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A Flying Sojourn at Low Levels

Connecting with the past via a Piper Arrow.

[Photo illustration: Amy Jo Sledge, Images: iStock, Les Abend]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A couple embarked on a month-long, multi-state journey in their Piper Arrow, combining a wedding trip with extensive leisure travel to reconnect with old friends, explore historical sites, and enjoy the leaf-peeping season.
  • The author managed all aspects of the private flights, serving as his own dispatcher and meteorologist, while his wife actively contributed as a co-pilot, navigator, and adept organizer of their extensive baggage.
  • Despite encountering various operational challenges like airport egress issues, navigating complex airspace, and unpredictable weather, the trip successfully facilitated unique personal connections and created lasting memories, showcasing the flexibility of private aviation.
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When we received the invitation for the October wedding of our friends’ daughter in Charlottesville, Virginia, the decision to fly our Piper Arrow to the event from Florida was easy. Asking my wife also to ponder a month-long sojourn—connecting with old friends and historic sites before and after the wedding—required further consideration. Despite the Beverly-Hillbillies-with-wings aspect in terms of the bags we’d need, the journey would take us through leaf-peeping season, something we missed after moving out of the northeast.

This Article First Appeared in FLYING Magazine

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Les Abend

Les Abend is a retired, 34-year veteran of American Airlines, attempting to readjust his passion for flying airplanes in the lower flight levels—without the assistance of a copilot.

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