First off, let me thank everyone for the very thoughtful replies. And I appreciate that many kind strangers are helping gain insight and experience in such an accelerated fashion. It really does seem like this is a foolish thing to chase. For the sake of curiosity let me rattle off the basics and see if you agree and if you want to read my long a$$ version its below my sincere appreciation, and my apologies for the grammar and poor editing.
-I can afford 2-300,000 worth of plane or downpayments next year, but I can afford 3500 maximum monthly on average for everything else if I'm spending that much (insurance, taxes, inspections, fuel, repairs). It seems like I'd be burning most of the time by myself at least 120 gallons of fuel twice a month.... that's almost a third of my budget in a thrifty plan, it seems more just averaging on what little I've seen/know a 160 gallon roundtrip in a small plane pushing 165ish knots.
-I have a couple of years before I need to invite anyone into the plane, but would like to be proficient in under 5 with an average of 160 hours a year presuming I can get back and forth in 8 roundtrip of airtime.
-I want to fly 2 times a month, in the fairer 9 months of year for at least 5 years possibly 20 plus more (i'm 38 now)
-I really only have one place to go and back at least for the first many years, it's a 20 hour roundtrip commercial/rental/drive etc and including a handful of family flights and a bunch of solo flights at $500 each I expect to spend somewhere around 20,000 a year on commercial flights to get there.
-I believe it saves 10 hours on each round trip if from arriving at the airport I can check out in 30 minutes and presuming if I can get there in <4 hours flight time, and put it away in 15 minutes - I've effectively cut my roundtrip time in half.
-I have some flexibility, at least for now, over where I am at so extreme weather and what not I don't have to be stupid - but I do relish a short commute and last minute options.
-Because I'm tunnel visioned, I can see a world where I'm learning a specific route, in a specific plane gives me an advantage, I think that plane may be the sr22 which seems like the most sensible thing to train in and build solo time in. I believe I have a certified instructor friend I can convince to help me out a half dozen times (after getting my license).
-I do not know how to figure out the best route.... however, based on what little I know it would seem if I am essentially flying to Spokane (Colville, etc) from someplace like Gnoss Field in Marin County my hope is I can fly north into Eastern Oregon and then hang a rightish basically along the Columbia river gorge.... there are a lot of small towns and flat ground. Never having to gain much altitude unless I need to get above weather - which I presume eventually if I have passengers who will be freaked out by bumps or oxygen masks is something worth mentioing. Anyway that side of the mountains is very arid which I assume produces storms and therms but the ground seems flatish.... I'm hoping to be able to fly above the weather in a pressurized craft some day. I think but for some parts near lassen and I won't really ever need to be crossing anything more than 3 or 4,000 feet from sea level.... unless the route were more direct.
-the SR22, P210, and P337 seemed the obvious choices, but only the SR22 seems new enough to have reasonable maintenance costs, but as someone else put it I'd be pushing it get there with more than 2 or 3 people.
-At least in the near term the sr22 given its availability at ground schools seems a logical way for me to train... that said maybe if I have limited time and concentration should I be trying a 6 seater that can actually get me there after my first 20-30 hours.
-I realize this is a lot of conjecture for someone who has only been up 3 times and taken the controls twice. I do have "time" to invest in this learning curve, but I also don't want to chase down a fools path.
- I don't ever expect to make enough money where a 500,000+ ever makes any sense.... but I could see starting small and upgrading to something near that.
So I guess the question remains - I think - Can I get basically the Canadian border in under 4 hours flight time in something that will eventually haul my family (sans most luggage). That family being 4 people + friends later etc.
Can you believe that was the short version?
I've always wanted to fly, and my fascination at least a decade or so ago was to fly a 337 around my West Coast neighborhood, the dual engine being reassurance for my wife who has always thought small planes the worst possible pursuit. I made the mistake of taking my future wife on an intro flight in the sierra's in a 152 with a bad intercom panel with a 200 pound instructor. He was perfectly comfortable but after handing over controls and me missing 2 out of every 3 of his sparse commands and my future wife being the only one to really understand what was happening.... lets just say we were fine, but she was not. So as a youngster with no military background or history with it, and living in San Francisco it was daunting, and as a near 30 year old, while making some coin it just wasn't practical. So the mere earlier mention of a 337 and my prior fantasies makes me wonder how practical a low time late model 337 maintenance bill would be with pressurization and extra fuel seems to me like it would make the distance, eventually over some/most of the weather..... but I have no practical background with wind, weather, or calculating routes, wind speeds, researching weather along the way, and the myriad of other factors I need to learn.
Now I'm 10 years older, a father, and looking at the last 30 years of my life and have a young daughter (4). I'm in the process of closing on a piece of property in the boonies of Northern Washington 2.5 hours drive from Spokane, 45 minutes drive from Colville (which has an airstrip) near the border for a variety of reasons i won't bore you with, but in summary I'm moving my impoverished wife's parents there and giving them a living and will probably end up taking care of them later, there is an industrial business I can build upon and grow (and before you speculate its not related to any recent propositions up there). Also, my hobbies are accessible there and it has some water on it, my kid(s) and I can play there every summer. I own my companies, but the majority of my income is from running a software consulting firm I own in the SF bay area so while I intend to spend summers and as I build out the business there as well a chunk of fall and spring. I'll be missing my family when they aren't there, and needing to deal with business in SF all through the summer (couple of times a month).
The nature of the industrial business, at least for the first 5 years will require extensive renovation, on the scale of several years. My daughter and wife will fly commercial for several years as we visit, thats just sensible and they won't be going back and forth that often (all summer, and the a few long weekends a year). I'll be up there more. And door to door however, its about 8 hours each way if I fly direct through Spokane from my house without stopping (9 if I want a meal or need gas etc). and it will be 1500 each way and 3000 roundtrip in later years to bring my family - if that happens 3 or 4 times year its 15,000 just in family tickets. Because I'm running the show in the business side, and building some cabins, and other goodies over the next several years, not to mention do a little fishing here and there, I think I'd make as many as 18-20 flights by myself at an average commercial cost of $20,000 annually. I don't need to get there tomorrow, but there is as much as $35,000 a year in commercial flights.
I also do have time sensitive affairs trying to juggle a couple of businesses.... and a fair amount of income to offset. I won't bore you with my taxes, but it looks like next year I can afford 2-300,000 worth of aircraft, 2-3500 a month worth of fuel, inspections, and insurance - all my other costs on average. If I had a lot of control, I'd be into whatever other cost sharing I can scare up (buy a plane, work with a flight club?). Next year I can probably spare 3-4 weeks of 25ish hours a week of flight school back to back.
Because this particular property is the singular purpose for my training, and I have a multi-decade interest.... and more coin than I thought I might ever.... this is the route. I can't afford a meridian with post 2006 Garmin glass.. but from the calculations online I do think I can afford to borrow or buy enough plane to afford the realms of sr-22's, 337's, and p210's. I do question from what I've read whether I could afford to maintain and fuel an older multi-engine.... also, it seems the few that have upgraded avionics seem to really push the budget. Having never yet learned real instrumentation, the pictures, descriptions, and functions of at least a modern GPS or even modern glass panel seem a lot more familiar to me and somehow safer and easier to learn although I wonder if that's the case. So then I'm trying to find this intersection between a plane I can afford, with avionics I've only read about.
Again, I can't calculate fuel, but given my tentative budget, after probably too much time salivating over stuff I know little about, it seemed like I might find a late model (post 82) P210 if I were lucky.... there happen to be 2 on controller in California in my budget.. but they could be total dogs, rusty, one of them has had a couple bad landings once undoubtedly due to the faulty front wheel rigging. I've read pilot articles on what they are like to fly. Fully laden though, forgoing luggage.... not sure it makes it there.
And then there is the two engine thing, and eventually getting my wife in the plane.... and while it seems statistically the cirrus parachute its a dead ringer to eventually getting her into the aircraft if after several years I know what I am doing.
Long story getting longer.....The neighboring ranch has a 2600 foot airstrip. And I have room for one. There is also an enormous public lake I think I might be able to land in as well but presume the speed and fuel hit for carrying pontoons makes that impractical. I don't know him yet, but I intend to make friends whether this works out or not, and in 45 minutes away. In San Francisco I live 30 minutes from two pretty popular small airfields, one in Marin and the other in Halfmoon Bay - (San Carlos and Palo Alto work for training but not as a home base I think). I think if I can stay an average of above 175 knots, I think I can get there in under 4 hours.... add a 30 minute drive and 30 minute check out, a 4 hour flight to my neighbors or my spot and I'm saving 10 hours roundtrip - up to 20 times a year for several years. That's like 1000 hours of my life even in the next 5 years.
So if there is a sub $300,000 plane that will make the distance with my family which I'm hoping will be 4, but a 6 place plane sounds better.... and do I have any hope of flying such a plane safely. I can afford some training.... and this is where all this plane nonsense comes in.
The local schools all have cirrus and cessnas. No one has a 205, 210, or 337. Plenty of 182's and so on.
From what I have read it seems like I should learn on a 152, graduate up the ranks, and be learning my and taking my first solos in something like a 182 with G-1000 glass.
The miser and risk taker in me says, take 30 hours of instruction then worry about plane. The over confident possible idiot in me says, pilots think beginner pilots can learn in 80s' era's cessnas. I have only one place I really need to fly.... and I think I know of a certified instructor who likes to fish that I may be able to go with me a half dozen worth of times. If I after 20 hours in a 182 or SR 22 I seemed on track and confident I might fly..... I'd do my solo to that location, I'd get hand holding to that location, and then after a couple years of 160 hours a year ---- maybe, my wife would get on that plane.... or I at least could feel good about flying my kids, or someone elses kids... Maybe that part never happens.... but in the meantime I have a fairly serious business to build.
Many apologies for the long ramble, I probably shouldn't have had a glass before writing. I appreciate the indulgence from an armchair flight gazer... and all the advice.
I guess as I write this it seems sensibly speaking, start out in a modern sr-20, get 20 hours, upgrade to the sr-22.... if the taxes work out, but an sr-22 - fly it for several years then worry about passengers.... Pretty sure with me or me +1 in it, I can get the plane there with calm weather in under 4 hours flight time.
I'm really sorry for how long this became and not sure what tone comes across... guess its anonymous embarrassed now scanning back through and that I spent an hour typing it out - just no one to talk this out with at the moment with any experience... but welcome the advice.