GA and the TSA.

Ummmm....I was in Winnipeg when the underwear bomber struck. I was in the security line for 2.5 hours, got a full pat down (hands against the wall), our flight was delayed, we missed our connection in Chicago and didn't get home until late night (was supposed to be home around 1PM). Airline flying is NOT fun anymore. Granted, your description of VFRing it around the country isn't attractive either, but a picture of blissful travel in a 737 is a thing of the past. Correct lotto numbers and NetJets. That's the ticket! David

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Originally Posted by martymayes

With all due respect, the inconvenience of dealing with TSA for 3 min prior to a trip is hardly a reason not to travel by airline.

I think your friends are going to be less than impressed flying around the country at 110 kts in a 172 with a private pilot, or sitting in a podunk FBO for 2 days waiting for VFR weather so the trip can be completed (or if you're in the N.E. in the winter, sitting 2 weeks, lol). The old adage, "time to spare, go by air" will never be more true.

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Actually, it's the 3 minutes with TSA, followed by hours dealing with the airlines and their employees that made me decide I'd rather fly or drive myself, that I really didn't need to go commercial air any longer.
I fly a 172 all around the country and have a great time doing so. I have no need to arrive before I take off, so a 172 is adequate. An instrument rating takes care of the clouds and I've only run into icing about 3 times in 10 years or so.

I agree that the total airline experience has gone way downhill. Flying VFR around weather can still be a more satisfactory experience and given the way that airline flights are delayed or cancelled due to weather around hubs, a VFR guy often has the opportunity to do better than the airlines when you figure door to door time if the destination is under 600 miles away.

The thing that I find horrible is that we see or hear about awful incidents, which in a private company would not be tolerated by an employee, and the TSA just issues a press release saying something like "appropriate procedures were followed". Near as I can tell TSA is just theater and any real threats are taken care of or prevented by other agencies. But that discussion is for another thread.

Fly GA - You can keep your shoes on.

Wes
N78PS

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Originally Posted by WLIU

*snip*
Fly GA - You can keep your shoes on.

Wes
N78PS

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I grin every year at Oshkosh when I see the T-shirt that reads (and I can't recall EXACT words): Oshkosh: All of the planes, none of the TSA.

I might have posted a comment like this someplace before, but here goes:

The TSA gives superficial training to new employees, gives them a uniform AND A BADGE, and calls them OFFICERS !!!! What a sick joke !

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Originally Posted by OldGunbunny

I fly a 172 all around the country and have a great time doing so.

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I'm all for that, no further justification required.

Learning to fly so you can run a quasi airline with no TSA....that's hilarious.

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Correct lotto numbers and NetJets. That's the ticket! David

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With the current baggage fees, we are actually looking at whether it would be cheaper to travel to investigations by charter flight. I can tell you I hope it works out because it would be much nicer. Having access to deep pockets to fund your work is nice...

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I'm all for that, no further justification required.

Learning to fly so you can run a quasi airline with no TSA....that's hilarious.

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LOL Now to hit the lottery so I can buy, maintain and operate something big enough to actually get around on business trips.

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Originally Posted by steveinindy

With the current baggage fees, we are actually looking at whether it would be cheaper to travel to investigations by charter flight.

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Cheaper? Not much to look at. The answer is no.

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Originally Posted by martymayes

Cheaper? Not much to look at. The answer is no.

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I'll show you our equipment list and the weight list for our gear over dinner or beers some time. I think you're underestimating the amount of stuff we need to carry with us. Plus have you ever seen the cost of trying to book flights for two to four people with just a few hours notice? LOL

The other advantage is that it would be quicker. No waiting for the commercial flights to start moving in the morning if we have a crash after like 8 pm our time. Either way, I don't really care since I'm not paying out of my pocket...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by martymayes

With all due respect, the inconvenience of dealing with TSA for 3 min prior to a trip is hardly a reason not to travel by airline.

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I guess that's true for someone okay with the possibility of getting a finger in their underwear.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by martymayes

I think your friends are going to be less than impressed flying around the country at 110 kts in a 172 with a private pilot, or sitting in a podunk FBO for 2 days waiting for VFR weather so the trip can be completed (or if you're in the N.E. in the winter, sitting 2 weeks, lol). The old adage, "time to spare, go by air" will never be more true.

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Nah. My friends can't wait for me to get my license, uh, certificate so I can take them to one of several different popular eastern beaches. By car the trip is upwards of 5 hours. By Warrior---less than 2. And I guess the South would afford better weather then the North...at least till Summer! (man it gets HOT!) And I can always upgrade to IFR and a plane such as the upcoming Synergy. Oh, the places we'll go!