Amandasdaddy wrote:

My planned route is through the gulf, through New Orleans, Texas,
Arizona and then back to San Jose (KRHV).

Does anyone have any advice or suggestions as far as the route, or
things to avoid? Any thoughts are appreciated!

My recommendation would be to avoid flying that far over the Gulf of
Mexico, especially in an aircraft whose actual maintenance was not
under your supervision prior to the trip. Looking at Jeppesen's
FlightStar, remaining over land (up Fla, then over the pan handle) adds
about 16 percent more distance and time to the trip. Is the risk of
going down in the middle of the Gulf worth the 50 to 60 minutes of
extra flying time?

I am also planned a cross country trip from upstate NY to Palm Springs,
California for late May. My route is going to take me down through
Texas, straight across New Mexico and Arizona, then over the border
into CA and Palm Springs. This route will avoid the higher peaks of
the Rockies.

Take a lot of pictures and post the story to a website, then share it
here. I would be interested in reading of your experience.

--
Peter