flights to/from twisp to seattle

[returningcurrent]

Hi,
Does anyone have info about a pilot and/or his business of flying folks to/from the valley to close-by cities? I know there used to be someone doing this in his small plane but can't find info online...

Thanks!

[HCWeston]

Monte retired from flying.

[wombat]

I've been looking into this a bunch as it seems like doing this would be a good fit for me because I'm a commercially rated pilot and have a relatively capable airplane. Plus I often fly to Seattle and back. Unfortunately, while I could fly you to Seattle and back in my airplane, I am prohibited from taking compensation without an air carrier certification. And it's expensive and time consuming, so I probably wouldn't fly you without compensation. If you and I both happened to want to fly to Seattle or back at the same time, we could split the direct costs of the flight, but I would have to pay at least my pro-rata share.

The problem is that nobody in the valley has an air carrier certification. They are time consuming and expensive to get. I've started the process, but I expect it'll be at least 3 more years to complete, if I ever even can. There are significant requirements on the aircraft and while my airplane complies with all of the regulations for flying myself and my friends and family around, the requirements for taking paying passengers are more strict.

There are a couple of other options, but they are either not as easy as 'pay X dollars to be flown from A to B' or the "X" becomes large.

You could buy your own plane (You don't have to be a pilot!) and pay someone to fly you in it. We have at least 3 commercially rated pilots in the valley that would probably be willing to fly you. Prices for airplanes range from about $25,000 (If you are looking to buy flights to Seattle and back, you are likely to be very unhappy with a $25,000 plane) up to many millions of dollars. But given that you are posting here, I'll make a guess that something between about $100,000 to $400,000 would meet your expectations. If your budget is above that, PLEASE follow through and hire me as a pilot. :) On the bright side, aircraft tend to hold their values quite well. On the down side, they cost a lot to maintain. I'd budget for maybe 5% of the airplane's cost annually in maintenance.

You can also partner with one or more other people to purchase an aircraft which would
drastically reduce your up-front costs as well as ongoing maintenance. But it does have all the downsides of any partnership.

You could contact a company somewhere else that does have an air carrier certification such as San Juan Air and pay them to fly you. I expect a one-way ticket will be on the order of $2,000 to $3,000. Maybe that's in your budget though! Even if you owned your own plane, the actual cost of a one-way flight (Assuming the pilot brings the plane back) is probably $1,000 between the aircraft, maintenance, hangar, insurance, and pilot.

If you (or anyone else) is interested in buying a plane or wants to talk more about what other options there are, or if you would be interested in splitting costs if we both happen to be wanting to go or return at the same time, feel free to contact me directly at 206 nine63 fourty-three, fifty-three. (Text or phone) I don't have any sort of 'schedule' though, so I don't expect a lot of matches on timing.

[returningcurrent]

Thanks for the info (both of you). Sad to hear that Monte retired.
I'm definitely not going to buy my own plane, but I appreciate you letting me know about all the options. This question was mostly for a friend who was asking, not necessarily me, but it did get me wondering about Monte because I think he only used to charge like $100 each way.

[navisradwick1]

Back in the early 90's we had a friend that owned a small plane and he flew us to the Port Ludlow area. Being in a small plane, and flying over the Cascades, you are a bit closer and see more than in a commercial plane. I was amaze at how vast it all was. That same pilot died in a plane crash in AK years later. Would I ever do that again? I don't think so.

[wombat]

Flying in a little plane (single piston engine with a propeller) is a higher risk than driving. From what I've heard it's similar to that of riding a motorcycle.

Flying in an airline (a United States based Air Carrier) is incredibly safe. There are more fatalities on Highway 153 between Pateros and Winthrop than all US air carriers combined. (Reference below for US Air Carrier safety record) Do your own research on the highway accidents, but the US air carriers have had 3 deaths since (and including) 2007. Very Impressive!


https://www.airlines.org/dataset/safety-record-of-u-s-air-carriers/

[valleylax]

Wombat are you a CFI? Any in the valley with plane?

[wombat]

Yes, I'm a CFI. But my plane is not rentable unfortunately; insurance is relatively picky about what I can use it for.