Sorry if I got my dates confused, I thought that the planes stayed at Pax until the last moment, thinking that at least a fly by would be better than nothing.
As regards the flight back to Yuma, it is some 2,200 miles, according to the post a six hour flight, did the USMC have a special clearance to fly this journey, there is still I believe for not test aircraft a requirement to scope parts of the engine every 3 hours, suggesting that unless there was a special dispensation there would have to have been at least one stop on route, at a suitably equipped air base. Just saying...