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From: lmiller@ucla-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.aviation
Subject: Re: Speed of flying vs driving
Message-ID: <3248@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 15-Jan-85 16:25:32 EST
Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.3248
Posted: Tue Jan 15 16:25:32 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 18-Jan-85 01:23:28 EST
References: <693@ihnp4.UUCP> <797@amdahl.UUCP> <242@terak.UUCP> <19096@lanl.ARPA> <257@terak.UUCP>
Reply-To: lmiller@ucla-cs.UUCP (Dr. Lawrence Miller)
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Lines: 19
Summary: 


[]
I used to fly every week from Los Angeles to the SF bay area.  About half 
the time on airlines, half the right way.  Door to door, from my house to 
Xerox PARC, light plane flying was equal in time to the airlines.  
I could land at Palo Alto and take a cab vs. SFO or SJC and rental car.
About half the time I had to file IFR, and either shoot an approach into 
SJC, or cancel and go VFR in PAO.  On one occasion I needed to go into SFO
and they were just wonderful.

I'd fly almost anything available, and got to the point where the route
could be done in minimal time: about 2 hours in a Mooney or Bonanza.  For
one person the airlines were cheaper; for two it was a wash.  I'd leave LA
(either SMO or VNY) around 7.  Leave Palo Alto around 5 or 6 the same day.

A couple of times LAX was fogged in and we hand to land (many hours later
than scheduled) at Burbank, but when I flew myself, VNY was always open
even when LAX was not.  Forget driving: 7+ hours each way.  (The 
distance, by the way, is about 280 nm.)