NYC to South Florida

[kasm]

Hi All,

Just wondering how feasible is flying a Mooney to Florida and back a couple times (maybe 5x) each winter. (Nov-Apr).

I have houses in both NY and S. Florida and making the 19 hour drive each way is wearing me down. Want to find a better way and don't want to fly commercial.

Considering a Mooney. Are people actually doing repeated cross country trips like this each winter. or is it uncommon and unpractical given safety issues, delays, icing in the northeast corridor, thunderstorms, transient fees at the destination airport, etc

What type of Mooney? I've seen them with STCs for tanks on the wing tips, turbo chargers, higher hp engines (eg, Missile/Rocket), Lo Presti, etc

thanks

Edited November 20, 2021 by kasm

[201er]

 

 

 

Edited November 20, 2021 by 201er

[PeteMc]

It is very doable.  You may just need to be a little flexible on your travel times.

Even in the winter we can have some great VFR days and some light IFR days with the freezing levels high enough to make the flight south or return from the south.  And although the icing issues may not be as bad as you go south, there are still issues.  So as long as you can be flexible, then it is a great way to travel to/from FL.

 

[kaba]

KFXE ( 3 1/2 hour ) KCPC fuel. 3 1/2 hour 1B1 Columbia County NY near Albany
Make the trip a few times a year……
Definitely better than commercial airlines or driving
But
Like the man said “Be Flexible”


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[StevenL757]

33 minutes ago, kasm said:

Hi All,

Just wondering how feasible is flying a Mooney to Florida and back a couple times (maybe 5x) each winter. (Nov-Apr).

I have houses in both NY and S. Florida and making the 19 hour drive each way is wearing me down. Want to find a better way and don't want to fly commercial.

Considering a Mooney. Are people actually doing repeated cross country trips like this each winter. or is it uncommon and unpractical given safety issues, delays, icing in the northeast corridor, thunderstorms, transient fees at the destination airport, etc

thanks

I’ve done about three dozen trips in my Ovation nonstop from Islip/MacArthur to points all over Florida - including Destin, Jax, Palm Coast, St. Petersburg, West Palm, and Naples…for pleasure, business, and volunteer flights…all with legal bingo gas.  With 102USG usable, it’s an amazing machine…especially with TKS for higher dispatch rates in the winter months up north.

[Raptor05121]

I've flown Florida-Maine four times in the past 5 months. Two in my Mooney, other two in an Aztec. I'm averaging a 75% dispatch rate, one of the flights I had to leave a plane in Viriginia and catch a commercial flight to my destination due to very low IFR and then catch a ride back down to pick it up the following weekend. Definitely adds hassle, costs, etc.

If there is any sense of urgency or NEED to get there, I'd at least be amicable to airline travel. The stress of dealing with weather systems, random TFRs, isn't worth it to me, but then again, my time is more valuable compared to some of you guys who are on the leisurely-side of their life and dont mind getting stuck somewhere. Of course if you do decide on what to do it in, I'd vote the most aptly-equipped model. As Steven above me said, an Ovation with TKS and 102gal is probably my personal top contender, cost not withstanding.