Has anyone done a coast-to coast-to coast trip in a light plane for a vacation? Pondering that for Christmas vacation. Last year at the last minute I went to Miami-South Beach-Nassau. Also considering flying to Belize.
IMO the best thing about general aviation is the ability to have a flexible schedule. On a given weekend, depending on weather/whim I can be in Atlanta, Orlando or NYC in under 3 hours door to door, burning about $100 worth of fuel one way. On some of the more distant racing weekends (Road Atlanta, 9.5 hours) I have a friend transport the trailer with the cars to the event and have them meet me at the airport. I can get a full day of work in and still get to the destination for dinner.
It is almost like owning your own personal time-machine.
What was the best flying vacation you have had? Hands down mine was taking the wife and two teenage sons to Staniel Cay Yacht Club for Thanksgiving. This place is relaxation/photography heaven, you can get a cottage on the water that has a 13 foot Boston Whaler docked behind it for exploring the numerous cays.
http://www.stanielcay.com/
Last plane was a 2004 Mooney Ovation 2 DX with all the bells and whistles, 189K cruise on 15 gallons per hour. Present plane built by Rick Gray (his 10th RV,) there is a plaque on the panel that says "This is a hand built experimental aircraft, as I could not find a certified aircraft that met my standards." Very efficient, 160K cruise on 8 gallons at 8K feet. With twenty hours I bought a Mooney M20C (flew into PDK with 37 total hours
,) then bought a M20J and added a 1975 8KCAB Decathlon with inverted systems. Having two airplanes at the same time was more attractive in theory than reality especially with two ex-wives. Sold both and got the R model. Great travelling plane, but realized I missed aerobatics and avgas went from 2.10 to 4.75, labor at $100 and a lot of complicated systems to fail over time and keep me working full time into my nineties. The RV6 may be the last plane I'll ever need or want. It is so much fun to fly I find myself just going to the airport to bore holes in the sky or practice landings. My first annual on the plane was $485, the cost of an oil change for the Mooney.
When I had the Decathlon, Harrier pilots would come over from Cherry Point Naval Air Station to ride with me for more seat time/aerobatics. That was a blast. I bought the RV6 from a United Airlines pilot that had flown it only 45 hours in 18 months: he lectured me for about thirty minutes on the dangers of aerobatics.
Gotta die somehow (knocks on wood.)