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Hitching rides on small/private planes can be done, though it may be a much less spontaneous process than hitching rides in cars.
Your best bet is to try for lifts from public airfields, particularly early on weekend mornings, as well as the executive terminal (also called the commercial desk) of larger/international airports. However because most pilots who'll be flying longer distances (e.g. 500+ miles) have done their planning beforehand (and already have all the necessary charts, [[weather ]] information, etc), they may not stop by the pilots' lounge (or another public place) before heading to their hangar. This may decrease the spontaneity possible in catching a ride: a note note on the airport's corkboard, or at the messageboard of a small cafe frequented by pilots may net better results.
If the airport has a small coffee shop or restaurant nearby, hang around and make conversation (pilots are sometimes recognizable by flightbags and jepsen charts--small chart-holders which strap onto the knee or upper thigh, leaving both hands free). Obviously, acting like you're interested in flying will help your case!
Often pilots looking to up their airmiles (for increased certification, etc) will make routine weekly flights to cities several hours off by car. ''Be sure to ask if they're planning on landing!'' Students taking their last flight (called a ''cross country'') before obtaining their license may also be willing to take passengers who can split/help with fuel costs--though technically speaking, this is illegal, it can happen under an "I won't say anything if you won't" agreement. Notices on busy flight school message boards are a good way to make connections for this.
With rising fuel costs, pilots may be much less likely to take passengers: in a small plane, your added weight is significant. Though it's not in the spirit of hitchhiking (or more in the spirit of Romanian hitching), if you're willing to offer to split or help with gasoline costs, your chances may be better. Keep in mind that offering to split costs on a small single-engine plane (like a Cessna 150) will run you about the cost of driving; splitting the costs for larger planes may be comparable to renting a car+gas, or even to flying on a commercial flight.
== Inexpensive Flights ==