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Where you are planning to go, at that time of year the weather is extremely friendly to VFR pilots. If you are used to flying in the UK you will find it very straightforward. It's a great time of year to fly over the western deserts, lovely smooth air after the summer bumps, and visibility of over 100 miles is usual. Have fun, and rent something which will get you up to 11500 ft, you need to be that high to fly over the Grand Canyon, which is something you should definitely do. If you do fly that route take a GPS, the corridors are quite narrow and it's quite easy to mistake one landmark for another.