A Flying Sojourn at Low Levels

Connecting with the past via a Piper Arrow.

Les Abend

Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 01:48 PM ET

Verified

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

Key Takeaways:

The author and his wife embarked on a five-week, multi-state journey in their Piper Arrow across the eastern U.S., attending a wedding and visiting numerous friends, family, and historical sites.
The trip highlighted the complexities and satisfactions of private aviation, with the author acting as his own dispatcher and meteorologist, navigating various flight conditions and airport services, often aided by his wife's co-piloting skills.
Despite encountering logistical hurdles, minor aviation mishaps, and weather challenges, the extensive aerial sojourn fostered cherished memories and reconnections, though the author suggested a pause before planning another similar long trip.

See a mistake? Contact us.

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

If you're not already a subscriber, what are you waiting for? Subscribe today to get the issue as soon as it is released in either Print or Digital formats.