one of these classmates is not like the others

[cellio]

Folks on the mailing list for the Sh'liach K'hilah program have been discussing travel plans for this July's session (mainly, I think, so that those who are flying can coordinate airport transport). One person posted that he'll be flying his personal plane.

His what? *boggle*

Comments

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

There are an astonishing number of people who own small planes nowadays; you can get kits for the cost of a car ($15k, some go for!). And there are whole communities for people who want to live with their plane -- basically with a runway going down the middle of the community.

So while it's exceptional, it's not crazy-crazy like him arriving with his private wing of Lear Jets or something...

[zachkessin.livejournal.com]

You can also buy a used plane for 20K or so, and often folks who own planes will get together in groups of 2-4 and share ownership. So a $40k aircraft divided by 4 is not such a big deal. As for flight plans you just file them over the phone (1 800 wx-brief) and the majority of small airports in the USA don't have a tower anyway. Actually if you are flying VFR you don't even need to file a flight plan in the first place.

(I have a pilot's licence, but I'm not at all active in flying)

[aliza250.livejournal.com]

I know a number of my peers who have licenses and shares in planes...

travel plans

[brokengoose.livejournal.com]

Frequently, small plane pilots are quite willing to take passengers with the usual "road trip" rules: passengers are expected to chip in for fuel.

You need to fly a certain number of hours per year to maintain a pilot's license. Consequently, if you know a pilot, they're often willing to provide transportation even if they don't need to go where you're going. A friend of my father used to do quite a bit of travelling this way. Before the budget airlines appeared, it was often cheaper to find a pilot and pay for his gas and hotel for a few days than it was to buy a ticket on a major airline. And, from the pilot's perspective, "Would you be willing to fly to Florida for a long weekend if I pay for the gas and lodging?" was a pretty good deal, too.

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

Depending on the size of the plane, it's not outrageous. A Cessna 150 or 152 (2 seat trainer; a 150 is what flew into the no-fly zone and caused mass panic in DC last month) can be had for under $15K (used, but they tend to be maintained).

OTOH, it's not all THAT east to get the license; it takes a certain amount of time and money.