Flying Magazine had an article several years ago about this guy in Washington DC metro area who commutes to work, year round, in his C152. Files IFR and is rarely delayed by Wx. Only goes about 40 miles or so but saves HOURS a day by avoiding the notorious Beltway. Dude has a •load of flight hours. IIRC, the funny part is how he really isn’t an aviation enthusiast - he just needed a method to maximize his time. The C152 is purely a travel tool and nothing else.
I have family 300nm away (direct) or 348sm driving. 1:52 flight time vs 7:00 driving around Lake Michigan. My old Mooney can always hit 138 TAS for about the same ownership price as a C172. The flying time is usually 1/3 the driving time. When I worked 8-hr shifts, I could fly to Detroit in the morning, take care of family business, fly back North, and still make it to work on time. I tried this in the C150 I owned and it was like a glorified Cub in the sky as headwinds would murder the groundspeed. I would have to plan my trips South by leading a High pressure system to blow me down South and then ride the West side of the High a day or two later to get blown back North. I don’t have to do that with my Mooney anymore.
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