The Ultimate Chalange: GA v. Delta!!

A few days ago, Bill Dobson (Dobsonwe) posted another shameless attempt to rationalize our hobby, passion or pastime! Just think, if he didn’t have the plane, he never would have had to make the trip and would have saved at least 13 hours! Who said, “The things we do for love?”

But what if we need to make the trip? Which is better then? I smell a challenge.

This Christmas Day my family will perform, what I believe will be, the Ultimate GA/Commercial Airline Challenge. My entire family will be flying to Ft. Myers, Florida from Louisville, KY. My daughter will fly commercial - she lives in FL and it was cheaper just to get her a round trip. the rest of us will fly in our SR22.

Here’s the deal:

On Christmas morning, after we open the presents, we will all leave the house together, but in two cars. My wife and daughter, with only her luggage, will drive to the ‘big’ airport in one car, and I will drive to the ‘little’ airport in the other with all but my daughter’s luggage. (My son will go in whichever car he wants.). Melissa, my daughter, will be dropped off and my wife will join me at the Cirrus, where we will depart as soon as possible.

The Ccirrus does have one advantage: we are competing against Delta. If any airline could make the trip misserable, it is Delta.

The results will be judged by:

  1. Who arrives first at the house in Ft. Myers.
  2. Any problems with luggage, security, food, changing planes, etc.
  3. The comfort of the flight, including turbulence, other passengers, bathrooms.
  4. The overall experience.

All factors will be equally weighted.

Now, to be fair, I need to tell you that my son would rather not fly in the Cirrus (go figure) and my wife is definitely a fair weather flyer. Given that we will be traveling in the winter and there is already bad WX forecast for around then, it seems as thought the cards are stacked against the Cirrus. The Cirrus also has a handicap in that we will have to wait for my wife to return from dropping off Melissa.

Anyone want to bet which mode wins?

In reply to:


Anyone want to bet which mode wins?


Yea Marty. I’ll take your bet
Your wife wins which is not to be confused with "who is right. Guys are always right, but women always win.

In reply to:


and my wife is definitely a fair weather flyer


I’m just lucky, I guess.

When I met my wife in 1975, I was just working on my Private license at Opa Locka Flight Center (guaranteed Private for $995). Since then, she’s flown with me with truly blind faith, in all varieties of Cessnas, Pipers, Beechcraft and Grummans, and both right-side-up and upside-down in Citabrias. From Sun ‘n’ Fun a few years ago:

My issue is kinda the opposite. She often doesn’t understand why we have to land at Waycross and wait 5 hours for the front to pass, for instance. After all, I’m instrument rated, and have always gotten us through before, right?

It’s a subtle pressure to “perform”, but I try to not let it influence my “most conservative action” philosophy.
1-69698-SitaCitabria.jpg

Marty,

Hopefully the weather will cooperate. Looks like you’ll be on the tail end of the seemingly endless frontal factory that is churning fronts out every three to four days.

If there isn’t a lot of crud left over behind this system you shouldn’t have any huge worries. This also means you’ll have a tail wind for much of the flight, whereas Delta will have a direct crosswind at their altitude.

I assume the commerical flight will land at ATL? Will you make the trip direct or stop midway?
1-69733-xmaxforecast.gif

Marty,

Looks like you’ll have a nice area of high pressure to ride down to sunny FLA. Of course, that’s after you dig out of the snow you are going to receive the day prior.

I can’t bear the suspense!

Do we have the final results yet?

Agree with Dennis. You cannot win this one.

Dennis & Brian: no, no. while I readily admit that I can’t win against my wife, even if she’s not involved, that is the case. Deb, my bride, will be with Joey, our son, and me in our Cirrus. Melissa, our daughter, will be riding, Delta.

Deb loves to fly, as long as it is VFR - even with me! [;)]

Scott: Thanks for the initial assessment. But, your prognostication must be wrong! [;)]

I never have tailwinds. Off hand, I don’t know if Delta will be stopping in Cincinnatti (CVG), Atlanta (ATL), or Orlando (MCO) - But it will make a stop.

In reply to:


Melissa, our daughter, will be riding, Delta.


OK then. You want to beat your daughter? In some states that is legal. You need to check with the laws of each state you are flying over.

Melissa is now ‘of age’ (which here in Kentucky is about 12) and therefore, I think beating her would be called ‘sport,’ or for those of you with teenage daughters, appropriate, justifiable or necessary.

OK Marty, let us know the results.

But my guess, as much as I hate it, will be that your daughter with Delta will win. WHENEVER, you try and ‘beat the system’ in public, you’re bound to come in second, even against the Devil, oops, Delta!

They just raised the National Terror Alert Status to Orange. That, regretfully, may aide the Cirrus - in both time and the ‘hassle factor.’

Having said that, safety will always be the fundamental consideration in my flight. After that, practicality will weigh in heavily. Without winds, and Scott has guaranteed me hefty tail winds, the flight will take about 4.5 hours plus ground time. That is a long time to go without a bathroom.

Like many pursuits, you win just by playing the game.

In reply to:


Without winds, and Scott has guaranteed me hefty tail winds


Hefty? I don’t think I used any trash talk like that! [;)]

Marty -

Make sure you slather some of that “go-fast” secrete sauce stuff on your airplane.

In reply to:


Make sure you slather some of that “go-fast” secrete sauce stuff on your airplane.


I will leave no stones unturned. Now ifI can only figure out a way to get Delta to run slowly… Hmm, I’ll just leave that up to their SOP!

Marty

Someone should make a TV programme from this kind of challenge…

You landed okay yet? Some endurance!

Ian

In reply to:


I can’t bear the suspense!

Do we have the final results yet?


Alisdair,

I know the result - but I’m not about to spill the beans! I suspect Marty has no Internet connectivity right now, or he’d have posted. Hang in there…

  • Mike.

See how it is MR. N1MR. LOL I am waiting to here also. Don

In reply to:


You landed okay yet? Some endurance!


Ian,

Seems you missed a post… click here.

  • Mike.