that copy and stapled too.
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Absolutely. I'd just hate for the airline to lose a logbook, or misplacing it while on the road. A copy of the logbook pages is cheap insurance and will suffice for their records. I would hope that once you get the check-out with the new outfit, you won't need to provide proof of that checkout for future rentals at that site, but that's not always the case.

I also like the idea behind OpenAirplane, but since the rates are higher than it would be to just rent direct, it loses its luster. I would think that the logbook entry showing a minimum time in type and proof of insurance should be sufficient to rent anything without needing a "checkout", but it doesn't seem to work that way most of the time.
 
denverpilot said:
Mile High changed hands a long while back but kept the name. The club down the row has much nicer gliders but is an equity club so you have the choice of the Commerical operation with older gear, or the club with really nice gear but higher buy in and dues.

All my flying in the gliders up there was at MH, long ago, but these days, the club would maybe be more attractive to me.

Club has wrecked a couple of Pawnees in recent years so they've struggled a little bit, but from folks who are members, they seem to be surviving the insurance hits fairly well and there's enough members that they're well capitalized enough to buy stuff and upgrade it to get things moving again after stuff gets broken.
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Back in the late '70s through mid 1980's they were wonderful to deal with.
 
I go to the same place for 6-8 months at a time, so I can go do local checkouts pretty easily. I've looked at Open Airplane to simplify things, but I like the local checkout to get the 4-1-1 on the local area. Stuff like "xyz center is a bunch of arses", or don't bother asking for flight following out of KVGT because.. blah blah blah

So, IMHO an hour or two with someone who works the area is worth the money.
 
I've done this.

I'll call ahead before traveling to the area, schedule a flight with a local flight school and just enjoy learning something new from the area.

I've yet to go up with an instructor and not learn something, nor feel like I didn't get my money worth of the time in the air with a pro.
 
Me, too. Not often, but it really adds a little pizzaz to a vacation somewhere too far to take my plane to. Like Alaska--just arrange it ahead of time! and discuss details of what you want tondo when you get there. Often local knowledge will prove superior to what you had in mind in a general way.
 
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