As I’ve had the opportunity to read Achimha’s insights about electric and autonomous cars on those pages, I have started dreaming about being “driven” to the airport, while I am filing a flight plan and study the briefing pack :-) It would remove the boring part from flying, which for me is driving there, and back home.
Thinking about that, I realized I could also move in, nearer to the airfield 
But hey, one has to work too, so it must be carefully examined.
In the end, I wondered how far you live from your airfield, how long you plan to go there, and by what means of transport.
For me, it’s about 30km and 35minutes estimated, by car.
Public transport would take at least 2 hours, so it’s ruled out.
Takes me between 20 and 45 mins by car (depending on the ever madder L.A. traffic) and about 1h15 by public transport, although I’ve never tried the latter. Average is probably around 35 mins.
Currently a 30 minutes drive, all motorway except for a few blocks at each end. I used to live near a train that could take me there in 40 minutes, after a short Uber ride to the station. I still own that property, may live there again some day, and keep that possibility in mind for post-retirement when I’ll spend full days at the airport and might want to keep my car in the garage, versus wearing it out…. but it’d be four times the direct cost of driving the car.
Less than 10 minutes with car, 15 with bicycle (25+ back again, looong and steep hill, 140 m altitude difference ) I really should use the bicycle more often to get the blood pump exercised a bit more.
35 minutes to LFPT (18 km) and 50 minutes to LFPN (24 km) outside peak hours – by car. No way to get to LFPT by public transportation, but to LFPN it would be over 2 hrs
5 km / 5 min by car. Will soon worsen to 25 km / 40 min as we move to another city. I will then probably take the tram / S-Bahn (45 min and one change of trains at the main station, but walking distance on both ends).
35 minutes by electric car which fits exactly under the wing of my aircraft and has free charging in the hangar. 50 min by train which I prefer because it is 50 min I can use versus 35 minutes that are lost. Waiting for the self driving car. My airplane is already self-flying.
30 km or 25 minutes by car. By public transport 1 hour on the bus + 30 minutes walk. I’ve done the latter a few times but only if there is no other way.
It takes me between 35 minutes and 1 hour depending on traffic to LFPT (37km).
This is an brilliant topic for a thread ! I am sure it affects a pilot’s flying, especially on the long term. The longer it takes to drive to the field, the less opportunities you may seize to go fly and enjoy some good weather. It is so easy to get discouraged when one can only fly on saturday afternoons (and not anyone of them, because of work and family obligations) which represents about 7% of a week’s daytime. A few crappy saturdays and you can loose confidence …
I can experience this as I work about 15-20 minutes from the field. What a blessing to be able to go fly after a day at work !
My dream (I am only 26) would be to live close to my home base. I would not consider owning an aircraft living more than 20 minutes from it.
I thought all US pilots lived 10 minutes from their T-hangar and took only 20 minutes from kitchen to startup. It appears I was wrong !
ps : this is my first post on the forum. I will open a thread to introduce myself. Please excuse my english.
By helicopter it would be 12 NM (according to Jeppesen Mobile Flight Deck), by road it is between 30 and 40km depending on what is required to avoid the heavy traffic. 25 to 45 minutes of precious lifetime wasted each way. Almost too much to make flight instruction profitabe – 1 1/2 hours driving for a two hour training flight + briefing and debriefing results in a hourly pay way below Burger King level.
