VansAirForceForums  
Home > VansAirForceForums

- POSTING RULES
- Donate yearly (please).
- Advertise in here!

- Today's Posts | Insert Pics


Go Back   VAF Forums > Activity Specific > Trip Write-ups
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1  
Old 06-19-2011, 06:24 PM
339A's Avatar
339A 339A is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Littleton, CO
Posts: 367
Default Scott & Deb's Excellent RV Adventures: Great Exuma, Bahamas 2011

Now that the fever pitch of Rosie and Tuppergal’s COLOSSAL Bahamas 2011 post has subsided, we thought we’d break away from the original thread and post a few of our own photos from the trip. (Some are duplicates that you may or may not have seen in Rosie’s on-going write-up.) Our aim with this installment of Scott & Deb’s Excellent RV Adventures is to give a brief summary from our perspective.

There’s one aspect of an undertaking of this magnitude that can't be conveyed: just how much pre-planning/coordination is involved. Realize that the idea was hatched some two years ago during the Caymans trip of 2009. (Unfortunately Deb and I had to cancel at the last minute after making it as far as Homestead.) Jim Baker and Paul Rosales deserve all the credit here! There were numerous phone calls and TONS of e-mails requiring everyone’s participation and input for gathering and relaying the necessary information. Decisions had to be made regarding travel dates, departures, gaggle flying, customs, hotels, diving, etc., etc., etc. MANY THANKS to both of them, from all us involved, for pulling it all together and making it another safe and fun adventure.

On our first over-water trek to Grand Turk back in 2007, I had 150 hours as PIC in the 9A. My total PIC time was only 266 hours. Since that trip Deb and I have logged close to 900 hours in 339A, 650 of which have been cross country. Bahamas 2011 saw us as lead of Delta Flight with 4 other planes in tow.

In addition to the range of the RV, what we hope to communicate here is the social side of flying to places other than the local Saturday morning B-fast run. Whether it be spontaneous weekend jaunts, fly-ins, work-related trips, or planned vacations, we continue to meet and make friends with people everywhere we go. When first we began our RV flying adventures four years ago, I had met “Jimmy B” only once and had briefly talked with “Rosie” on the phone; we now count them among our closest of friends.

Amazing what has transpired in four short years. And all because we built this thing in our garage called an RV. Thanks Van …

Even after whittling our photos down to under two hundred in number, there are still just too many to post individually. We decided to include a few of our favorite ones here and put the rest in an online photo album that can be viewed as a slideshow. Looking at large colorful digital images is all well and good, but if you want to get a real sense of the scope and feel of a trip like this, as well as an appreciation for the camaraderie that it instills in its participants, click this link and take a few minutes to view the trip in its entirety.

Lots of RVs at X51 - Homestead, FL




Three 9As in flight





Nice shot of Scott & Tanya in N4822C





Room with a view





Lined up at Pittstown Point





VAF hat sighting





The entire gang





WAMs (Weather Avoidance Maneuvers) in the Pensacola area. N4822C can be seen under the "Flying Ace's" chin





The trip as recorded by "Spotty" (I forgot to turn him on for the last leg to Denver)





So now the bottom line....

What did it all cost? Well I did a breakdown of what we spent so everyone could get an idea of how much money they need to save. Trips/vacations of this size are not cheap. Some of the stats for this trip:

Fuel: $1,281.59, that's 235.8 gallons of fuel which ranged from $4.74 - $6.30/gallon. Avg price $5.43/gallon

Palm Bay Beach Club: $1,267.75 (most people's room were quite nice... room # 27 was not one of them)

Hotel: $127.45 (we also had two free nights at Holiday Inn, one night at the Cards and one with my cousin)

Rental cars: $103.35

Meals charged to the Visa: ~ $160.00

Cash spent: $650.00

Exuma Fees, taxis, taxes: $160.00

Diving: $212.00 (Not the best diving to be had on Great Exuma)

Scooter rental : $50.00

This makes a Grand Total of: $3,962.14!! There is also a couple hundred not accounted for in purchases that were made prior to leaving on this trip.

Some other stats: 339A logged 32.2 hours, flew 4951 statue miles, made 16 landings, average ground speed of 134 mph, mpg average was 21. (we had head winds 90% of the trip)

Regards and start saving now! Deb and I hope to see you on the next trip.
__________________
Scott Mills, Front Range, CO
N339A - 1900 Hours!! since 9/11/05
Like Us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScottandDeb...tures/timeline
Airport Landings

"In order to discover new lands one must have the courage to lose sight of the shore." Andre Gide

"Never feel sorry for a man who owns a plane" Charles Morse (Anthony Hopkins) in The Edge

Last edited by 339A : 06-19-2011 at 08:09 PM. Reason: Corrections
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 06-19-2011, 07:15 PM
rv699jb rv699jb is offline
 
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 64
Thumbs up Excellent RV Adventure

.

.....Excellent Pictures.....

What a great bunch of people to go with on our excellent RV adventure!
The next trip is half planned already.
Someone loan me the money , and I'll test fly it this fall!
Thank you Deb & Scott, for the great pictures and write up. Seeing the fun everyone has,
makes all the time and planning worth it!
Jim B & Vicki 2


.

Last edited by rv699jb : 06-19-2011 at 08:05 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 06-19-2011, 07:22 PM
scard's Avatar
scard scard is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Cedar Park, TX
Posts: 3,156
Default

Gee, thanks, I was completely oblivous to our total cost until this post . Oh well, I guess the costs can only go up when planning on flying our own 2-ship. Thanks for the wrap-up post. Our -8 building went into overdrive when we got home for some crazy reason. I love the picture of 22C under Snoopy's chin.
__________________
Scott Card
CQ Headset by Card Machine Works
CMW E-Lift
RV-9A N4822C flying 2200+hrs. / Cedar Park, TX
RV8 Building - fuselage / showplanes canopy (Done!)
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 06-20-2011, 01:30 PM
rvmills's Avatar
rvmills rvmills is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Reno, NV
Posts: 2,125
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by 339A View Post
Now that the fever pitch of Rosie and Tuppergal?s COLOSSAL Bahamas 2011 post has subsided, we thought we?d break away from the original thread and post a few of our own photos from the trip. (Some are duplicates that you may or may not have seen in Rosie?s on-going write-up.) Our aim with this installment of Scott & Deb?s Excellent RV Adventures is to give a brief summary from our perspective.

This makes a Grand Total of: $3,962.14!! There is also a couple hundred not accounted for in purchases that were made prior to leaving on this trip.

Some other stats: 339A logged 32.2 hours, flew 4951 statue miles, made 16 landings, average ground speed of 134 mph, mpg average was 21. (we had head winds 90% of the trip)

Regards and start saving now! Deb and I hope to see you on the next trip.
Hey "Cuz", great recap! I've been eating up every word of all the various posts on what truly must have been the adventure of a lifetime. Simply awesome, and thanks to you all for sharing! My guess is that there may not be enough ramp or grass space to hold all the RVs that now want to come along on the next one! I know Tina and I are among that growing throng!

The cost breakdown reminds me of one of those "Priceless" commercials! If you think about it, 4 grand for an adventure to the islands...with friends such as y'all had along...while flying in your own plane...well, sounds like the deal of the century, worth all that and much more! So very cool!

Thanks to you all for bringing us along on the most excellent adventure!!

Cheers,
Bob
__________________
Bob Mills
RV-6 "Rocket Six" N49VM
Reno-Stead, NV (KRTS)
President/Sport 47/49, Sport Class Air Racing
President, Formation Flying Inc (FFI)
Flight Lead, Lightning Formation Airshows
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 06-20-2011, 05:26 PM
Vlad's Avatar
Vlad Vlad is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Utah
Posts: 8,151
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by 339A View Post



Grand Total of: $3,962.14!! There is also a couple hundred not accounted for in purchases that were made prior to leaving on this trip.

Some other stats: 339A logged 32.2 hours, flew 4951 statue miles, made 16 landings, average ground speed of 134 mph, mpg average was 21.



I love numbers! These are good ones

One question - those Captains who do not employ full time FO how did you fill right seat?
__________________
Where is N666BK?

Не имей сто рублей, а имей сто друзей.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 06-20-2011, 05:51 PM
BSwayze's Avatar
BSwayze BSwayze is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Molalla, Oregon
Posts: 955
Default

Scott & Deb,

I thoroughly enjoyed all the write-ups and all the pictures from this great adventure. Thanks so much for the cost breakdown info and for continuing to be a huge source of inspiration and motivation for us!
__________________
Bruce Swayze
RV-7A Standard Build
First flight November 3, 2019!
http://www.BrucesRV7A.com
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 06-20-2011, 06:37 PM
scard's Avatar
scard scard is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Cedar Park, TX
Posts: 3,156
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Vlad View Post
I love numbers! These are good ones

One question - those Captains who do not employ full time FO how did you fill right seat?
Amazingly, Andrew flew with an empty right seat!
__________________
Scott Card
CQ Headset by Card Machine Works
CMW E-Lift
RV-9A N4822C flying 2200+hrs. / Cedar Park, TX
RV8 Building - fuselage / showplanes canopy (Done!)
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 06-21-2011, 06:41 AM
339A's Avatar
339A 339A is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Littleton, CO
Posts: 367
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by rvmills View Post
Hey "Cuz", great recap! I've been eating up every word of all the various posts on what truly must have been the adventure of a lifetime. Simply awesome, and thanks to you all for sharing! My guess is that there may not be enough ramp or grass space to hold all the RVs that now want to come along on the next one! I know Tina and I are among that growing throng!

The cost breakdown reminds me of one of those "Priceless" commercials! If you think about it, 4 grand for an adventure to the islands...with friends such as y'all had along...while flying in your own plane...well, sounds like the deal of the century, worth all that and much more! So very cool!

Thanks to you all for bringing us along on the most excellent adventure!!

Cheers,
Bob
Thanks Cuz. I wanted to get some real-world numbers in there for everyone to see. The cost of owning/flying doesn't go down much after you stop building. Although that is what it's all about...using the airplane you built in your garage to do something. Granted, not all flying has to be this expensive. I hope you guys make the next one. BTW, I 've really enjoyed following Reno Pylon Racing Seminar. I would LOVE to race the 9A, but the speed just isn't there...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Vlad View Post
I love numbers! These are good ones

One question - those Captains who do not employ full time FO how did you fill right seat?
Oh boy, Vlad, filling the right seat will cost far more than the plane. Congrats on getting your pink slip. You are that much closer to joining us.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BSwayze View Post
Scott & Deb,

I thoroughly enjoyed all the write-ups and all the pictures from this great adventure. Thanks so much for the cost breakdown info and for continuing to be a huge source of inspiration and motivation for us!
Thanks Bruce. Always good to know we're helping to keep people motivated. When it comes right down to it, that's the main reason for posting these trip reports.

Regards,
__________________
Scott Mills, Front Range, CO
N339A - 1900 Hours!! since 9/11/05
Like Us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScottandDeb...tures/timeline
Airport Landings

"In order to discover new lands one must have the courage to lose sight of the shore." Andre Gide

"Never feel sorry for a man who owns a plane" Charles Morse (Anthony Hopkins) in The Edge
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 06-21-2011, 10:11 AM
MauiLvrs's Avatar
MauiLvrs MauiLvrs is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: KTCY
Posts: 643
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by 339A View Post
[font=Verdana][size=2]
Diving: $212.00 (Not the best diving to be had on Great Exuma)
Did you take your own gear or rent it there???
Ours weighs about 40# without lead...
__________________
Dave & Trina
RV-9A Flying - 330 Hrs. Painted Finishing the interior.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 06-21-2011, 11:37 AM
339A's Avatar
339A 339A is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Littleton, CO
Posts: 367
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by MauiLvrs View Post
Did you take your own gear or rent it there???
Ours weighs about 40# without lead...
We brought our masks and snorkels, Deb brought her regulator as well. At the last minute we decided to drop our wet suits, BCs, and fins to save weight. Some people brought everything with them. The bigger part of this is knowing your gross weight/CG limits and what comfort level you have flying "heavy". I know that it required very little back stick to get the nose wheel in the air. We were close to 85lbs in the baggage area.

Pretty sure there was no difference in the price of diving if you rented or not. Some people don't like using rental equipment for various reasons. (Deb is one of these.) We only did one single-tank dive because Deb had ear problems. Multiple dives brought the price down. The general consensus being that the diving on Exuma was not all that good. We still had a great time regardless. Besides...we got to see SpongeBob.

Regards,
__________________
Scott Mills, Front Range, CO
N339A - 1900 Hours!! since 9/11/05
Like Us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScottandDeb...tures/timeline
Airport Landings

"In order to discover new lands one must have the courage to lose sight of the shore." Andre Gide

"Never feel sorry for a man who owns a plane" Charles Morse (Anthony Hopkins) in The Edge

Last edited by 339A : 06-21-2011 at 09:53 PM.
Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:37 AM.


The VAFForums come to you courtesy Delta Romeo, LLC. By viewing and participating in them you agree to build your plane using standardized methods and practices and to fly it safely and in accordance with the laws governing the country you are located in.