Bill Watson
En-Route
Living with your plane on an airpark changes everything. We did 17 years ago, stopped the 'fun flying' in gliders, got a Maule and started using it like a car.
Our first real mission was a 100nm weekend commute to hang out with friends at their lake house. 1.5hrs door to door beats 2.5hrs especially when doubled for the round trip. On most days and nights, flying is a lot less effort. To do it reliably meant getting my IR even though neither airport had an approach. Nothing like a mission to drive the learning process.
Flying a faster RV10 makes longer missions comfortable but the 100mile trip still works because of it being in the backyard. I've lived 50 miles south of the VA border and most family and friends live north of it but I haven't driven over that border in over 10 years. My two longest car trips in 10 years have been to tow a boat back home and to buy a new car. We fly everywhere, all the time and I'm still surprised it works so well.
If you can find an airpark to live on, do it.
Our first real mission was a 100nm weekend commute to hang out with friends at their lake house. 1.5hrs door to door beats 2.5hrs especially when doubled for the round trip. On most days and nights, flying is a lot less effort. To do it reliably meant getting my IR even though neither airport had an approach. Nothing like a mission to drive the learning process.
Flying a faster RV10 makes longer missions comfortable but the 100mile trip still works because of it being in the backyard. I've lived 50 miles south of the VA border and most family and friends live north of it but I haven't driven over that border in over 10 years. My two longest car trips in 10 years have been to tow a boat back home and to buy a new car. We fly everywhere, all the time and I'm still surprised it works so well.
If you can find an airpark to live on, do it.