Flight Time

Mt. Rushmore from above

As a birthday gift to myself in 2004 I decided to take a trip to Mt. Rushmore. I was living in Denver, Colorado at the time … so the trip would take about 3 hours going and 3 hours coming back. This was based on flying in a Cessna 172, which is what I was most comfortable with. In a car the trip takes between 5 to 6 hours one way, so flying there is definitely shorter (but not exactly less expensive). This was by far the longest and farthest flight I had ever undertaken and so I was really excited to start planning the trip.

I did all the necessary pre-flight planning, like mapping the route on my sectional (aviation) chart. Actually, the route covered two charts so I had to buy the chart that covered South Dakota. I determined which of the little airports along the route I would pass and printed the information for them, just in case I needed to use any of them in an emergency. I also reserved a rental car and a hotel for the night. My plan was to fly there on a Saturday morning, before the weather got too hot … and the air too bumpy, then hop in the car and see the monument. After spending the night, my plan was to fly back to Denver in the cool air of Sunday morning. Luckily the weather was perfect for my VFR flight on the weekend immediately following my birthday, so I set out on that Saturday morning.

I had all my charts, airport information and a handheld GPS with my route already entered. I even used flight following from ATC, which meant that I was being watched on radar by Air Traffic Control and would receive traffic advisories in case any other airplane in my area got within a certain distance from my plane. I did get a few notices from ATC, which helped because it’s amazing how difficult it is to see small airplanes in the sky. None of the other airplanes were a major threat … some were above me, some below me, but none of their flight paths made me need to alter my direct flight path from Denver, Colorado to Rapid City, South Dakota.