Utility of GA

I could fly above the worst of that, but headed west wed need a fuel stop. Now, I trust the near-all-weather capability of my airplane, perhaps more than I should, but descending through freezing rain and snow, and then climbing back through it were activities Id rather avoid. A new route was needed.

Editorial Staff

Thursday, January 17, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The author's trip demonstrated the efficiency and capability of general aviation (GA), with a 1240 NM outbound flight completed in approximately 4:30 hours thanks to favorable tailwinds.
Despite encountering an "arctic superstorm" on the return, careful planning and rerouting allowed the author to safely navigate around severe weather, highlighting GA's flexibility.
The trip served as an example that with reasonable care and planning, general aviation can be conducted safely and efficiently even in bad conditions, offering comparable time savings and greater convenience and enjoyment compared to airline travel.

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Once again it was time to visit the Southeast U.S. I’m preaching to the choir here, but I’m repeatedly struck by the usefulness and capability of flying general aviation, and this trip was another prime example.

I’d watched the developing December weather patterns and expected poor weather. But, the forecast for departure was clear skies. As a bonus, our flight out at FL210 experienced up to 100 knots of tailwind. Wahoooo! We made the 1240 nautical-mile trip nonstop in about 4:30 hours. What a rush!