Statistically speaking, small planes definitely carry more risk than commercial jets but most (90%) of the risk is in the pilot and not the plane.

http://pilotsharetheride.com/

http://www.skypool.com/

https://www.socialflights.com/

I found it all exciting in a remote kind of way, since there wasn’t much I could do to influence the outcome one way or the other; the third occupant was asleep in the back seat and missed the whole thing.  The pilot is a low-key guy, but I’m sure his mental workload was very high.  He did what had to be done; respect to him.

But during a single engine flight over harsh terrain at night NOTHING may go wrong. There is no margin for error or failure

Just as I’ve disagreed with Rebecca’s mischaracterization of the general mood of the replies here, I have to disagree with your view of night flying as well.

Lots of things can go wrong on a night flight without it turning into a disaster, especially for a VFR flight.

Fact is, just making sure there’s enough fuel in the airplane will eliminate the biggest reason that airplanes make unscheduled landings. And unscheduled landings are relatively rare in the first place, even taking into account all causes.

It is not uncommon during flight training, if not recurrency training, for a pilot to simulate a full electrical failure at night. I certainly did, and for a competent pilot it’s not a big deal.

A watch, a compass, and a flashlight address the primary concerns of navigation and flight planning, in the event of an electrical failure. Furthermore, in such an event a pilot is probably less concerned with getting to the final destination as to just finding a suitable landing site. Fortunately, at night time airports are easy to find, due to the easily-identified airport beacons.

Control of the aircraft is similarly only slightly harder and not at all in the realm of an emergency. Again, a competent pilot can tell airspeed from control feel and wind noise, and power settings can be closely approximated by engine noise. For landing, precise engine settings aren’t really necessary, as the pilot adjusts power as needed to maintain a correct glidepath, so there’s externally-available feedback to guide the pilot there as well.

Vacuum pump failure? Use the turn coordinator (or electrically-operated attitude indicator, if equipped).

Equipment failures while flying in instrument meteorological conditions are certainly more of a concern. But then, that’s true day or night.

Plenty of people have lost their lives in airplanes. Just as tens of thousands of people are killed in motor vehicle incidents every year in the US. And yes, Part 91 and 135 operations (flight instruction and charters) have a higher accident rate relative to Part 121 (scheduled airlines).

But how does that mean people can’t joke about flying?

More likely, you’ll only be charged the full rate for the one-way trip, with possibly some reduced surcharge to cover the empty leg.

On a short trip like that, not having to deal with all the hassles of the big airport pretty much guarantees that “block to block” travel times are as quick, if not quicker, in the slower airplane than traveling airlines. And of course, the whole experience from end-to-end is likely to be much more pleasant (no one trying to touch your junk, you get to sit right up front, you can ask the pilot questions, fly lower for better scenery, etc.)

The first problem is that firing someone who makes an error or demanding that they pay a large sum in compensation is a poor long term strategy for business and personal relationships.

The second problem is that figuring out a way to show up for a professional assignment is common even in the Third World, perhaps more so.

 Average age of General Aviation airframe is around 39 years. A  new budget cessna skycatcher is north of $150,000 and training to learn how to fly can cost $10k+ (fuel, instruction and rental).

For most people $150k is a house and $10k would replace the beater car they drive.

I’m with CHoldredge.  We like you Cory.

It’s hard to not be convinced by a pilot who really wants to fly that the flight is safe, even when there’s hail the size of golfballs.  This’d be an exciting excursion for anyone, very Hardy Boys (the 50′s editions), but the terrain and conditions all add up to hazardous flight.

There was a private pilot who three times flouted distance warnings on thunderstorms; came back twice with dents all over his aircraft.

Go Pro!  You want a salty skeptic on this one.

CHoldredge: Sorry, but you need an air charter service, not a private pilot (7:13 am)
Ialaire McFadden: Your best bet is SW 922 @ 8 PM fro ABQ to LAS, … depart Jet Blue 196 @ 10:05 arriving JFK at 5:47 AM.
Sarah Anderson: Be willing to abort the trip before departure that evening if the weather is beyond the plane or pilot.  Don’t take a chance with icing in a light aircraft.

On a trip to the bahamas you spend what? Half an hour to an hour over water (shortest between land is around 55nm, with the longer ones being aroun 100-120nm), with maybe 20 minutes out of gliding distance of land? Not really equivalent to 200nm at 12000 feet over really rough terrain at night, now is it? If you really wanted you could go high and be within gliding distance of land almost the whole way.

As for fair weather flying (which you seem to be accusing anyone of who advises against Cory’s idea). I’ve gone from Iceland to Scotland (690nm) in a C172. Foolhardy? Not really. Using all the right equipment (certified north atlantic immersion suit and a rubber dinghy, plus everything else that is needed) and with a good understanding of the weather it really isn’t that risky. I take into account the chances of bad stuff, figure out the worst that can happen, and plan against that. Not so that I don’t go, only so that if it comes to the worst then I maximise my chance of survival. 
Cross wind… a C152 can make a landing with a cross wind component of up to 30 kts (handbook only approves of 12kts IIRC). I don’t necessarily recommend it as nice treatment for the aircraft (full rudder won’t keep it straight, you need to kick the rudder when touching down), but it will do 25kts x-wind component just fine. The 172 is similar, although not quite as nimble for kicking it about.
(I’ve also had to deal with electrical failures, magneto failures at night, fire in the engine compartment, and more. You just become more likely to get to try that crap just the more you fly, as problems DO occur).

Risk management is exactly that, manging risks. Managing risks involves UNDERSTANDING the risks, and that is the job of the commercial pilot. The commercial pilot will do whatever he goddamn pleases when risking himself, and then behave very, very differently when taking a passenger. In my experience, private pilots often fail to understand this difference, and lack an understanding of some core components of risk management. In this case it is really that in the case of a problem with a single engine piston aircraft at night in these conditions (even  if the weather is perfect…in january) there is no way out. Any problem or failure in this case results in a high risk of death.

Flying to the Bahamas on a sunny july morning.. no problem short of a complete engine failure even rates as scary.. 

Even ignoring safety, the chances of having a pleasant, turbulence-free flight over mountains in a small plane are very slim unless you can get well above the top of them.

To re-iterate what others have said in a more optimistic tone, while we aren’t legally able to accept the kind of compensation Cory there is absolutely no reason a private pilot (or sport pilot, for that matter) couldn’t take you on this trip. As long as we can afford it, many of us are thrilled to share the experience of flying in a small plane with anyone who is interested.

If there is a late-night flight to New York available, Denver is almost certainly a better option than Phoenix. The route (if you fly around the Rockies) is almost certainly safer.

The first problem is that someone who wasn’t thinking (whom you probably paid to think) messed up.  They screwed up.  Let them foot the bill for a private plane, or be the ones that call and cancel.  If their solution is “bum a ride on a private plane”, then seriously – get a new person.

The second problem is that it’s just a First World Problem.  It almost made me shed a tear. But the shaking of my head was of sufficient speed to dry them before they could form.

all he is getting is posts about how dangerous it is, and how most likely anyone who transports him will be breaking some sort of law, a bunch of naysayers criticizing their fellow pilots skills, and expounding on the difficulties of what he’s asking

Wow. That’s a complete mis-characterization of the comments that have been posted.

The legal questions are genuine; just because you aren’t worried about the FAA taking your certificate, that doesn’t mean it’s not something other pilots don’t worry about. Some pilots even need that certificate to earn a living; they aren’t so carefree about how they use it. For sure, it’s clear you’re unfamiliar with the case law and so at the very least under-appreciate the legal risks involved (even if that information wouldn’t change your decision-making).

As far as the hazard goes, only a fraction of commenters have even described the operation as hazardous, and not all of those are pilots. At least one pilot (me) has even pointed out how such a flight can be made with relative safety and enjoyment.

No one here is “hurting general aviation”. They are simply being realistic.

There are lots of reasons general aviation is suffering today; blaming experts for simply stating the truth about it makes no sense.

But, so? There are still plenty of pilots who are willing to fly at night, and this is true especially when dealing with pilots working at a flight school and/or charter operation, where the pilots are working hard just to earn enough to get by.

Heck, this whole page is about the difficulty of finding someone (whether a whole airline or just a single pilot) to fly at night. Seems like you’re just stating the obvious here.

(For what it’s worth, while I don’t much any more due to lifestyle changes, the first few years after I earned my pilot certificate, over half of my flying was at night, just because it was always dark after I got done at work. Night flying is actually quite pleasant, done with the proper concern for safety. I would expect that to be especially the case in the dry southwest being discussed here).