How often and why do we fly ?

I fly because I like it – its about the only activity when I really think about nothing else but flying and leave work on the ground. It can also be hugely practical. I live in Tartu, which has one CAT flight – 5 am to Helsink and 0:30 HEL-TAY. I have a lot of meetings on Nordic countries or europe, so for me its either the 5am flight, and waiting until midnight on return trip , or take my own plane and be there in 1:30 and come back after the meetings over. Works usually very well from april to october even without IFR. I currently get ca 100-120 hour a year.

Buckerfan wrote:

There is an unspoken rule in my family, all European vacations HAVE to by taken in our plane

At the speed I fly now Spain is still a pain to reach but that is ultimately my target
The good thing my wife just started to enjoy it again (secret: I fly late evening, early morning, vmc on top, on top of water…comfortable ride but more hidden risks )

Buckerfan wrote:

If we need to go to the US to see my inlaws, why pay Heathrow car parking charges when we can fly from the home strip to Dublin in just over an hour and fly from there to the US. Tickets are cheaper from Ireland (no taxes) and even better, you pre-clear US Immigration in Dublin and save 2 hours in a queue on the other end.

I went on a CAT flight London City to NYC with Aer Lingus who offered US pre-clearance while on Dublin transit, I felt it was a good deal but your combination is way much cool

Buckerfan wrote:

We fly to shop – there is a great farm shop with a strip next door about 20 mins piper cub flight away. Why bother driving to the Tesco!

I think you have won this thread :-)

Yes he definitely deserves a EuroGA t-shirt @buckerfan just send me the address and size.

Buckerfan, thanks for sharing your lifestyle to us. I think many stories like yours stay hidden and nobody hear about them. It is very inspiring.
I try to apply your family rule but many holidays have preplanned objectives (hiking there, seeing family there), and VFR, I hesitate to fly with firm goals (don’t want get-there-itis).

Medewok, keep the faith
You are in the worst period of your life for flying, but enjoy your kids ! In a few years, you will make your wife happy taking the kids to the airfield on weekends. Then you will take everybody flying.

Buckerfan is your local shop Croft Farm? Going Stateside via Dublin avoids heartache at seeing the immigration queue at Newark/JFK. There is a Cub friendly farm strip a few miles from Dublin but I don’t think it will beat the Mirage door to door :)

Not counting the day job approximately 60-70 hours in the Super Cub (around once a week) and 10 hours in a Pitts – it would be nice to reach 1,000hours in the Super Cub, 1,000 hours in the Pitts is a milestone (they say the first 1,000hours in the Pitts are the hardest) which am unlikely to achieve!

The Super Cub manages one long trip every year (200nm so modest by touring standards)and am hoping that it will visit the Scilly Isles this summer. My patient wife does not mind it (in small measures), if wearing ANR headsets.

Buckerfan wrote:

If we need to go to the US to see my inlaws, why pay Heathrow car parking charges when we can fly from the home strip to Dublin in just over an hour and fly from there to the US. Tickets are cheaper from Ireland (no taxes) and even better, you pre-clear US Immigration in Dublin and save 2 hours in a queue on the other end.

I think I’d prefer Heathrow car parking than the €180 per day aircraft parking at EIDW for a long vacation, along with mandatory handling in the hundreds!

Well, I suppose it’s a start.

zuutroy wrote:

I think I’d prefer Heathrow car parking than the €180 per day aircraft parking at EIDW for a long vacation, along with mandatory handling in the hundreds!

You can fly to Weston and then easy to Dublin Intl.