Any Pilots Who Cache?

[+Airmapper]

Any pilots out there who Geocache? I'm a student pilot and would just like to see if many pilots (Who generally use and like GPS) also Geocache.

Also, do you find ways to combine the two, say fly to a destination, and find a few caches while your there.

-------

Wasn't geting many hits so I'm widening the subject.

 

If your not a pilot, have you ever used or heard of an aircraft being used to cache with? Ever seen any Aviation themed caches? Ever seen a cache near an airport?

Edited September 14, 2005 by Airmapper

[+ParrotRobAndCeCe]

Flying High Pilot's Cache

[+dkwolf]

Wasn't geting many hits so I'm widening the subject.

Dude, you waited an entire hour and a half before deciding you weren't getting any hits. Patience, my friend, patience.

 

Personally, I'm not a pilot (yet...keep trying to think of civilian ways to get trained cheaply) but flying to an area and caching sounds like fun. Kinda like an uber-caching road trip.

[+W7WT]

I joined the Navy in March 1943 as a Aviation Cadet. Started out flying Stearmans. Sold my last plane a Piper Archer which we made 5 trips to Alaska camping out on the way. Since I am now 80, I leave the flying to my son who flies 747-400 and my Granddaughter who flies in Alaska. There are a lot of small fields where it would be fun to fly in and look for a cache. The only one I know about here in the State of Washington is at Forks. Then you have to climb up a fairly steep hill to get to it. A folding bicycle would be great to carry in your plane to scout out some caches. My best friend and geocaching buddy is Ajetpilot who is a retired Navy Commander flying jets off of carriers and also a retired American Airline Captain. However he doesn't fly light aircraft. With the price of Av gas, I doubt if too many people can afford to fly around and look for caches. However it is a great idea. Best of luck. Dick, W7WT

[+Airmapper]

Dude, you waited an entire hour and a half before deciding you weren't getting any hits.  Patience, my friend, patience.

Yeah, I'm new to this.

 

I have seen those folding bikes, sounds like fun, fly in, go biking/ caching, fly home.

Edited September 15, 2005 by Airmapper

[bogleman]

I am not a pilot but I have heavy aviation experience. Search for the nearest caches by using the zip code of the airport that you are flying into. This will give you the information you want. As far as I know there are very few on or directly around airports. Searching from 16505 there are caches within .5 miles from the airport. Pretty expensive idea for caching - plane, gas, ramp fees, landing fees - you had better plan your adventure well to make it worthwhile.

Edited September 15, 2005 by bogleman

[+Airmapper]

Yeah, if I ever attempt it I will have more than one reason for the trip. I'm a student getting close to a private lisense, thought caching along the way might be a good way to build up my hours. I've made long trips and just got out of the plane to rest a little before going on, would have been nice to see the area and find a few caches.

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

I am a licensed private pilot, with instrument rating and a few other extras, and have been since 1978, but I have not flown for years, and likely will not fly small aircraft again. I do fly as a passenger on airliners regularly, though! However, I agree that the nav experience garnered by being a pilot helps with understanding GPS and navigating on the ground.

[+gpsjeep]

I joined the Navy in March 1943 as a Aviation Cadet. Started out flying Stearmans. Sold my last plane a Piper Archer which we made 5 trips to Alaska camping out on the way. Since I am now 80, I leave the flying to my son who flies 747-400 and my Granddaughter who flies in Alaska. There are a lot of small fields where it would be fun to fly in and look for a cache. The only one I know about here in the State of Washington is at Forks. Then you have to climb up a fairly steep hill to get to it. A folding bicycle would be great to carry in your plane to scout out some caches. My best friend and geocaching buddy is Ajetpilot who is a retired Navy Commander flying jets off of carriers and also a retired American Airline Captain. However he doesn't fly light aircraft. With the price of Av gas, I doubt if too many people can afford to fly around and look for caches. However it is a great idea. Best of luck. Dick, W7WT

Dick (W7WT),

I appreaciate the time you served in our Military.

My family and myself thank you.

-Jeff

Edited September 16, 2005 by gpsjeep

[+Jeep_Dog]

There are quite a number of pilots that geocache. In my area alone, there are at least 3 pilots besides me that are geocachers.

 

From the small bit of logs that I have observed from pilot geocachers, they ..generally speaking!... seemed to be a bit anal retentive about proper coordinates. It must be a pilot thing.

 

There's an Aussie pilot who flies to caches. I'm too lazy to dig up his profile and provide a link. However, I have never even remotely considered marrying flying and caching. You see, I cache for relaxation and as a hobby. Why would it want to merge "work" into the hobby?

[+Airmapper]

I think flying is fun, remember I'm still a student flying two seat Cessna's, I'm not pulling all nighters flying big irons across the country. I don't consider it work yet. Besides, I need hours and taking trips is a good way to build time and experience.

I thought there might be quite a few pilots into caching, flying is the reason I got a GPS, GPS is how I found caching...you get the picture.

[+Jeep_Dog]

Something you may want to consider is finding benchmarks. Nearly every airport with a runway has at least one benchmark, and for regional airports and larger the benchmarks are where non-flight types of folks can get to. You'd be the envy of the benchmark hounds, since you can get the ones they cannot get to! Benchmarking does not help your geocaching "stats," but I am not one into that type of nonsense, nor do you appear to be.

 

I have yet to get a cache where I thought "gee, I wish I had been able to fly here." Then again, in a couple of weeks I will hit some caches in the Black Hills where that may change this statement considerably.

 

It may also be fun and refreshing to buzz off to a different region for a different flavor of caches.

 

Golly, I am starting to talk myself into cache flying...

[+WildGooseChase]

I know a commercial pilot who caches and even posts fairly regularly on the MB. I started my private license a few years ago and am getting ready to restart my lessons in few months. Might get expensive to rent a plane just for caching, but would be fun!

Edited September 16, 2005 by WildGooseChase

[+Airmapper]

Something you may want to consider is finding benchmarks. Nearly every airport with a runway has at least one

There are three along the runway at my home base, I posted in the benchmarking forum because of an odd arrangement in the description. See Odd Benchmark, the description said that the actual mark was surrounded in grease. The benchmarkers knew why it was like this, to prevent the mark from shifting.

My flight instructor is also the airport manager, I shoulden't have any trouble finding them, he probably knows where they are.

[+One Soaring Spirit]

Yep, and I was wondering when we were going to place caches at airports, airstrips, and any variation. We have an Ultralight that we dink with, and a Stol aricraft that can go just about anywhere else. Hey, pilots you all have heard of the 100 dollar hamburger, what better way to "walk down" a meal that to Geocache! Cool idea!

[+One Soaring Spirit]

Yep, and I was wondering when we were going to place caches at airports, airstrips, and any variation. We have an Ultralight that we dink with, and a Stol aricraft that can go just about anywhere else. Hey, pilots you all have heard of the 100 dollar hamburger, what better way to "walk down" a meal that to Geocache! Cool idea!

"The more you know, the more you grow!"

[Major Catastrophe]

PPSEL. Just get a yoke mount for your GPS or use the one in the plane if so equipped. When you're there, toss a log (entry) out the window!

 

LEFT: A FLOUR BOMB

TOOK: OFF

 

 

May your number of happy landings always match your number of takeoffs...

[+skyraider]

I am an instrument rated Private pilot and have owned a Cessna Skylane for the last 11 years. I have mixed flying with geocaching as much as possible. If I am flying to "new" airport I check the AOPA's Airport Directory for the airport coordinates and search the geocaching website for caches in the area.

 

I bought a 24" 10 speed bike at a garage sale, cut it apart with a hacksaw, and fabricated pieces to make it pin back together again. It fits very easy in the back of my 182. Total cost was about $20 !!!

 

I too used GPS only for flying till I heard about geocaching. Now I think I have to turn it on just to find the bathroom!!! I use a Garmin 295 in the plane and car and I use a 60CS in the woods. I have flown to certain airports just for caching. Like Put-In-Bay, up in Lake Erie. There are some good caches close and right next to it is Kelly's Island with more caches there. The most fun cache I ever did was "Starve Island" in Lake Erie. I had to fly in, blow up my inflatable kayak and paddle out to the Isle of Starve!!! Check it out.

 

Yes, you can mix the 2 hobbies together with great results!!!

 

Skyraider

[+Airmapper]

That sounds like fun, all I need is some 3lb flour sacks. Think I outta try that on some urban micros?? Wonder if muggles will be conserned about where the white powder came from?

 

-------

skyraider

That sounds like a lot of fun, I thought the two would make a good combination.

Edited September 17, 2005 by Airmapper

[deerslayer2]

im not a pilot but i did stay at a holiday inn express last night

[+skyraider]

I did a couple of "Ash Dispersals" from of my plane before, but after 9/11 I realized it is not a very good idea to be flying around at low level throwing white powdery stuff out of the window!!!!

[+Airmapper]

Yeah, I've heard of several pilots getting in trouble for that. Apparently it is legal to drop objects from an aircraft, as long as it is done safely and no one reports you as a terrorist.

I heard of a one pilot flying over some buddies playing paintball. He was "Bombing" them from the sky with flour. Some people in the area reported him and he got in big trouble, apparently he was doing this near a lake used for public water supply.

[+skyraider]

Exactly right. If you check the FAR's, I believe it is 91.15 that applies to dropping stuff.

 

How far along are you on your private? Are you doing cross countries yet?

[+Airmapper]

Got everything except the night landings as far as flight tasks go. Now I'm working on fne tuning the landings so I can hit the numbers. (Hopefully the ones on the same end as I'm trying to land on)

 

I have done all my Cross countries, didn't even know caches existed then. My parents have a few trips they would like to go on and I would like to fly after I get my lisense. Sounds like a good way to get caches in new areas.

[+One Soaring Spirit]

Any pilots out there who Geocache? I'm a student pilot and would just like to see if many pilots (Who generally use and like GPS) also Geocache.

Also, do you find ways to combine the two, say fly to a destination, and find a few caches while your there.

-------

Wasn't geting many hits so I'm widening the subject.

 

If your not a pilot, have you ever used or heard of an aircraft being used to cache with? Ever seen any Aviation themed caches? Ever seen a cache near an airport?

[+One Soaring Spirit]

Okay, it's been a while (I admit) in reading the posts.

Point of information on flying and caching.

You have to log so many hours, you will fly anyway,

some, only "around the patch", but some away from home

base. I have found that "most" airports have a courtesy car

that they will "loan" you to go into town and eat a bite.

Get a hotel room, go to the bank, etc, etc.

So what I'm saying here, if you plan (and most of us do)

you can cache in the town you fly into. We have, and

it's great!

[+ThreeRushkateers]

Okay, it's been a while (I admit) in reading the posts.

Point of information on flying and caching.

You have to log so many hours, you will fly anyway,

some, only "around the patch", but some away from home

base. I have found that "most" airports have a courtesy car

that they will "loan" you to go into town and eat a bite.

Get a hotel room, go to the bank, etc, etc.

So what I'm saying here, if you plan (and most of us do)

you can cache in the town you fly into. We have, and

it's great!

 

This cache is near a small airport...

GCPAEN It's a favorite of ours, too!

[+TexasGringo]

I have an ATP with 8000+ Hours. My (Gold Seal) CFI, II, MEI expired years ago. I got burnt out and went into computers...started my own business and never looked back....especially with the crazy stuff going on now.

 

I learned in Linden, NJ and Morristown, NJ back in the 60's...I taught at Spartan (Tulsa, Ok) in the mid 70's (Elmo was still there)....and Burnside-Ott (both Opa Locka and Tamiami in Florida) in the late 70's early 80's. Then off to Houston, Tx (Hobby) for Charter, Commuter and Corporate.

 

Left aviation after the air traffic controller strike in the 80's.

Edited February 25, 2007 by GURU4HIRE

[+barondriver]

I'm an ATP with 10000+ and CFIMEI..but temporarily down for abit as I had to have a heart valve replaced last month. I even set up a special Aviation geocache at the airport I fly from. A Trip With Barondriver

 

I have alot of geocaches placed away from where I live..Wichita, KS. Some are at airports. I did have one hauled off by a local aerial sprayer to be shot at, as he thought that it was something illegal after watching a night geocacher logging in, but then he and his son checked it out..laughed after they checked out the geo-paper and put it back it it's hiding spot. Flying has allowed me to place alot of geocaches in areas that had none and now there are geocachers in those areas..hiding them for me

[+Airmapper]

Hey someone dug up my old thread!

 

There is now a forum for caching Pilots, Click Here

 

I haven't been flying for a long time, I miss it. After I get out of college though I hope to get my wings back.

Edited February 25, 2007 by Airmapper

[+ePeterso2]

I'm not a pilot, but this related cache piqued my interest ...

[+Juicepig]

I personnally am not, but alot of the Northern Ontario geocaches can only be reached by bushplane (unless you are up to about a week of canoeing through blackfly country)

 

 

The above image was taken for On a Wing and a Prayer which I reached on foot after a 25km winter hike (its so much easier when the swamps freeze over)

 

Here are some other ones, that you can still get FTF on:

 

Wherever I May Gnome - A virtual from August 2002 (NO FINDS!)

 

4.5lb Walleye - A traditional from June 2001 (NO FINDS!)

 

There are a ton more, Blue Quasar has a good bookmark list of the "Ontario unfindables"

[ImpalaBob]

I pulled this link from another forum post:

 

Find caches near an airport

 

It should be exactly what you are looking for!

 

ImpalaBob Commercial Glider, Pvt. S.E.L., Pvt. M.E.L., Commercial Helicopter, Expired advanced jet helicopter instructor (Hughes 500), Ultralight pilot also (Pterodactyl Ascender II + 2)

 

[+webscouter.]

Barondriver does a lot of caching from airports.

[+barondriver]

..just a couple of pictures..the baron that I have been flying and a picture of the Pteradactyl Ascender that I used to have sitting near a B-1 at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, KS..I flew it in for an Air Show with some other Ultralight pilots..

 

 

[+RockyRaab]

USAF jet instructor, 300 combat missions...does that count?

[+TexasGringo]

***USAF jet instructor, 300 combat missions...does that count?***

 

Yea...each one of my private pilot students was a combat mission...that never heard of the word "Flare"...unless it was 20 feet above the runway.

[+NatureGuy360]

I am a pilot and I have been flying since 2003. I even have several toy airplane Travel Bugs that are flying to Geocaches all across the country. Now if only I could figure out how to Geocache from the air!

[+TexasGringo]

***Now if only I could figure out how to Geocache from the air!***

 

Fly low & slow, with auto-pilot on. that leaves your hands free to grab the caches as you go by.

[+152Driver]

I'm an airline pilot who's only been geocaching for a year. It's been a great hobby for long overnights. Before each trip I see where I'll be spending the night and load the gps with a few caches near the hotel. I've even dragged some fellow crew members in on the hunt. I did one multi-cache with my crew in Quebec City which lasted HOURS. I thought for sure they would bail after the first couple locations but despite the weather and geocaching troubles they all stuck it out for the whole event. Lucky for me we found the cache or I would have been strung up from the nearest tree, statue, building, etc.

 

At some of the more popular overnight hotels I see logs from other pilots who have stayed in the area. Even back home I've started to see some geocaching nicknames in the logs that are definitely of students from the nearby university flight school.

 

Traveling for a profession and I'm sure as a hobby is a great addition to the Geocaching hobby. As much as I enjoy geocaching around my home turf it's fun to explore new cities/areas while geocaching. Someday I'd like to have geocached in each state but it'll be better if it's done on the companies dime rather than mine.

[+Clue Seeker]

Just like '152Driver', I too am an airline pilot. Some darn First Officer introduced this sport while making idle chit chat at cruise altitude. That was on July 16th, 2006. If you look at my profile you'll notice that I've been a tad obsessed. Tomorrow infact I hope to grab 30+ caches on foot from the hotel in Costa Mesa, CA during a two-day trip. The forecast is for 80F+ so I've already packed shorts and sunscreen!

 

After I hit about 25 states I came up with an unrealistic goal of nailing all 50 states + DC by July 16th, 2007. So far I'm on track and have a plan for the remaining states. What's next ... Canada and the Carribean of course.

 

Since you need flight time why not plan a caching cross country. If you could pool resources with another cacher trying to build hours it may be a good way of increasing your cache/paid-block-hour ratio. Better yet, if he's IFR rated that will give you more options!