Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84 (Fortune 01.1b1); site rhino.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!hpda!fortune!rhino!marcum From: marcum@rhino.UUCP (Alan M. Marcum) Newsgroups: net.aviation Subject: Re: Speed of flying vs driving Message-ID: <274@rhino.UUCP> Date: Mon, 14-Jan-85 12:16:37 EST Article-I.D.: rhino.274 Posted: Mon Jan 14 12:16:37 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 17-Jan-85 04:33:27 EST References: <693@ihnp4.UUCP> <797@amdahl.UUCP> <242@terak.UUCP> <19096@lanl.ARPA>Reply-To: marcum@rhino.UUCP (Alan M. Marcum) Organization: Fortune Customer Support Lines: 49 I'll note a few trips in particular, from both sides. My home base is Palo Alto (PAO), roughly midway between San Francisco and San Jose. PAO is five minutes from my house (I bought the house BEFORE I started flying, or even thinking about it -- if only PLANNED things could work out so well.....). Flew PAO to Tucson, Arizona in a Grumman Tiger. I recall logging about six hours each way, with about an hour on the ground for a fuel stop each direction. This hour included, at one stop, waiting for the FBO folks to arrive, and at the other, getting another weather briefing (we'd flown through a forcasted cold front; wanted to see what was what). Flew to Disneyland for the day. One-stop down (Santa Barbara, an emergency pit stop for the ~9 year old girl with us), non-stop back; about 2 hours air time each way in a 182RG. Driving would have been eight hours down (~400 statute miles). Flew to Modesto, to visit my aunt there. Its about 1:40 to drive; it was about 1:30 door-to-door in a 172, including waiting for her to pick me up after calling upon landing. Flew to Davis (near Sacremento) for various business functions. Generally, these have been scheduled for 8pm; I better leave about 5pm for traffic. In a 152, I've left at 6:30, after a nice dinner at home, and made it in plenty of time. Flew to Lake Tahoe for dinner in a T210. Five hour drive; ~1:30-2:00 each way, including ground time and the walk to and from the restaurant. Finally, the biggie: flew to Washington, DC in the 182RG. Two of us logged a total of 37 hours round trip. We stopped, if I recall, three times each way for fuel, including one overnight each direction. Sure, much slower than commercial. Not exactly a 100-mph plane. But, oh, what a trip! Some of these flights have been in planes much faster than 100-mph. Others have been in 152s and 172s. Admittedly, it's rare that I stop for my "tank" before I stop for the plane's; this usually holds true with passengers, too (though note the Disneyland trip). And, personally, I'd MUCH rather fly for two hours than drive for two hours (or pre-flight for X, fly for Y, ground time for Z, than drive for X+Y+Z). -- Alan M. Marcum Fortune Systems, Redwood City, California ...!{ihnp4, ucbvax!amd, hpda, sri-unix, harpo}!fortune!rhino!marcum