1:45 Break Even

[teethdoc]

1:45 is the break even point for my mooney vs driving in a car. My buddy dropped me off at an airport about an 1h 45m car ride after we ran a triathlon this morning. He drove home with the bikes and I took the airplane. After pre-flight, taxi at home field, and the 25mi. car ride home from the airport, we pulled into the neighborhood behind each other.

[Rwsavory]

Sounds about right to me.  Flying is a whole lot more fun than driving, though.

[teethdoc]

Sounds about right to me. Flying is a whole lot more fun than driving, though.

Absolutely! He's an Air Force pilot, so he certainly understood my desire to fly.

[jrwilson]

Kinda harsh you made him drive with the bikes...do you guys switch off and he gets to fly and you haul the bikes sometimes or is he always the bike bitch?

[carusoam]

Seems like you need to live closer to the airport, or your buddy drives pretty quickly!

Best regards,

-a-

[1964-M20E]

 A lot of variables in the decision to fly vs. drive but if it take 2 - 3 hours drive that is generally the crossover point for me. 

[N201MKTurbo]

I used to commute between Phoenix and Tucson. I would drive two days and fly three days, because frankly they both got boring. The door to door times were exactly the same 1:45....

[kmyfm20s]

Ground transportation is the biggest variable in my opinion for those close flights. I have found for me that it that its 1:30 block time for me. I have 4 offices that I fly to and all are close to small airports. I either have cars or rides in place at each of them. All 4 locations are between 70 and 79 nm. 2 of the locations you could argue would be a break even the other are a definite 30 to 45 minute saving. The problem with the first 2 location is that there is huge variables in traffic and crazy drivers with accidents on the road. I routinely still save at least 15 minutes, it is a very stressful drive. The second 2 location are actually nice drives but long and I drive excessively fast because of the length and I don't have any traffic. Never the less flying has been less stressful, more consistent block time and a lot of fun at the end of the day. One of my more enjoyable business expenses:)

[N201MKTurbo]

When the block times are that close, things like how long it takes to open the hanger doors becomes important....

[kmyfm20s]

When the block times are that close, things like how long it takes to open the hanger doors becomes important....

It's like an Indy pit stop for me:) This mule likes to go to the barn when his work day is done!

[flyboy0681]

My variable is the good old "time is money" and "oh my aching back" adages. My daughter now attends University of Alabama and the drive there is 14 hours from our home. A few weeks ago I flew up there in 3.5 hours. The costs of flying are far greater but the wear and tear on me physically is enough to justify the cost differential.

[John Pleisse]

1:45 is the break even point for my mooney vs driving in a car. My buddy dropped me off at an airport about an 1h 45m car ride after we ran a triathlon this morning. He drove home with the bikes and I took the airplane. After pre-flight, taxi at home field, and the 25mi. car ride home from the airport, we pulled into the neighborhood behind each other.

 

This is almost my number as well. I always include door to door flying (picking up a clearance, getting airborne, stowing the ac upon arrival and driving to the destination). I came up with 2:15 as my break point. I also have 1:50 as the most time efficient air time to beat driving, equaling a door to door car trip of 4:15 (DC to Raleigh).

[N33GG]

Sounds about right to me as well, all things being equal. However, my commute here in the DFW area is prone to getting snagged in traffic if by car, and this issue doesn't exist by air. My commute is very near to this break even number, and I occasionally decide to just drive. Then I get stuck in traffic because of an accident or construction, and I get reminded why I fly, even for relatively short hops. Likewise, I love flying over DFW area and looking down at the traffic and thinking you guys have a nice day!

[flyboy0681]

Ground transportation is the biggest variable in my opinion for those close flights. 

 

This is another big factor for me too. My drive to Orlando is exactly 3 hours on the button and 1:10 by Mooney. But once in Orlando I'd have to rent a car for x amount of days and it just doesn't pay off. The extra 2.0 hours in the car driving is always the way to go for me.

[Jamie]

I mostly bought this plane so I could visit my parents more often. They're 6+ hours by car, 1:45 by air. Ground transport isn't a problem since they had the decency to move right next to an airport when I was a kid.

 

It is irritating though, to see all the places I can get REALLLY close to (land at the nearby airport) and then have no way to get around once I'm on the ground.

[Jeff_S]

I also figure about 3 hours driving for 1 hour of flight, at least around the southeast. I unfortunately got to prove that theory last week, when a dead alternator made me drive from Atlanta to St. Simon's Island instead of flying it.  The flight would have been about 1:40 give or take, while the drive was 4:30 (and yes, a much more aching back!).

[BigTex]

For me, my break-even is closer to 2.5 hours. Yesterday I flew to Don Maxwell's shop. I walked out my door at 8am and was standing in Don's office at 10:30am. The drive home was right at 3 hours.

[DonMuncy]

It depends a lot on how far you are from your hangar.

[Hank]

You flatlanders!

 

I can drive from HTW to my folks between GSP and AVL in just over 5 hours, running at posted limit +5-7 or so with no traffic delays. It's interstate most of the way, good old I-26 south through the Cumberland Gap. But I live [barely] north of the Ohio River, so I'm careful driving south.

 

Flight time is ~1:20 depending on winds; add 30 minutes at each end to load/unload, preflight/tie down, and 20 minutes driving time at each end. That totals 3:00, so even if winds are bad, I have to fly an approach or "advise ready to copy," it's really easy to beat driving time even in my slow C model Mooney.

 

The inlaws are an extra hour's flying time and an extra 15 minutes driving, call it 4:15 to central NC [Ft. Bragg]. My best driving time is just over 6:00 now that the roads are 4-laned all the way from I-40 through the Carolina backwoods.

 

There's no way I can drive 3:00 and reach anywhere that my Mooney can fly in 2:30, even allowing an hour on the ground "sorting stuff out." Or do you load the plane very slowly?  Growing up in the Marines, I pack light and load tight, both fairly quickly. It's a good skill set for a short-body owner!

 

P.S.--Flight distance is usually 1/3 shorter than driving distance, after converting nm to sm; sometimes more so, rarely less than 33% distance savings.

[sreid]

It depends a lot on how far you are from your hangar.

 

Be careful, if your wife gets the idea that a new house closer to the hangar would result in quicker travel time, she will pitch it as a speed mod to the Mooney and talk you into it!

 

Same idea as Jose saying long range fuel is the easiest speed mod for long flights.

 

Steve

[drapo]

Here's my take on it! I leave Lachute airport, north of Montréal, at noon for a flight to Val d'Or. Flight time, usually in a normal northwesterly wind condition, 1h45m. My imaginary friend, who would drop me off at the airport and continue with the bikes  , would arrive, if everything goes without a problem, about 5 hours later...

 

Another example of this is, if I leave Lachute at 7am, on a typical weekday, for a 20min flight to St-Jean, south of Montréal, my imaginary friend would be caught in traffic for, in the best case scenario, 90 minutes before reaching destination and would have to endure the same delays after our business meeting as he returns during the PM rush hour...

 

But I have learned not to idealize the Mooney ownership, sometimes it's all about sheer pleasure and that Mooney grin once at destination! 

[1964-M20E]

The other thing I like is when someone asks you what time you flight leaves to go home and I say “whenever ever I’m ready”.  You get a very puzzled look on their face until they learn that you flew yourself there and will be flying yourself back home.  I also tell them I flew John-air.

 

[Oscar Avalle]

Flying time Guatemala City (Mggt) to Flores (Tikal, MGMM) 1.1 hours. Driving time 10 hours.

[Piloto]

Flying time Guatemala City (Mggt) to Flores (Tikal, MGMM) 1.1 hours. Driving time 10 hours.

Glad you mention the above. A lot of Americans don't realize how good the road infrastructure is in the US when compared to other countries. Not to mention the numerous road and street signs here in the US that helps you in getting around. I was surprised how long you can drive here without getting into a pothole. When I was residing in San Juan the comparison was not between planes and cars but plane vs. boats to get to the nearby islands. Specially when you have 5ft swells and your boat is only 20ft long.

 

But here in the US for door to door transportation you most likely are better off with the car for 300 miles or less trips. To be considered in your total time is plane to car loading and unloading, drive to the airport, preflight time, car rental, plane refueling and overall cost.

 

José   

[yvesg]

Glad you mention the above. A lot of Americans don't realize how good the road infrastructure is in the US when compared to other countries. Not to mention the numerous road and street signs here in the US that helps you in getting around. I was surprised how long you can drive here without getting into a pothole. When I was residing in San Juan the comparison was not between planes and cars but plane vs. boats to get to the nearby islands. Specially when you have 5ft swells and your boat is only 20ft long.

 

But here in the US for door to door transportation you most likely are better off with the car for 300 miles or less trips. To be considered in your total time is plane to car loading and unloading, drive to the airport, preflight time, car rental, plane refueling and overall cost.

 

José

José, have you driven in Québec? I bet in the spring, roads are not better than some of those southern contries. Just crossing to Ontario or Vermont we notice a major difference. There currently is a public enquiry about corruption in the construction industry which is one of the reason of the poor quality o the roads.

Yves