Your Ideal Aircraft Lets You Fit More Errands Into One Day

A pilot’s visit with his college son would not have been possible had he been driving.

Jonathan Welsh

Monday, October 23, 2023 at 06:37 PM ET

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Edited By: tccjeremy

There was not much traffic to contend with at KLEB. [Credit: Jonathan Welsh]

Key Takeaways:

The author purchased a personal aircraft (Commander 114B) to significantly reduce travel time and simplify visits to family, friends, and new destinations compared to lengthy car trips.
A specific trip to Lebanon, NH, exemplified the aircraft's efficiency, transforming a 5-hour drive into a 1-hour flight, enabling the author to easily bundle multiple errands and family visits into a single day.
Flying is presented as a more relaxing and predictable mode of travel than driving, as it bypasses common frustrations like highway traffic, construction, and accidents, ultimately aiding in achieving work-life balance.

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When my wife and I bought our Commander 114B a year ago, we made a wish list of flying destinations as well as friends and relatives we could more easily visit thanks to this time-saving machine.

Then came the little indulgences, like a recent trip to Lebanon, New Hampshire (KLEB), to meet our older son for lunch and help him with some car trouble. He is in college in nearby Hanover and while the distance is driveable, it typically takes five hours. Annie the Commander can make it in just over one.