allevart

Sorry for the delay in replying to all the responses, the festive season has wreaked havoc on my usually routine lifestyle. I am very grateful for all the advice and comments I received from everyone. There are so many points I had not considered at all. Many thanks for raising them. Just to clarify, my role is in market development so the only products I would have on board would be samples to show customers and any products ordered would be delivered by road transport. While it would be desirable for reasons of efficiency and forward planning to reach destinations and return to home base according to a pre-determined schedule it is not really critical. Should adverse weather conditions keep me grounded for a day or three it wouldn’t really matter so much as my time could be gainfully employed in many other ways. (And my boss is very understanding and lets me run my own race.) My company’s involvement is in the dairy industry and I am required to cover all dairy regions as far apart as Mt. Gambier, Bega, Deniliquin and the major dairying centres in between, that’s a lot of driving. Currently a trip throughout the western district can be three days and two nights away, so expenditure would be conservatively fuel $80, accommodation, $240, meals $80 and my driving time compared to flying time. It just seems to me that $400 in expenses as opposed to fuel for say a Jabiru at 15 ltrs an hour and maybe four hours total flight time at about $100 is a fairly compelling case for flying. Even if the trip extended to an overnight stay and you had to add $150 for accommodation and a meal you still save money and time provided the weather does the right thing. Sounds too good to be true really, am I missing something maybe?

Seasons greetings to all and best wishes for the coming year. I joined to learn more about the capabilities of recreational aircraft and whether they may be the answer to commuting around the state of Victoria for business purposes instead of driving. I have flown previously about thirty years ago but to get back into a Cessna 172 I believe I would have to start pretty much from scratch as so many changes have taken place. Does anyone on the forum regularly use recreational aircraft for business purposes or know of anyone who does?:confused: Comments and advice would be appreciated.