How much flying is too much flying?

NealRomeoGolf

NealRomeoGolf

Final Approach
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The obvious answer is there is no such thing as too much flying. I've done some marathon days that have pushed my limits. One was 8.6 on the hobbs. Today was 7.7 hours.

Curious what limits you've pushed and opinions on keeping it sane and safe up there.
 
I flew from Colorado to Oregon in one day in an Archer ~8.5 hours. Once I got there I took the people I was meeting flying for another 2 hours. I love it! :)
 
I've flown over 11-12 hours a day a few times in the airline world years ago. Schedule was legal to start (8 or less hours) but due to delays we went over that. Many times the duty day ended up being 16 hours (flight + ground time). Don't miss that crap.

I've flown 8-9 hours in a day in a C172 and Warriors a few times. Instructed 6-8 hours a day many times. In the Mississippi, Florida, & Alabama heat. Rhode Island wasn't bad though. Fun times.
 
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I did 2000NM with 3 international border crossings into a headwind in winter in a piston single in a single day (Antigua -> Puerto Rico -> Bahamas -> S. Florida -> Columbus OH). That was enough at ~12 hours of flying time but also including a lot of time on the ground clearing customs, getting fuel, returning life raft, food, bathroom breaks, etc.. Also quite the temperature differential from takeoff (80 degrees in the Caribbean at sunrise) to final landing (0F with blowing wind and snow back home in the dead of night in Columbus). I could have really used a jet that day.
 
My longest in one day was eight hours, I think. It was a straight tail 182 and I didn't want the day to end. However, I also recently flew 5.2 hours from New Mexico to Eagle, Colorado at night. That night was too long.
 
Part 135 or company regs, 8 hours a day. Of course in a helicopter with no auto pilot that requires both hands and feet, that is a VERY long day!
 
Checked my logbook. 9.2 hours with one fuel stop is longest I have ever done in a piston aircraft in a single day as PIC. That was 17 years ago. I limit myself to a maximum of 8 hours now, and rarely exceed 6.5. I have found as I get older the fatigue tolerance is lower and it sets in earlier.
 
I've done 8.3 before and that was a long day going westbound with light chop the entire second half of the trip over WY, UT, and NV. Might see if I can tackle Reno to Richmond at the end of June if the weather looks good and the winds are favorable. Otherwise it will be a two day trip (or longer if t-storms get in the way).

No way I could pull this off non-stop - San Diego to Savannah in an M20E....I remember watching his progress on Flightaware and thought he was nuts... :loco: but he pulled it off and accomplished his goal. :)

http://www.jonathanpaul.org/pdf/NonStop.pdf

Cheers,
Brian
 
Got a couple of 10 hours on the Hobbs sun up to sun down flights days without issue...all depends on how comfortable you seat is and how good your autopilot is!
 
When I was instructing full time, my record was 150 hours (200 billable) in a month. I ended up flying more than 1200 hours that year. This month I'm supposed to block 98 hours in the jet with 11 days off. The hours were long as an instructor. I was usually the first one in and last one out at the flight school and my "lunch" consisted of me scarfing down a sandwich in between lessons while my student did the pre flight.
 
Did a couple of 7+ hour days a a drop zone, prop turning for the whole time, hot fuel and hot load, no AP, all max climbs and descents, lots of to/ldgs, good for the hours but it is a wee bit wearing. Good times!
 
3.8 on Hobbs today, had to come back to home base with a grumpy face since someone else had blocked my CFI time. Zero autopilot. Had 3 stops though, 1 was required for bladder, the other 2... because I could

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Have a couple of 12hr days (logged hrs.....and no George either) [which means ~16 hrs total day]; its nothing to be proud of. {Couldn't do that much ifr.}

Once I was on the last leg of a long trip, 150nm to go and just could not hold alt/hdg so I beelined for the nearest city lights, that motel pillow never felt so good.
 
First day of ownership on the Arrow was the longest to date ironically (purchase flight home) back in 2013. 9.4 hrs 3-hopper, 1158NM, Canadian border to Mexican Border. All VFR, didn't talk to a soul the entire way. That was a long day, but still made it in plenty of time for dinner.

Longest flying day altogether was of course during my Buff days. I think it was a 17.5, circa 2008. Guam to Louisiana....non-stop. Damn headwinds. I had to get fuel, sure. I just didn't have to stop flying for it. Gas station met me on the way lol. All in all, it'll make some neat-o stories for the grandkids. 716464-R1-022-9A_001.jpg 716464-R1-028-12A_004.jpg 716464-R1-036-16A_007.jpg

Don't miss that kind of flying otherwise. It cured me from ever wanting to make a living as a long haul guy in civilian life. I'd love to do Caribbean turns for extra retirement scratch; no ice/snow and under 4 hours block for life would be all fine by me. Hell I'd be doing TJSJ out-n-backs in an BN-2 back home right now if I could afford the paycut. :D
 
11.2 in a Citation from Boston, MA to Monterrey, CA...that was an ugly day.

11.5 in my Maule from Nowhere, ND to somewhere in the wilds of Canada on my way to AK...a very relaxing day.
 
Depends on the temperature.
Sometimes an hour is too much
 
MSP Minneapolis MN to OXR Oxnard CA, to OMA Omaha NE, to TEB Teterboro NJ, to MSP, 12 hours flying.
MSP to RNO Reno NV, to FSD Sioux Falls SD to ISP Long Island MacArthur NY to MSP, 12 hours flying.
BHB Bar Harbor ME to BOS Boston MA to ASX John Kennedy Memorial, Ashland WI to MSP to SFO San Francisco CA to MSP, 11.0 hours flying.
BHB Bar Harbor ME to MSP to SFO to ATW Appleton WI, 11.2 hours flying.
All of those were too much.
 
This is a question that is probably more easily answered by one criteria.......am I paying or getting paid!
 
I do two week long Soaring Safaris, and Soaring Contests a couple times per year. We fly on average about 4-5 hours per day pretty much every day that is soarable. I have done a few 7-8 hour flights. With good weather we often fly everyday. I did one National Soaring Contest that was pretty much 12 days of Racing. No autopilots or bathroom stops . Mentally these are very taxing in that there is very little just cruising, it is continuously evaluating the weather, the route and the other gliders you are competing with. 50 hours of racing in a glider over a two week period most people are ready for a break.

Brian
 
The bulk of my flights are less than two hours. When I do make longer flights I like to limit legs to no more than three hours so I can stretch my legs and get a bathroom break. I've never done more than three legs in a day. My longest flight was from Augusta Georgia to Green Bay Wisconsin to go to Oshkosh/AirVenture.
 
If you're paying... then when you can't afford to do anything else. ;)
 
Shawn said:
Got a couple of 10 hours on the Hobbs sun up to sun down flights days without issue...all depends on how comfortable you seat is and how good your autopilot is!
Click to expand...

Yep. Weather and avionics make a big difference. Hand flying in IMC gets tiring quickly. A two-axis autopilot in good weather and 7+ hours is no big deal.
 
Depends on the situation.
At my age 3 hours is about all my bladder can stand.
Back in 1969, 6 hours in a B-24 was really hard work, but all day in a PA-18 was serious fun.
In 1971, 5 minutes over Haiphong Harbor was more flying than I ever wanted to do again.
I still average 100+ hours a year.
 
Logged 6.7 yesterday two stops. Giant circle around Alaska. It was awesome.


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9.2 Wilmington Delaware to Gulf Shores Alabama for BAC Fest. When we got out of the plane at KJKA (Gulf AIr) the lineman asked how was your flight. I about fell off the wing when my Bride tells him, fine fine my arse is numb, we need a faster plane.
 
Depends on the aircraft and the flight conditions. 5 hrs in an airplane, I'm fine. 5 hrs in a helicopter, I'm a bit tired.

Done 10.5 hrs in Afghanistan without shutting down. That was exhausting.
 
There have been times when I have been tired of flying after a long trip, but it wears off after a few days.
 
The only time I've flown too much was the day I worked all day, loaded the 5 year old in the RV, flew him from Atlanta to Dallas, dropped him with the grandparents
, and returned that evening.

That was a full day at work and another one in the airplane. I was a tired puppy on the return leg.
 
My longest day in the air was when I flew my Piper Archer II from Idaho Falls, ID to Minneapolis, MN to trade it for my first Mooney back in May of 2000. 8.2 flying hours that day, much of it in light to moderate turbulence. That was a long day but I was a lot younger and really enjoyed it!
 
I've done 9 in a day before. Worst part was all of it was at altitude, no pressurization and no oxygen. My head was hurting at the end.
 
Hell I've 7 hours before and I was golden. I love it. Didn't care for ****in' in a bottle though, especially when you are a big coffee guy and are sitting next to your dad... it's was nothing to him but I was super uncomfortable :oops:
 
Almost every summer I take a trip to west -south west and fly for 10 + hours. Journey to west generally needs a overnight stay some where in the Midwest . Back home generally done in single day weather permitting.
 
15 hours once in Vietnam, in a Huey. Flew all day hauling ash and trash, then took the night flare mission on a busy night. That's not the record, though. Knew of another pilot that did 18 hours in 24.
 
I'd like to be sitting around a camp fire drinking a beer with some of you guys. A 12 hour day with about 8 of that flying and 4 waiting out the weather is the longest I've flown.
 
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