[Checkyersix]

Yes unfortunately the distances are pretty big, though I have managed to get to Mig Alley and back, even with combat. The trick is to go relatively slow - around 300-400kph, on the return leg, so you'll still have some fuel left on return.

During the war, fuel conservation was such a problem that pilots would sometimes climb and glide on their way back to conserve fuel. Wish there was something else to be done, but there it is.