The Only Way to Fly, Sometimes

Stephen Pope

Tuesday, March 01, 2011 at 11:50 PM ET

Verified

The view on the way from KMMU to KGSO

Key Takeaways:

The author completed a successful one-day business trip from New Jersey to North Carolina and back by flying a rented general aviation aircraft, taking advantage of rare severe VFR weather conditions.
A comparison of travel options revealed that flying himself was more time and cost-efficient (around $1,100 and under 8 hours travel time) than driving, taking a train, or even a same-day round-trip commercial airline flight (which cost $1,262 for a less convenient schedule).
Ultimately, beyond the practical benefits of time and cost savings, the author found the most satisfying aspect of the trip to be the personal enjoyment of flying a light GA aircraft in perfect weather.

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It hasn’t happened very often this winter: For one full day last week, the weather from Maine to Florida was severe VFR.

I’d been keeping an eye on the long-range forecast for days in a sincere desire to avoid areas of icing for a planned trip from New Jersey to North Carolina. Never once did it waver from a prediction for clear skies and light winds throughout the Northeast and well into the Mid-Atlantic.