Quote Originally Posted by martymayes View Post
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.
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.