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10-22-2017, 07:11 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Asheville, NC
Posts: 2,692
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FORANE
I have commuted by plane for a decade but my commute is weekly, not daily. As has been stated, you may not save a ton of time but you will likely be much less aggravated at the hassles of driving. The tight panel space on a 3 you mention I see as a safety issue. You will encounter weather and depending on your go/no go decisions may get you killed without good training, experience, and instrumentation that takes panel space. I would even say a good autopilot is mandatory to your mission. Yes, you will need a car at both airports.
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+1.
I've only been doing the weekly commute for 3 years, not ten. Mine is 160nm air, 220 statute road.
As noted, I save very little time over driving but the mental aspect makes it worthwhile for me. YMMV.
On average, I drive 25% of the time because there is weather I will not fly in even with the IFR ticket.
__________________
Bill Pendergrass
ME/AE '82
RV-7A: Flying since April 15, 2012. 850 hrs
YIO-360-M1B, mags, CS, GRT EX and WS H1s & A/P, Navworx
Unpainted, polished....kinda'... Eyeballin' vinyl really hard.
Yeah. The boss got a Silhouette Cameo 4 Xmas 2019.
Last edited by rzbill : 10-22-2017 at 07:13 AM.
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10-22-2017, 07:12 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Posts: 1,558
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I have to agree with the Captain. Buy the airplane you want because you want it, not because you need it for reliable daily transportation. Airliners that are way more reliable than homebuilt airplanes, aren't that reliable for daily commuters if you have to be there on time.
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SH
RV6/2001 built/sold 2005
RV8 Fastback/2008 built/sold 2015
RV4/bought 2016/sold/2017
RV8/2018 built/Sold(sadly)
RV4/bought 2019 Flying
Cincinnati, OH/KHAO
JAN2020
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10-22-2017, 08:06 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Ozark, AL
Posts: 62
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Why not look at the 4s? Great value to be had and a extra seat that you can use for storage during your commute. Could come in handy.
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Adam Wright
RV-8 Builder 83611
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10-22-2017, 08:21 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dogwood Airpark (VA42)
Posts: 2,596
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Some thoughts:
- For awhile I did a twice a month commute from Fredericksburg, VA to north Atlanta, about a 600 mile drive. Flight time was 2hrs 45min. I gave myself 30 mins at the front end (airplane in the hangar next to the house) and an hour at the tail end (park at KPDK) for the trip to make sure I got to the office on time. On those days that I had to make the trip commercial, it was a full five+ hours from the time I left the house until I was in the office in Atlanta (three hours up front to make sure I got to DCA in the horrible I-95 traffic).
- I would not consider any commute plan that was not flown IFR any day other than perfectly weather. Way too easy to get suck into the ?got to get there? mentality and end up scud running.
- I also had a process to easily get a commercial flight if the weather went bad.
- Considering all this, I would put the ?it make sense to fly instead of drive? commute distance at no less than 250 miles. The option of ?I can fly and get where I need to be because it is fun? has no range minimum.
Carl
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10-22-2017, 08:42 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Boulder, CO
Posts: 4,435
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For this commute, if that's the main reason you want an RV and you don't have an ulterior motive like aerobatics, any of the RVs will do. It doesn't matter. As Bob suggested, the other parts of the commute will dominate the trip time.
But why limit your search to an RV? Almost any airplane will do for this.
As you know, there are different wing configurations with an RV-3. That will affect the price. The RV-3 construction process leaves a lot to the builder and you'll need a very careful inspection, preferably by someone who knows something about RVs, and desirably, RV-3s.
Dave
RV-3B, now skinning the fuselage
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10-22-2017, 08:49 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Niceville, Florida
Posts: 434
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RV Commuting
I’m an airline pilot and I commuted from the Florida Panhandle to Memphis in our RV-4 for five years.
A -3 would do the job, but the -4 has a nice trunk (rear cockpit) to strap a big bag into, and you still have the baggage compartment for miscellaneous gear—plus you can take the occasional friend flying! A -6 would do just as well. In commuting mode, I’d pull the rear seat stick and upholstery and used a small plywood false floor with rubber padding underneath my big roll-away that I strapped in with the harness.
After three years of hand-flying IFR, I added a Trutrack autopilot. If I had to do it over, I would have added that much sooner! I had a couple of canned flight plans, and always filed IFR even when the weather was cancelled  . This simplified planning and execution. I always had a back-up plan. To reduce the “get thereitis” I always allowed sufficient time on a front end commute to be able to land enroute, rent a car and still make it to work.
The RV was a full hour faster door to door than total commute time by jumpseat, since I had to drive almost two hours to catch a direct flight.
Paul is spot on, the weather will be the biggest factor (an RV isn’t a Boeing when it comes to weather flying); so you might want to set your personal weather mins, and then start looking at how often you’ll be able to fly the profile...there were plenty of times the weather dictated Plan B...but, the bottom line is you’ll enjoy flying RV’s whether you're commuting or just boring holes in the sky!
Good luck,
Vac
__________________
Mike Vaccaro
RV-4 2112
Niceville, Florida
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10-22-2017, 10:07 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Ozark, AL
Posts: 62
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David Paule
For this commute, if that's the main reason you want an RV and you don't have an ulterior motive like aerobatics, any of the RVs will do. It doesn't matter. As Bob suggested, the other parts of the commute will dominate the trip time.
But why limit your search to an RV? Almost any airplane will do for this.
As you know, there are different wing configurations with an RV-3. That will affect the price. The RV-3 construction process leaves a lot to the builder and you'll need a very careful inspection, preferably by someone who knows something about RVs, and desirably, RV-3s.
Dave
RV-3B, now skinning the fuselage
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True! If you are set on single seat but want a little more room and still be "sporty and aerobatic", look at the SPA Panther. Easy construction, almost as fast and great looking plane!
__________________
Adam Wright
RV-8 Builder 83611
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10-22-2017, 01:06 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 405
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C172 commute experience
In 1984-86 I commuted daily in a Cessna 172. Car at each end, and with a post-landing commute to finish the drive to the office, the total door to door time, flying or driving, was almost the same, 2 hours one way. Flying over the traffic jams was great, but there is obvious overhead in the pre-flights, fueling, tiedowns, etc.
If I were to recommend daily air commute I'd recommend that the workplace is only a bicycle ride from the airplane's daily parking spot, and that there is a reasonable backup driving/no flying commute method.
I'd echo the opinion that you want a 2 seater. I fly a -6A, and it's great. 90+% of my flying is solo, but it's still great to be able to share a ride or throw a backpack on that seat.
Carl
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flytoday
RV7A - purchased flying 05/2020
RV6A - purchased flying 07/2011
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10-22-2017, 05:06 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 278
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DrDrift
7 - LAST MILE PROBLEM
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Uber is the best solution I found for this part, depending on location.
__________________
Dan V
'91 Zodiac flying since 2013
RV-14A in progress
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10-22-2017, 07:57 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Dayton, Nevada --- A34
Posts: 1,464
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I can be great
As Paul mentioned, I commuted about 100 miles for about five years and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Even though I used the planes for other things, it would have been absolutely the right thing to do if I never used it for anything else. My drive commute was exactly across Houston and the very best I ever did took two hours....going home was typically about four hours. My typical flights to and from were 65 minutes door-to-door. In a pinch, I did it under 55 minutes. The plane(s) lived in our hangar in an airpark on the home end and on the ramp with good canopy covers on the work end. I didn't note any ill-effects of that life.
During the later years, I had the luxury of picking an RV-3B, -6, or -8 for the commute. I almost always chose the -3B unless Paul claimed it first. It's a perfect commuter IF you don't need to lug a bunch of stuff around. The -6 was always my second choice. Assuming you can find the appropriate -3 at the price you want, I can't imagine why you would buy a -4 or -6 for that mission. That said, there are many more -4s and -6s to chose from.
I had a older car AND a one-bedroom condo on the work end. It would have been much more stressful without both. At the very least, I would rent a room in a colleague's house for days when you effectively get stuck. Days like that were inevitably stressful and adding the task of finding a motel room can put one over the top! At least, that was my experience.
I agree with some posters (somewhat) that RV commuting rarely makes objective sense but it absolutely did make sense in my case. I had some ideal circumstances...airpark home, friendly airport with free tie-downs and free car parking just two miles from the office, a horrific commute by car, an "extra" old car, inexpensive housing costs at the work end, and an office window that allowed me to watch the weather each day both at the airport and in the direction of home. You will have to judge whether it makes sense for you and your circumstances.
__________________
Louise Hose, Editor of The Homebuilder's Portal by KITPLANES
RV3B, NX13PL "Tsamsiyu" co-builder, TMXIO-320, test platform Legacy G3X/TruTrak avionics suite
RV-6 ?Mikey? (purchased flying) ? Garmin test platform (G3X Touch, GS28 autopilot servos, GTN650 GPS/Nav/Comm,
GNC255 Nav/Com, GA240 audio panel)
RV8, N188PD "Valkyrie" (by marriage)
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