Damn, yesterday I had my log book with me, I could have given you the exact flight times.
Flight was a return trip from Chandler Airport, Phoenix, Arizona to Compton Airport, Los Angeles, California, in a Piper Arrow. Can't remember the distance or the amount of time it took - I seem to recall each leg being about 4 hours, which would put the distance at around 500nm, but I'll check on that tonight if I remember (unless someone from that area would care to correct me before tonight if I'm wrong, of course!)
The flight out was a bit of a nightmare. Forecast was 8 miles vis in dust storms. "No problem," I thought, "I regularly fly in 5km vis, 8 miles is a nice day compared to what I'm used to." Well, that's true enough, 5km vis in South East England, where there are towns, roads, railways and rivers every couple of miles, isn't really a problem. Out in the Californian dessert, though, where there's nothing to navigate by visually except a mountain or two, 25 miles away or more, was a little more challenging.
Made good use of VORs to back up ded reckoning skills, eventually got back over some populated areas where there was no sand to be blown around, and more features on the ground, only to be hit by turbulence that required some pertty intense concentration to keep altitude to within a couple of hundred feet. The turbulence calmed down eventually, but by the time I had to tackle the nightmare that's known as the LA airspace for the first time ever, I was exhausted! It showed when I got far too close to the Cessna in front of me in the circuit (sorry, pattern), but I made it down safely, got a cab to my hotel room, and collapsed into my bed!
The return flight, on the other hand, was one of the best cross-country flights ever. Perfect weather, beautiful scenery, everything went exactly to plan - one of those flights to remember forever.
As far as range is concerned, I don't fly the Arrow very much (got checked out specifically for this and one other long cross country which I thought were too far to do in a Super Cub, and haven't flown one since) but I recall the endurance being about 7 hours, which would certainly beat the endurance of my bladder!
FFF
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