Originally Posted by
Winston
If by “commute” you mean “commute by air”, then the answer is that no one, and I mean NO ONE, commutes to SFO from SMF. It’s just too delayed and unreliable, and even as bad as the traffic is driving, at least you know it’s going to happen. We have a ton of guys who drive in from the Sac area, but it’s all by car.
RNO-SFO is a very popular commute, but most guys have a Plan B of just driving down the hill the whole way.
If you’re somewhere beetween SMF and RNO (as I am), I’d just drive. I can do it in under 2 hours, but in traffic it’s 3:30 easy. I bid to start with a red eye and usually get done around 10 PM so traffic is a non-issue, but other than those times you’re gonna hurt.
With over two decades left at this gig and the traffic only getting worse, I’m seriously contemplating commuting by Cessna out of my local strip and Ubering up from San Carlos.
I know a captain that does exactly that.
I would never drive 1.5 hours the wrong way (to Reno) only to commute in by air. Just drive it and know your car isn’t leaving without you when you get back.
Originally Posted by
ron kent
Anywhere west of Truckee and you are inside reserve driving distance. By driving distance I mean 2.5 hour drive under normal driving conditions. By normal driving conditions I mean you can drive the legal speeds the whole way.
His point being you can sit short call reserve from home. That’s huge.