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Can you combine a family holiday and flying?

Am pondering some options for next year's summer family holiday with teenagers.

Mostly we've gone somewhere warm, near a beach so can swim, sail, read books and see the sights. We prefer to stay at the same base rather than go touring, but like some activities to do.

Any thoughts on whether a family holiday can sensibly be mixed with flying?

One thought was Florida. The USA seems so much more GA friendly (and cheaper) than Europe. Also plenty of theme parks and other attractions, reasonably priced accomodation. Looking at the main aircraft rental/flight school options near Orlando, they seem to be setup for intensive (commercial) training rather than casual landaways. But for a fun day out, Jack Browns seaplane base would be hard to avoid.

Would Florida in July/August be a sensible time for private flying there (average temp 91F, lots of thunderstorms etc) and are there more leisure friendly aircraft charter operations in the area?

I'm half tempted to consider including some training while there, but have read that mixing intensive flight training with relaxing family holidays doesn't really work. Maybe if it was just finishing something off that I'd prepared for beforehand in the UK, then that would be OK.

Any thoughts?

FlyerDavidUK, PPL & IR Instructor
EGBJ, United Kingdom

David,

Consider Ontario. I'm not knocking Florida, though July/August there can be rather hot, and is unpredictable weather season. Toronto and north can offer you most of what you could find in Florida (other than the ocean, but lakes to male up for it), and it's even more aviation friendly here. lots of uncontrolled airspace with not too much traffic. In addition to wheel flying, you can get your float rating too

http://lakecountryairways.ca/

There is a magnificent theme park

http://www.canadaswonderland.com/

Beaches

http://www.wasagabeach.com/

Niagara Falls, and many other attractions within an hour or two of Toronto by car.

Temperatures at that time of year are in the high 20's to low 30's, where you will find Florida to be in the higher 30's, which can be a bit much.

You'll find lots of camping opportunities, with varying remotness, right up to you're the only people on the lake.

Home runway, in central Ontario, Canada, Canada

Florida would not be the place I'd go in mid-summer. Its very, very hot and humid at that time of the year - you'll find few Americans vacationing there until winter, when it gets cold where they live.

In mid-summer there are a lot of other nice other places to fly - I'm sure it's nice in Canada as PDAR points out, New England is beautiful and in California there is a lot to do and see with predictable weather.

For me, flying on holiday would be fun if the family likes to fly, but training is too much work and stress for a family holiday.

Go near the Alps and do some mountain flying?

Pilot DAR, your pictures and descriptions pretty much make me want to move there.

Does anyone have a link with details for licence conversion when visiting Canada with a European license?

EGEO

I am certainly not expect at this, but it appears to me that the "LTPL" mentioned at the end of this web page is the entry point for European license acceptance in Canada....

Home runway, in central Ontario, Canada, Canada

The reality of getting a Canadian PPL as a foreign ICAO licence holder is extremely painless. To get mine, I made an appointment and provided a few bits of information by email, then turned up at a TC office with licence and logbook, filled out a few forms and paid a few dollars, then left with my licence half an hour later. A friendly and painless process, as was flying in Canada which was similar enough to Europe procedurally that I found it no great hassle.

Back to the original question, I think that a flying holiday is entirely do-able, particularly if you can combine use of the aeroplane with trips to nice places. Training's different however - you need to put all your time and energy into that, which isn't compatible with proper family time.

G

Boffin at large
Various, southern UK.

Thanks guys, especially Pilot DAR, some very helpful insights. I've been to Toronto a couple of times on business before (CN Tower as great), but never really thought of it as a holiday destination. We have some friends who did Niagra Falls recently, and I'll touch base with them.

I agree that training (unless its limited to checkout/familiarisation with the procedures of a new country or a slightly different type of plane) isn't compatible. You've reinforced that view.

The Canadian temporary PPL seems pretty painless as mentioned above. Reading the government webpage, it seems there are two options, both relatively low cost (about $40 Canadian) and can be done beforehand by post.

FLVC - Foreign Licence Validation Certificate - Allows private flights in Canada using Canadian aircraft LTPL/MC - Limited Term Private Pilot Licence - Also allows flight training and international flights (eg to USA)

I'll check this out further - it wasn't a destination I'd really considered before.

Is there anything similar in the Vancouver area?

DavidC

FlyerDavidUK, PPL & IR Instructor
EGBJ, United Kingdom

The Vancouver area is similar, but different. It is certainly busy with GA, though in a more congested corridor environment, bound by the US border on the south, and the mountains in the north. It is beautiful, and the mountains are magnificent, but they can lure the unwary into danger. 15 minutes flight from any Vancouver airport you can be into very rugged and unwelcoming terrain.

Victoria and Vancouver Island are more open in this regard, though like any maritime area (certainly including New England, as earlier mentioned) Victoria, and Vancouver are subject to rapid changes in weather, and long periods of marginal VFR. You can spend a week there and never see the mountains 15 miles away. Victoria is a beautiful city, and there is lots to see driving north on the island. Vancouver is nice, though compact and busy, and not so easy to drive around.

As Ontario, there is lots of float flying in the Vancouver area, though there are fewer "easy" places to take a floatplane. Beautiful, but not easy! There is a lot of skill required for mountain flying, and adding those demands on top of basic or float training can be intense. Best to learn the aircraft first, then the skills for the environment next, not all at once, if you can avoid it. Ontario is pretty flat, and other than Toronto area, not at all busy, doing a cross country of as much as 300 miles is easy and safe, with many airports big and small along the way. There are islands with airports to fly to, and certainly a day trip to Ottawa, Windsor or Montreal by light plane is not a problem (too far for a driving day trip).

Central North America has more "continental" weather. It changes, but not rapidly, and is generally good and predictable, compared to the maritimes.

Home runway, in central Ontario, Canada, Canada
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