BOV by Cessna?

One great strength of a true survivalist is the ability to think outside the box. Always do what they least expect. With all the talk of congestion and free-for-alls how hard would it be to get to the airport instead? What new possibilities and/or threats would you face if you were trying to fly out in your own personal small plane? You'd certainly be able to beat the rush to a remote area. Assuming that flights are not yet grounded or you're able to take off anyway,,,what next?

Well it would be a fast escape mode of transportation but you have to look at the situation at hand, your skill level, and the risk of making it to a safe location (ATC/military). I wouldn't discount it as an option but a small prop plane would not be my first choice or third for that matter. Drifting in a boat on a river with approriate "blood splatters" works well to the causual observer.

Providing the air port isn't shut down and air travel restricted I think it's an excellent idea.
What would be great would be to fly to a location that is only accessible by airplane. I'd be willing to take the risk of being cut off from possible access to a doctor because I'd rather avoid gangs and crazies who weren't prepared for a distaster of any level.
Jules

I've looked into this.

Even a used, older (almost antique!) plane will run you between $80,000 and $100,000. The fuel isn't as much as I expected, and the planes I looked at were much more fuel efficient than what I'd imagined.

Most people don't know, but private planes have an incredible amount of latitude as long as you are not near the border, or near major cities. It isn't mandatory that you file a flight plan, or even stick too it. I could hardly believe it.

I have a friend who was airborne on 9/11. He wasn't forced to land or anything. They told him to continue to his destination, and contact the landing strip by cell phone to verify that he had a flight plan and was on schedule, and wasn't a terrorist.

In my situation, There is no real way they could keep you from flying. I can't imagine they'd follow every single plane in the US and force them down. We're talking thousands of small craft, who can literally land anywhere they want. A 6 seater can land on a stretch of dirt road, and will fit in a someone's barn.

I've traveled overseas by private plane, and it is far less of a hassle than you'd think. Nothing like commercial air travel. You basically check in with one of a number of airports along the border. They search you and the plane on your return, but are a lot friendlier than they are to commerical flight consumers.

And, all I will say about it is to point out that no one seems to care if you leave the USA without saying bye-bye to the authorities. Mexico sure don't care.

The agreement I have with the frau dr is that I won't buy any survival equipment unless we would "use it anyway." It was her first objection to the thought of a plane. I've pointed out that we could get a cabin in the rockies . . . .

But the money involved is just more than we can dedicate to such a toy. I keep working on my employers, but they remain unimpressed.

In a major emergency, all flights will be grounded. Any unauthorized flights or any flights deviated from flight plan without announced intention to set down will probably find themselves flaming wreckage on the ground. I grew up on airports and spent my entire life hearing stories from small plane pilots telling me about how they got buzzed by military interceptors because they were either nearing a no-fly zone or in some cases, just in an area where they enforced flight plans a little more. Short jaunts usually do not require a flight plan, but they are watched.

What about looking into kit planes? Buy it in parts and plans and put it together yourself. I bet that would cost a lot less.
Jules

Some of the kit planes have a VERY small radar signature. Not like a Kit Fox, but one of the fabric ultralights. Might be worth looking into even if they are slow.

this is an intresting scenerio. This would assume you are mostly transporting yourself. ...not a whole tribe and their baggage.

This also requires dicipline..not emotions. It is amazing the kind of nonsense some people think is an emergency and what their responsibilitys are in such an event.

I say this in a particular light because I know people who were evacuating from a hurricane and the wife wanted to take here valuable jewelry and the kid his baseball card collection. Obviously it was up to someone else to provide the survival gear...food luxurys etc.

Also when you get to where you are going ..what other provisions or optionis have you made...transportation ..food etc etc...

No doubt it would be fast ..but what then??

Doc Strangecraft has the pattern correct...to where are you going and what then??

I don't have all the answers, but here are some questions.


- A small plane, especially when the utility power is off, makes a great deal of racket. With no TV or sterio on, you can hear a plane flying nearby even inside your house.

A: How will announcing your departure affect the people/place you leave? With they be prey to looting / vandalism, because you are leaving?

B: If you have a rural retreat, your plane will be making a lot of noise to announce your arrival, and connect you to your retreat. Could that be a problem, annoiuncing to locals who has the money and where they are headed from the airport to their lair?



- Small planes have very little cargo space.

C: will you have survival gear stored at your destination? How can you sure it will be there, unoccupied, when you arrive?



- Planes are comparatively fragile, and need relatively specialized fuel.

D: Where will you store the plane at your new location. Without a hanger, it will quickly deteriorate.

E: A plane is not easy to hide. Will you leave it out? Or will you try to camoflage it?

F. Unless you have fuel stored at your destination, you can count on other fliers to hoard all the aviation fuel they can, whatever is not siezed by the authorities for "official use." For that matter, they might well sieze your plane. . . .

If your going to use a plane make sure it can fly high enough to be well out of small firearm range.

That kinda leaves out ultra lights and most (not All) kit planes. Ive looked into the idea before and decided its not for me and mine for several reasons, most involving lots and lots of money. Were above the lower but below the upper.

Instead I talked the wife into letting us build a complete custom 4 wheel drive 4X4. Not as fast as a plane but If I have to bail out of my BOV I only go a few inches to the ground not a few thousand feet