[jyl]

How practical is it to use your own light plane (prop) instead of airlines?

I don't know anything about this, but I'm wondering -

- 200mph cruising speed and limited range, doesn't that mean that flying coast-to-coast (e.g. LA-NY) becomes an all-day project? Would it be something like 10+ hours in the air and 3+ hours on the ground?

- How much/how often does weather keep you on the ground? Say, for every 10 LA-NY trips, would you end up cancelling 1 of them, or is it 2 or 4?

- If you're a family of four, do two of you have to be pilots? Is it safe/recommended to be flying w/ only 1 qualified pilot?

- Will the sorts of light prop planes you guys are talking about carry four people plus, say, 200# luggage?