Flying to this year's convention

[bagarre]

My wife and I are thinking about flying to this year's convention.
It will be our first convention and our longest trip in 81D by about 1,100 miles ...or any other vehicle we own for that matter.

I thought it would be neat to fly out with a few other 170s or even meet up along the way for dinner each night.
Being that it's a 1,300 mile trip, my original seats and my less than perfect lower back...I'm guessing the trip will take us three days.

[jlwild]

David,
Lolly and I are also planning on flying to the 2012 Longmont Convention. We are hoping to hook up with some of the MO and/or TX members but have not talked to anyone yet. I was planning on a 2 1/2 days of flying (2 layovers) from the north side of Atlanta, GA to Longmont, CO. Linking up in MO might be an option. Perhaps some of the IN or IL folks might also be interested in joining up. Hopefully others will chime in with ideas. Jim

[bagarre]

We're flying from Maryland. It would be great if everyone could meet up in the midwest for the last leg.

[n3833v]

Don't get your hopes up, but I have the same thought to fly. Bill said I had better so people can see my plane that weren't at Grosse Isle. It always depends on the forecast.

John

[Bramlett]

I'm gonna try to make it. With work though hard to plan that far ahead. Would be 1000 miles for us. Sounds like great fun!

[bagarre]

I think the best approach... and consider I've never done a multi-leg trip in an airplane...
is to plan the trip with every intention of flying it regardless of weather,work or wives

Then, take all into account on the day you plan to leave the airport.

If you try to take everything into account while planning, you tend to never actually plan the trip

If it's a 2 and a half day trip, that gives us at LEAST two rally points along the way. Maybe more if we pick a noon point for each day.
Thinking back to my sailing days in the Med, we'd tell everyone that we would plan to be in a harbour or check point by a certain time, then we'd loiter at that point until an agreed departure time. That way, others didnt have to guess if we'd be there by the time they arrived.

It's always weather pending, of course but this may allow the most people to join up.

-David

[Bramlett]

I've already got it laid out.

I usually do like you say.... It seems though that being self employed while having its benefits keeps me at work more often than not. Last years calendar, i had several trips that i canceled on the way to the airport.

Gonna work towards this trip.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Having made a few flights cross country I can tell you it is no big deal. And yet it is the biggest deal. It is nothing more than series of flights yet it is much more than that.

The secret is having a plan B because plan A seldom works as planned. I usually have an idea of suitable waypoints for gas, food and rest. But I rarely end up using all or any of those stops instead changing them on the fly to what suits best at the time.

Leaving my home base near Allentown PA a few years ago headed for the Branson, MO convention I headed north west nearly getting to the PA/NY border then west nearly to Erie before heading south west. Never would have thought that would be a course I'd have taken but it was the only way around a slow moving front that would have blocked my flight path for days.

I can't say if I'm flying a 170 to the convention yet. But if I do I'll plan to be able to leave a day early. That way I can decide if I actually need to leave that day or leave the next if weather will be better or still OK. That is my first plan of action when planning a trip cross country. Remember if you have time to spare go by air. The key is planning in enough time to spare in order to go by air.

[3958v]

I hope to make CO this summer. I will probably plan to leave at least 2 days early. If weather is good I might just go to the Black Hills for a day or so and then head to the Convention. I have flow from PA to the CO WY area 7 times since purchasing 58V and find the biggest problem by far are the Allegeny Mountains as Mountain obscuration can occur for days at a time. I have had to drive home and go back for the 170 twice but would not even consider another way to go to CO. Any way I am hopeing the economy holds up good enough for me to make it. Being in the construction industry you never know. Bill K.

[GAHorn]

When flying to convention, Jamie and I always plan two, 3-hour legs each day. Leave home, fly 3 hrs and eat lunch/refuel, then fly 3 hours and land for a Bed and Breakfast. (sometimes even spend a second day there if it's a special place or involved in History (my college major.)

By planning our stops to be at interesting places and allowing for an extra day or two we can deal with unexpected wx delays, and even enjoy the local sights while we wait on the Wx. We typically plan a week to get somewhere, a week at convention, and a week for a different route back home....plus or minus a few days as req'd to accomodate allowable vacation-days.

[170C]

George, that is a good plan on convention trips. About two 3 - 3 1/2 hour legs is all we want too. You bring up an interesting subject regarding interesting places to stop for the night. Although we could make it to Longmont in one day, it would require a 3rd leg so we may want to spend the night somewhere in the greater Denver area. It might be of mutual interest to others (us included) if you and others posted some of the potential points of interest along the vrs routes to Longmont. Might give folks some options.

[Harold Holiman]

A good stop for those flying to the convention from the southeast is Elk City, OK. We made a overnight stop there while flying to the Tehapachi, CA, convention. The airport has a very friendly manager and a free courtesy car. The town has an excellent Route 66 Museum and historical displays which were very interesting and enjoyable and well worth the time spent looking.