Commuting in an RV-7?
 

Hello,

I have a few questions for the Vans Air Force team. I do not have a pilots license yet and if enough people think I'm crazy, I won't pursue it. I am contemplating getting my license and buying a pre-built RV-7. I plan to make 30 round trips per year (majority April through Sept) from KCPR to 1D1. Commercial airliners are not a good option for this route as that would take 9-11 hours per leg, vs under 3 hours in an RV7. The majority of the time I would depart KCPR at 5pm on Thursday or Friday and return to KCPR on Sunday evening. 95% of my flights would be between these two airports. I would have some flexibility in departure times.

What other things should I consider for this plan? Would IFR cert be necessary?
I like the RV7 for its speed and versatility and I am prepared for the financial commitment.

I would like to hear everyone's thoughts.

Thank you

This is very possable. IFR rating needed? I would say for sure. Your times are in the evening so you wil likely be flying at night when you land. With the lack of lights around, even on a clear day this is IFR in my book. You still may need some flexibility in your schedule even if your IFR capable.
This would be a great use for a RV.

Sounds like a good plan to me and a great way to get into and utilize general aviation. You should also consider an RV-9(a) for that mission. They are a bit more stable and therefor slightly better suited to a low time pilot. Perhaps a bit less expensive too. A good honest 150 KTAS and lower fuel burn.

I'd definitely get your instrument rating if you want to be able to more reliably make the flights. Some weather during the time of year you're talking about can be pretty rough between those airports (thunderstorms) so even with an instrument rating you'll need to be flexible. Lots of good airports along the way to drop in on if needed, but if it's a fairly reliable (and best options for safety) commute you're after, I'd say that instrument rating would make a big difference.

Great use of the RV, to be sure.

If you absolutely have to be at work on Monday morning, this is not a great idea. Look at the weather, right now, in eastern SD. Widespread areas of 1/2 mile visibility, ceiling 200', freezing fog. You would not be flying to work tonight.
Do you have the flexibility to sometimes rent or take a car, drive, and show up a day late?
Do you have any passion to fly? If not, this might turn into work. At the least, get an introductory flight and see if it feels right for you.
As others have said, an instrument rating will increase the safety and/or decrease the number of times you have to cancel. But make no mistake, there will be times when you should not go, even with an instrument rating.

Thanks for all the replies
 

Luckily, the majority of my job can be done on the phone/computer and if I have an absolute meeting commitment, I will plan ahead to make sure I'm there - whether it means renting a car earlier or staying in KCPR for that weekend. If my company even allows me to do this, (they might encourage me not to fly period), I know, that they know, no meeting is too important that it trumps safety. The company I work for has a small fleet of planes and that's the mantra from the company pilots all the time so I know safety is truly #1 in the companies' mind.

Flying is not much of a passion. I have no desire to do anything but fly in a level and straight line. I always wanted to fly when I was a kid but I get motion sickness 1 out of 5 times being a passenger in a king air. My true passion is to spend more time in a place where the family (wife) wants to be located.

In today's situation, with bad weather in eastern sd, I would wait till it cleared up and then head out.

I did a discovery flight in a 172 and it was ok. A little motion sick but we were maneuvering quite a bit. He let me fly almost the entire time. Sometimes I sit up front with the pilot in the King airs.

Can a guy with a demanding full-time job spend enough time and focus to be a safe IFR pilot?

I am estimating an IFR capable RV7 for my needs to be 75k to 105k, is that about right?

Dbro172, you mention maybe looking at a rv9 instead. On a 510sm trip, I am seeing that would increase the flight time by about 30 min vs. an rv7, does that sound about right?

"Have time to spare, go by air!"
 

Don't forget that you will have mechanical issues from time to time that will keep you on the ground.

For example, I recently parked a perfectly good airplane only to find out the next time I tried to fly the starter was dead. No warning, nothing.

Make sure you can either work from home or take an airliner for those times you can't fly yourself.

If you're considering night/evening flights around the rockies, I'd say forget about IFR in a small single. If Casper is your base and you fly away from the mountains, not so bad. I'd say yes, you can do this but. I would focus on day, VFR, and always maintain the driving option. Go for the license and listen to what experienced small plane mountain flyers say.

Some data from east coast commuting.

This year I have been commuting 195 nautical miles which includes a 160 nm flight. I have flown 33 weeks out of the 50 to date. I filed IFR on 15 of those. 5 flights have been at night in addition to the IFR flights. So, there were 17 weeks I did not fly. Some were because the weather was so bad I would not fly even with an IFR rating. Some were because the destination runway was shut down. Some were due to maintenance and some were due to the fact I needed to drive my truck (bigger baggage compartment).

A few thoughts:
1. The -9A suggestion is a good one. It's optimized for cross country cruise, not aerobatics. The Vans 'book' on a 160HP -9A has it 5% slower than a 180HP -7A, or less than 10 minutes on your trip.
2. A pilot friend has had motion sickness issues, and he swears by the "Relief Band". (this is a wrist-watch like device which applies a tiny voltage to a nerve in the wrist). Maybe you can try this out.
3. Yes, if you end up flying mostly in good weather, you will need to devote some extra time to maintaining ifr proficiency.
4. If this is your normal commute, not paid for by your employer, then they really have no say. If this is a business trip flown for the employer, then they may decide not to allow it.