Touring From Florida to New York and The Bahamas

[r.long]

I am planning a trip to FL for some hour building and would like to do some touring up the East coast as well as a trip to the Bahamas. I am considering renting a DA40 from Air Orlando.

Does anyone have any eperience or recommendations and could provide a little insight with regard to both AO's DA40 and flying upto NY? I'm specifically focussing on finding suitable airports in Washington and NY which are GA friendly.

Would anyone recommend La Guardia for ground handling and parking?

many Thanks

Richard

[Keygrip]

Have you asked Air Orlando for their advice and experience?

You think you're the first to do this?

[dont overfil]

Try using www.airnav.com (http://www.airnav.com) to help planning ahead. You can even view sectionals.
Air Orlando are good to deal with. Not the cheapest but really nice modern aircraft and a two hour per day minimum.
I've not used their DA's only the Cessnas
DO.

[englishal]

All airports in the US are GA friendly. Some are a bit hectic, like LAX, but you can still fly into them.

Normally if you take on fuel they waive any ramp fees - and may even lend you the crew car if you sweet talk the person behind the desk at the FBO ;) If they have "transient parking" you can park there for free though my advice would be to stop at an FBO though, take on fuel and then make use of their nice fresh cookies, coffee and mouthwash in the bog :}

[r.long]

I've had great experience wth many FBOs in Florida (free parking, crew cars, refreshments and assistance) and would like to know if this is something I should expect in NY.

I've received some info from Sheltair at La Guardia. Port Authority landing fees are ~$120 off-peak then $55 per 8-hours parked on the ground. Does anyone know of any less expensive FBOs in the NY area that is convenient for commuting into NY?

W.r.t. Air Orlando; 2 hr/day min is great. Will they schedule an aircraft to be taken away for days at a time?

[MarkerInbound]

Most business traffic goes into Teterboro. Still run by the Port Authority, don't know if the rates are the same.

[dont overfil]

r.long
I rent from AO from 6 to 10 days at a time for Bahamas trips no problem. They honor the two hour minimum. They also have an on line booking system www.flyairorlando.com (http://www.flyairorlando.com)
Check carefully Sheltairs car rental prices. In Orlando they were great for years but this year were extortionate. I would have been cheaper leaving my origional hertz car in the car park for a week than renting an inferior one for two days from them.
DO.

[OFBSLF]

Plan your flight very carefully around DC -- there are large areas of restricted airspace and you don't want to be the latest "poster child" on the front page of the paper, with your rented aircraft being escorted by F16s.

[B2N2]

The following online tutorials and courses are free:

FAASTeam - FAA Safety Team - Learning Center Courses - Course Catalog (http://faasafety.gov/gslac/ALC/course_catalog.aspx)

Not a bad idea to do a bunch of them, especially the one on the Washington ADIZ.

[fernytickles]

You might find FltPlan.com Flight Planning & Flight Tracking for General Aviation. (http://www.fltplan.com) useful too. A fantastic flight planning tool, and its free.

Check out EAA - Aviation Calendar of Events (http://eaa.org/calendar/) so you can plan your flights around social events, if you'd like to mix with the locals.

Consider buying Howie Keefe's chart book as one book covers the whole eastern US, removing the need for you to buy a whole bunch of charts, and you rarely get into the position where you've flown beyond the chart border. Just google Howie Keefe and the website will come up.

I'd recommend you avoid Signature FBOs. They are super efficient, super luxurious and charge a fortune. If you want to go to NY, try Caldwell airport, just west of Teterboro. Its easy to get in & out of, a lot less busy than TEB, and not that much further from the city.


Would anyone recommend La Guardia for ground handling and parking?


Depends on what sort of hour building you want to do? In the air, or held on the ground behind a queue of 35 commercial jets? I'd avoid LaGuardia, JFK and TEB.

If you go to Manassas, VA, its a 20 mins drive to Dulles and the Udvar-Hazy part of the Air & Space Museum. Well worth the trip, the facility is stunning and the collection of aircraft is hard to beat.

In NY, go to Old Rhinebeck, Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome | America’s Original Living Museum of Antique Airplanes! (http://www.oldrhinebeck.org/) but check the website for opening times. Its a fabulous set up. There's an airport somewhere nearby you can land at and rent or borrow a car from. Well worth the visit. K20N - Kingston-Ulster airport is listed as being 5 miles away.

What time of year are you planning to go? Be careful of the Virginia/North Carolina/Maryland areas in August - very hazy, humid, usually a visibility of about 3nm, clear skies. Bizarre to fly in with no horizon. Its beautiful there in the autumn - the colours are stunning.

And if you are in Florida, have you visited Key West yet? Its fun, just allow a couple of days drying out before flying again..... :ouch:

[Tim_CPL]

I live in Austin, TX so if you have any questions please PM me. Please read up and ensure you understand the DC ADIZ and complete the mandatory training if you are going anywhere within 60NM of DC. Also WX here can change very quickly and and IR would be very useful. I'd avoid any of the big 3 in NY. Also if you are renting wet, check what the policy is on the max. amount they will pay for fuel offsite, you will end up paying the difference if you go to any signature. I'd also join AOPA so you can use the Internet based Flight planner and sign up for their super cheap legal scheme (just in case....).