While a road trip is a classic experience, there’s nothing more exhilarating and convenient than reasons to fly yourself. Whether you are already a pilot or considering obtaining a license, the ability to control your travel itinerary is one of the biggest benefits to globetrotting individuals who can fly.
So, let’s dive into whether it’s really worth it to drive to your next destination. We think you’ll have a much better experience flying yourself – here are a few reasons why.
Unbeatable Time Savings
While flying a plane is undoubtedly a faster form of travel than driving a car, when airlines and commercial airports are thrown into the mix, that time quickly evaporates into long waits, delayed flights, showing up early for TSA screenings and so on. This just extends the time it takes to get to your destination. Flying yourself, however, means that you show up to the hangar, hop in the cockpit, take-off and touch-down at your destination in a fraction of the time.
Fly To The Better Destinations
When you can fly yourself in a small aircraft, you can land at even the most remote airstrips. This lets you explore lesser-known destinations where you’ll find more authentic experiences compared to tourist areas. In addition, avoiding the large airports (read: big cities) and going off the beaten path means huge savings in other trip-related expenses such as accommodations, eating, rental vehicles and so much more.
No Traffic Jams
Whether driving through Manhattan, Chicago or L.A., you can expect to hit a traffic jam no matter where you are. Flying yourself gives you the freedom to go right over gridlock, construction backups and emergency blockades to get you to your destination hassle-free.
No One Saying, “Are We There Yet”
Parents know the “are we there yet” game better than anyone – perhaps more so how annoying it can be. Well, instead of your kids or other passengers sitting through a 10 hour drive, flying allows them to experience the trip as an adventure rather than something they simply have to tolerate. As they gaze out upon the world below, they’re sure to appreciate your idea to fly instead of drive.
Air Travel Is Safer Than Driving
Air travel is statistically much safer than driving for both drivers and passengers. As such, you can fly in peace knowing that your airplane has been deemed airworthy by a professional mechanic before take off. Most cars have been driven tens of thousands of miles before given proper inspection – planes on the other hand undergo rigorous testing in regular intervals in order to be given clearance to fly.
Air Travel Keeps It Simple
While road trips can be fun, multiple-day excursions on the road can always have their fill of sketchy gas stations, unkempt motels and the potential for curb-side breakdowns in high-risk areas like highways at dark. Flying yourself allows you to skip all that worry about potential danger, particularly helpful to those traveling with spouses and children.
Driving Long Distances Means More Car Maintenance
Unless you own an airplane and have to perform checks, you’ll likely be renting an airplane. This means maintenance is done for you and probably wrapped into the rental price. However, if you’re driving your own car, you’ll incur any damages and maintenance that come with an extended trip. If any major issues happen while you’re traveling, you could be stuck with a large repair (and/or towing) bill.
Divert Your Route With Ease
Flying yourself makes it easy to divert your course route and stop at the towns that may sound interesting to you. For example, regardless of whether you’re flying from Minneapolis to Orlando, NYC to LA, or Houston to the Bahamas, it’s not hard to reroute your flight plan to stop in any one of the best places to fly in the USA. Try doing that in a car without adding several hours or days to your trip.
Cross Country Driving Time vs. Flying Time
Depending on the route, it takes a minimum of four days to drive coast to coast. Compared to flying, that’s several days more than what it takes in a small airplane. While the wind will play a factor in your air travels, you can expect a coast-to-coast flight to take about 13 hours going east and 15 hours going west. Fueling and rest times may add to your trip total, but it’s undoubtedly quicker and more painless than driving 3,000 miles.
Are you interested in skipping the drive and flying yourself to your favorite destinations?
If you’re sick of driving and would like to fly yourself to your favorite destinations, consider becoming a private pilot today. With a private pilot license, you’ll be able to master your trip itineraries, spending more time vacationing and less time (and hassle) driving by car.
At Inflight Pilot Training, our team of certified flight instructors is dedicated to helping you achieve your goals when it comes to learning how to fly. We’ve helped countless pilots obtain the proper licensing to travel how they wish. Learn more about our pilot training programs by contacting us today at (952) 698-3000, or fill out a form on our contact page.
