When I started flying more than a dozen years ago and started to talk about buying an airplane someday, my father-in-law asked me to name some of the economic advantages of traveling via general aviation instead of driving, taking a train, or using the airlines.
I had to break the news to him that, as far as I know, there are no pure monetary savings to be found in private aviation. If you consider time, convenience, and self-determination among your forms of currency, however, you can begin building a strong case for getting around in your own airplane.
I recently took a trip that, arguably, could be accomplished only with the help of a light aircraft.
Our younger son, Ben, who is a college freshman in Geneva, New York, needed a few personal items that he had forgotten to pack when my wife and I dropped him off weeks earlier. Plus, he seemed a little homesick, though he would never admit it. Mainly, he missed our two dogs, Mingus and Mozzie, who kept him company through middle school and high school, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I also missed Ben and figured a quick visit to deliver his stuff, treat him to lunch and let him spend some quality time with the dogs would give both of us a much-needed boost. I would also be able to get back home in time for dinner. So I started flight planning.
As many pilots with kids in college know, a lot of airports are located in or near college towns. In Geneva’s case, Finger Lakes Regional Airport (0G7) is just a few miles away in Seneca Falls, New York. You can pick up a rental car there, but the airport also has a crew car, which I discovered while speaking with the airport manager in advance of my trip. It is always a good idea to chat with managers, especially before your first time visiting an airport. You can gain all sorts of valuable information.
The bottom-line result of this venture was a tailwind-aided flight of about an hour in Annie, our Commander 114B, plus a 20-minute drive in the crew car to reach Ben’s dormitory. Driving from home (my car’s name is Petra) would have taken at least four and a half hours, because Geneva is one of those places with no efficient land route from northern New Jersey. Going direct by air makes a huge difference.
Geneva, Seneca Falls, and the surrounding Finger Lakes region are major attractions even without the college connection. Aviators could easily spend a day in the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum at the foot of Keuka Lake in Hammondsport, New York. The Finger Lakes Boating Museum is in the same town, and the famous Corning Museum of Glass is about a 30-minute drive. Visitors interested in water transport, women’s rights, wineries, fall foliage, and more can find reasons to plan a long weekend visit to the region, especially if they plan to fly.
I had only a few hours to spend in Geneva, but that was enough to check out a new airport, catch up with Ben, and take in a lovely afternoon. While my father-in-law might not have approved, my wife, our two sons, and I agree that flying brings a quality-of-life upgrade that is “worth it.”
