Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 7:42 pm
Subject: LSA touring... the realities?
URL: http://sportpilottalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=11216#11216

LSA touring is the same as Cesnna touring, of which I do a lot. Let me try to
address some of your questions and then I'll explain how I do it.

First, as for getting back to work, you have to work this out with the boss
before you leave. It is neither practical nor safe to set a firm date to be any
place in a light aircraft.

Second, for getting around, many airports have "courtesy cars" that you can
take into town for a few hours.

Third, buy a "Claw" for tie down and never leave home without it.
[http://theclaw.com/the-claw/aircraft-claw-c100.php -- zaitcev]

When I plan a long trip I plan as straight line of a route as possible given
large bodies of water, mountains, etc. I then go on AirNav and locate all cheap
gas spots along the route and highlight those on my charts. I make an excelle
spreadsheet that lists each airport and :

1. Name
2. Identifyer
3. Type and price of fuel
4. Hours of fuel availability
5. Does the airport take credit cards or just cash
6. Phone number
7. Resturant on the field
8. Crew car availability
9. If the town hotel will pick up at the airport
10. If I can camp at the airport (must have 24h restrooms in my book for such)
11. Other useful notes, such as free cookies at the FBO!

I then read through the comments on AirNav for each and fill in as much of this
as possible and follow up with a phone call to confirm this info for each
airport. On my spreadsheet I highlight the best sounding airports at
approximately 300nm points along my route. (Since I fly cheap I look for cheap
gas, camping, and a free car. With this flight planning, splitting fuel costs
with a buddy, and volunteering at a booth in exchange for a entrance pass I did
OSH for under $500 last year.) These are my planned stops but I have info on my
spreadsheet for other cheap gas stops with facilities along my route if weather
closes in.

I print out the spread sheet and put it in a 3 ring binder. Info such as hotel
reservations or land maps, NOTAMs, DUATS route maps with TFRs, etc get clipped
into the binder. If I'm going into an airshow my VFR sign gets slid into the
front clear pocket on the binder to hold up for the flagmen. I then have a
clear route, easy to type into my GPS with plenty of back up stops picked out
all with cheap gas. As a final back up, I keep a hard copy of the AOPA aircraft
directory under my seat. If engine trouble or weather should put me at some
place totally unplanned, that has phone number for local hotels and cabs at
where ever I am stuck.

Hope this helps.

Helen