Long Cross Country flying in a helicopter......I am solidly with Gordy on this!
I have done many long flights.....like from Deadhorse to Lafayette and Unga Island to San Diego. (Alaska to the southern border of the USA).
If you fly high you enjoy certain benefits but lose the chance of a life time.
This part of the World is best enjoyed down where you can see it and the people who live there.
I tried to use Non-Tower controlled airports, preferably those with grass runways, for my fuel stops....and night stops. The food and beer seems better in small towns for some reason. The Hospitality is always much better.
Fly at whatever altitude you like.....but in Helicopters lower is better for reasons that make Flying fun and not just another Task.
There is something about picking a heading....without drawing a line on the map....and seeing what you see along the way. With the advent of GPS finding your fuel stop is so much easier....and finding that spot on the map every hour so you know where you are.....or those places you see that you would like to come back to another day can be marked for later reference.
For me....it is IFR.....I follow rivers, railways, roads, ridges, ravines, radials....or a compass needle....and ENJOY the trip. It is so nice to be able to GO somewhere in a helicopter rather than the usual kind of flying we do. Get the most enjoyment out of it you can!
Separate Topic.....Chip Lights.
Chip Lights are over rated as indicators of dire emergencies.
Most are false indications.
Some are valid indications but show only normal wear particles or Fuzz. Clean them and back into the air....save the material found.
Some are valid and have indications of abnormal wear.....usually the procedure is clean the detector, flush the oil system and cooler...then back into the air and monitor the situation.
Then there are the ones....which are very very very rare...that have real and serious indications of a problem.....which usually are a follow-on to a series of all the other types.
You will never see part numbers, serial numbers or other such Large pieces of stuff on a Chip Detector or see a Chip Detector come on immediately before a catastrophic Gear Box or Engine Failure.....they just do not work that way.
So planning your flight around a Chip Detector is not something you need to do ever....and whatever you do.....land the helicopter at a nice place for the Engineer to work on the thing....and one that has a nice Hotel/Bar/Diner for you to enjoy while the Engineer checks the Aircraft.