Nationwide Roaming

Pilots fly for a variety of reasons. If youre like me, transportation is the main reason to own an airplane. Flying a single-engine general aviation airplane can be an effective way to travel for business and personal reasons, especially in this era of degrading, inflexible and unpredictable airline service. However, to safely use small aircraft for this purpose and manage the risks, you need to expand the scope of your typical planning efforts and be ready to change schedules and even cancel some portions of a trip. This is especially true if, like me, your travel requirements include the entire United States.

Robert Wright

Friday, April 26, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Using a single-engine general aviation aircraft can be an effective and flexible way to accomplish nationwide multi-stop business and personal travel, offering advantages over commercial airlines for complex itineraries.
Successful execution demands comprehensive risk management (Pilot, Aircraft, Environment, External Pressures), requiring high pilot proficiency and health, a reliable and suitable aircraft, proactive environmental monitoring, and the flexibility to adapt schedules or cancel segments.
This method is best suited for experienced pilots with strong risk management skills, flying high-performance aircraft (150+ knots, 5-hour range) equipped with essential tools like autopilots and data-link weather, supported by rigorous preventive maintenance.

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Pilots fly for a variety of reasons. If you’re like me, transportation is the main reason to own an airplane. Flying a single-engine general aviation airplane can be an effective way to travel for business and personal reasons, especially in this era of degrading, inflexible and unpredictable airline service. However, to safely use small aircraft for this purpose and manage the risks, you need to expand the scope of your typical planning efforts and be ready to change schedules and even cancel some portions of a trip. This is especially true if, like me, your travel requirements include the entire United States.

I’ve written about using small aircraft for transportation before in this journal (for example, see “Flying for Transportation,” March 2013). However, the best way to illustrate this process is to describe a typical multi-stop “mission” that I typically accomplish two to four times a year.