Garmin aviation data
Aviation

FltPlan Data Offers Insights into General Aviation Pilot Habits

August 18, 2023

Ever wondered about the most popular aviation flight patterns in the US? We did. So as the largest provider of flight planning services in North America, we pored through the data to provide helpful and interesting insights into when, where and how Garmin FltPlan customers are flying. Whether you’re an aircraft owner, pilot or even in charge of scheduling your company’s business travel, there’s something in this report for you.  

Curious to see where you fit in with the fleet? Keep reading to learn how FltPlan users are flying.

WHEN?

Busiest Days of the Week

Weekend warriors you are not — the least popular days for FltPlan users to be in the air were Saturday and Sunday.

  1. Thursday
  2. Wednesday
  3. Friday
  4. Tuesday
  5. Monday
  6. Sunday
  7. Saturday

WHERE?

Top 10 Departing Airports

Pilots who use FltPlan are creatures of habit — and a lot of you are big fans of Florida and Texas. Whether for business or personal travel, flying to sunny cities seems to be a trend.

  1. KTEB – Teterboro Airport, Teterboro, New Jersey
  2. KPBI – Palm Beach International Airport, Palm Beach, Florida
  3. KPDK – DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, Chamblee, Georgia
  4. KDAL – Dallas Love Field Airport, Dallas, Texas
  5. KFXE – Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  6. KHOU – William P. Hobby Airport, Houston, Texas
  7. KOPF – Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, Miami, Florida
  8. KLAS – Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada
  9. KIAD – Washington Dulles International Airport, Washington, DC
  10. KSDL – Scottsdale Airport, Scottsdale, Arizona

Top 10 Arriving Airports

If you have déjà vu reading this list, we don’t blame you — but notice an interesting difference between this and the list of the top 10 departing airports: Las Vegas and Miami are flipped. FltPlan users are slightly more likely to be arriving in Vegas than they are to be departing. Roll some dice for us while you’re out there, please.

  1. KTEB – Teterboro Airport, Teterboro, New Jersey
  2. KPBI – Palm Beach International Airport, Palm Beach, Florida
  3. KPDK – DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, Chamblee, Georgia
  4. KDAL – Dallas Love Field Airport, Dallas, Texas
  5. KFXE – Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  6. KHOU – William P. Hobby Airport, Houston, Texas
  7. KLAS – Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada
  8. KOPF – Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, Miami, Florida
  9. KIAD – Washington Dulles International Airport, Washington, DC
  10. KSDL – Scottsdale Airport, Scottsdale, Arizona

HOW LONG?

Average Enroute Flight Times for Each Type of Aircraft

Of course, pilots of a wide variety of aircraft use FltPlan, and that includes unpowered air balloons and glider aircraft. With an average flight time of 78 minutes for all aircraft, the data shows that fixed-wing single engine turbo-jet journeys tend to be the shortest — about 42 minutes on average — with rotorcraft (helicopters) posting average flight times of less than an hour. For longer flights, fixed-wing single engine 2-cycle aircraft on average spent almost two hours—about 116 minutes. Where does your engine fit into the mix?

Average Nautical Miles for All Engine Types

So we know how long you’re spending in the air — but how much ground are you actually covering? The below figures represent the average nautical miles flown for each type of engine.

HOW MANY?

Average Number of Crew and Passengers on Board

FltPlan data showed that most of you like to fly with a companion or colleague on board, too.

Not sure where you fit in? FltPlan is a free flight planning and filing website that covers the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, Panama, and parts of Venezuela and Columbia — and registering only takes a few minutes.