Places to rent a plane for fun?

pscraig

Well-Known Member
When attending FSI, are there places at VRB that will rent a plane for a reasonable rate? Florida seems like the perfect place to go fun flying. I know I will fly to many places as part of my training, but would like to rent a plane and go somewhere fun too. How practical is a Bahamas trip after I have adequate ratings?

Do many students do this?
 
If the Piper Cadets are available, FSI will rent them to you for a leisure trip at $93/hour wet. There is an FBO next to FSI called Sun Aviattion that has one Warrior III with GPS and moving map that rents for $95/hour. Also, across the field at Paris Air, they will rent Warriors for $83/hour but they require a 10-hour minimum block for purchases. I would personally rent from FSI b/c their planes have impecable maintenance. Sun Aviation is good, but they only have one plane which makes scheduling difficult. I don't think FSI would allow a trip to the Bahamas.
 
The warrior at sun is pretty nice. I think its a 2000 or 2001 model so its pretty cherry. Plus like you said it has a Garmin 430. I have called over to see when its available and weekend as expected are impossible, but midweek was fairly open. It seems like most of the FBO students use the 150's.
 
Is there anything else in the surrounding area...(20-30 minute drive)? What are their requirements? Do they want you o take a checkflight or a certain number of hours with an IP?

What about "different" rental A/C other than Cessna and Pipers. Does anybody have any Diamond, Eagle, or Cirruus, etc.... That would be worth the drive I think to get some new flight experience. Also it might be worth it to get a high performance endorsement somewhere.

Sorry so many ?'s....
 
Rent a plane, take a trip for the bahamas, for the weekend. Man what's the down side, this sounds great. Once you get there, chill out, catch a good game of golf, (love the game) then a beer and steak, now your talking. But at these rates, they are high $90 + an hour wow, will FSI allow us to take these planes that far out, and is thier any FAR reg's that will restict low time pilots from doing this.? And is thier anything safe under $80 per hour.? but I could see paying the difference for another type rating, in another GA aircraft.

Best Regards
Heat2151
 
FSI will not let you take any of their airplanes to the Bahamas. In fact you technically can't fly any of their singles "beyond gliding distance of the shoreline" obviously if you get vectored 10 miles off shore on an approach what can you do?
That said it will be difficult to find anyone who will rent an aircraft for an international flight. There is alot a paper work involved in international flying, customs, ADIZ penitration flight plans, insurance issues, extra survival gear (over water). Not to mention the fact that once thier plane is the Bahamas the owners don't have the same resources at their dispose to retreive the airplane if you decided to keep it or sell it.
It really too bad I think doing quick trips to the Bahamas would be a blast, I know a lot of private owners do it all the time....if anyone knows of renters who do it let me know!
 
If any ATC or control, vectors you half way to china in a single out over the water speak up...exercise part 91.3 and tell them you need be closer to shoreline before intercepting the glide slope. especially at night and especially in low ceilings and in the case of a long, cold swim with friends you would much rather not have along side of you, !
 
Quit complaining about those prices. Here in the bay area of San Jose and San Fran., the average rental at 90% of all flight schools and FBO's is 128.00 for a C-172 that you are wondering about and fly with the emergency check list very handy. If you have a GPS or an HSI in th crate....add another 15.00 or 20.00 to the hourly cost....
 
proflyer35,

I guess, compaired to you guy's on the west coast, we are getting aircraft rentals at a discount. But seriously, here in the northeast, the prices are the same if not more, depending on the FBO and area.


Best Regards,
Heat2151
 
$128? For a C-172? I hope that is a 2000+ model.

I just did a quick check online and was able to find several C-172s for rent in the $77-$79 range. I know of one place at STS that rents a 2001 C-172 for $120 but if you are looking for a 70's to 80's vintage Skyhawk you can find plenty for under $90 an hour in the bay area. At least over at HWD.
 
when I flew X-Country today for the first time with my CFI, we loged 2.4hr .. I looked at the Pay scale for the aircraft a 1980 C-152 I I with a new paint job , and brand new engine ( not even up to it's 100hr inspection yet), and paid a total of $154.00 ( Wet, with CFI fee included, we get rembursted for any fuel bought on X-countries : ) thats $48/hr wet & $16/hr instructor fee.

we also have outstanding instructors...
1 Airline pilots ( Chief CFI),
1 active duty millitary pilot (P-3' s) ,
1 active duty ( enlisted),
1 civillian( assisstant CFI )

I think this Club has the best price in the Country..

Sorry fellas... I just felt like Braging.. anybody care to join me ??
 
Man those are steep prices if you plan on making anysort of trip out of the rental. I can't fathom why prices must be so steep, looking at the parking areas for the local airports, it seems they have a lot of airplanes waiting to be rented.
 
Scorpio11982,

Hey does this also come with a bag of chips and a soda.? /ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif man your doing alright, with these rates.

P.S I guess, being stationed on a (NAS) has it's advantages, when I was active, I was assigned to squadron out of oceana, since we where always deployed. /ubbthreads/images/icons/frown.gif it was hard to get any ratings due to our schedule, haze grey and under way..God Bless America.. /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif

Best Regards,
Heat2151
 
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Hey does this also come with a bag of chips and a soda.?

[/ QUOTE ]



no, not yet......
I'll be sure to bring it up @ the Club's meeting tommorrow /ubbthreads/images/icons/tongue.gif

Off Topic question:

hey Heat:
isn't Home cycle for 1 year and then delpoy 6 months ??
or are VFA / VF squadrons different??
 
Scorpio11982,

With these rates, you should do great completing all your certs.

<font color="black"> </font color> Off topic: How much time do you have.? If your cycle is 12 in and 6 out..wow must be nice, I was a brown shirt with a VFA, back then we had a cycle of 7-8 months @ home, and that was normally cut in half due to the training schedule, then 6 to 7 on the deployment. And when we got back, we still had to go back out, on mini-dets to brake in the new pilots, that needed all the traps required by the wing.

Best Regards,
Heat2151
 
Man, you got screwed! VS was on 18 and 6, excluding workups. Hell, we went down to one jet for the first 6 months after cruise.

Chunk
 
Chunk,

Yeah man, we got nailed big time. It was a VA squadron, we where a A6 unit during 90-91, with the Ike. Then they converted to 18 alpha's, right after I got out. But our rotatation schedule was rough, barely had any time to enjoy any time at home. /ubbthreads/images/icons/frown.gif hey sacrifices have to be made.

Well that's life in the Navy.....serve your country, see the world and forget you had a life. But to be honest, I'm proud to have served my country, and as hard as it was, next to my son being born, good or bad, it was one the best times in my life.

Best Regards,
Heat2151
 
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