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