XC pit stop preference

Arob16

Arob16

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Arob16
Hey all - I am planning another longer cross-country (KADS to KLAM), and I'm looking at a good pit stop half way to stretch legs and bathroom stop. Which got me thinking, what's everyone's distance preference for pit stops for a longer X-country anyway? I think I've done as far as 400nm without one in a single-piston (and without an AP), but I tend to enjoy getting out of the plane, pee break, food, etc. Although it does add to the trip time....
 
It's more of a time thing than a distance; ie depends upon the airplane - but 3 hours is a good (and typical) time. I have been in airplanes with 1.5hr practical endurance....and when I tank up the Viking, the FS450 says I have 7hrs remaining once I reach cruising altitude but that's a bit much.
 
We've done just under 5 hour legs on occasion but usually we have the option of stopping anywhere if we have to. My old Garmin 195 had various icons you could use for waypoints and one was a bathroom symbol. I suggested we could drop one of those on every airport we made an unscheduled bathroom stop but my wife nixed that idea.

We had something like a 4:30 leg in Australia one day. My wife was flying and she said, "You're going to laugh, but I want you to hand me one of those ziplock bags we have."
I told her I wasn't because after she was done, she was going to empty one of our water bottles out the window so I could use it.
 
3 hours seems to work for me. Now that I do most of my XCs solo.
 
For those of us that don't memorize airport codes...
KADS - Addison, near Dallas.
KLAM - Los Alamos, New Mexico

Gatoraid bottles for guys. Ziplocks with diapers for absorption material for the ladies. Keep sweet tea & cokes away from the kids.
 
My 182 doesn't have long range tanks so it only carries 55 usable or 60 if I dry tank. Thus my maximum is 4.0 hours, 4.5 hours if I dry tank, since I typically burn between 11 & 11.5 gallons. That leaves at least a 45 minute reserve either way.

I'll second the Gatoraid bottles.
 
Adult diapers for you and chloroform/NyQuil for everyone else.
 
:Db
Hank S said:
How often do you stop on a road trip?
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our road trips are typically in an RV so every two hours (for me AND tbe dog). i do pretty much the same thing on a XC. have gone 3-hrs but 2-hrs is more like it. but then i'm old-er and in absolutely no hurry. as a wise man once told me....never pass up a chance to use the bathroom.
 
However far 1.5-2 hours will get me. I don't like to be cramped up in the plane much longer than that.
 
Arob16 said:
Hey all - I am planning another longer cross-country (KADS to KLAM), and I'm looking at a good pit stop half way to stretch legs and bathroom stop. Which got me thinking, what's everyone's distance preference for pit stops for a longer X-country anyway? I think I've done as far as 400nm without one in a single-piston (and without an AP), but I tend to enjoy getting out of the plane, pee break, food, etc. Although it does add to the trip time....
Click to expand...

If its just me, or other pilots, I'd do it in one hop. If you need to break it up, Lubbock or Amarillo is a good halfway point at a decent airport (with decent facilities).

When flying from Houston to Sarasota or Jacksonville, our stopover point was Destin for lunch... and leg stretch.
 
It depends. If I can make it non-stop I will. If not I will just pick someplace with cheap fuel halfway.
 
2 to 3 hours max depending on age of kids. Don't let anyone drink, my wife is bad about this.
 
We usually do about 3 hours or so on long flights. We've done 4 hours, but that's a long time to sit in a small plane. We came back to Atlanta from Cape Cod a few weeks ago. Had to make sure our neighbor who was with us didn't have his usual coffee and OJ for breakfast as then he needs to stop 2 or 3 times for the bathroom; as he did when we went to the 911 museum in NYC.

Our kids do great on road trips or flying.
 
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