PVT PLT OF AN SMA SEL BECAME DISORIENTED ON A VFR XCOUNTRY AND DECLARED A LOW FUEL EMER FOR VECTORS TO ARPT. SUBSEQUENTLY; AFTER TAKING OFF FOR A RETURN FLT; BECAME LOST AGAIN RESULTING IN PENETRATION OF A RESTR AREA.

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2 EVENTS ON THE SAME RETURN FLT: FLYING FROM HWO VFR TOOK A LOT OF EVASIVE MOVES TO GO TOWARDS REFUELING POINT (CROSS CITY). ORLANDO APCH GAVE GREAT MOVES TO STAY VFR; BUT IT DRAINED FUEL ON AN ACFT I HAD NOT TAKEN X-COUNTRY BEFORE. WITH CESSNAS BEING NOTORIOUS FOR RUNNING OUT OF FUEL; I FELT A NEED TO DO WHAT I DID. WHEN I WAS LESS THAN 10 NM FROM CROSS CITY AND HAD RAISED THEM ON UNICOM; I FOUND THAT A TSTM WAS SITTING STAGNANT OVER THE FIELD. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED TOWARDS WILLISTON; MY ALTERNATE FOR THAT MOMENT. A LARGE STORM WAS DEAD AHEAD SO I TURNED FROM E TO S FOR THAT MOMENT. A LARGE STORM WAS DEAD AHEAD SO I TURNED FROM E TO S TO AVOID IT AND GO AROUND. WILLISTON UNICOM WAS EXTREMELY; AND IMMEDIATELY HELPFUL IN FREQS ON THE VOR TO LET ME KNOW JUST WHERE I WAS; BUT I WAS UNSURE OF THE DISTANCE AND COULD NOT SEE THE FIELD. I RAISED ZJX AND THEY WERE VERY BUSY WITH IFR TFC. WHEN THE CTLR TOLD ME HE COULDN'T HANDLE VFR DUE TO THE WORKLOAD; I ADVISED I HAD SOMEWHAT OF AN EMER (LOW FUEL). HE THEN GAVE ME VECTORS AND (8 NM ONLY AWAY) I WAS AT WILLISTON. THE ENTIRE TRIP TO THAT POINT WAS IN VFR CONDITIONS. I SPOKE WITH ZJX AND GAINESVILLE APCH ABOUT THE MATTER RIGHT AWAY. I TOOK 37.8 GALLONS OF FUEL IN THE 40 USABLE TANKS. I HAD USED SOME OF MY RESERVE DUE TO THE SURROUNDING STORM ACTIVITIES OF THE DAY LEAVING ME THIS WAY AT THIS POINT. THEY TOLD ME NO ACTION WAS GOING TO BE TAKEN. AFTER REFUELING AND A 2 HR LAYOVER; I WENT OVER TO GAINESVILLE FSS TO FIGURE OUT A VFR RTE TO CONTINUE ON. THE CTLR POINTED OUT THE NEED FOR ME TO CONTACT BOTH TYNDALL (HE SAID NEAR APPALACHICOLA) AND THE EGLIN (PAST PANAMA CITY). WHEN ON THE 180 DEG RADIAL FROM TALLAHASSEE; I RAISED TYNDALL. THEY TOLD ME I WAS NOT IN THEIR AIRSPACE AND TO CALL LATER. I CALLED AGAIN WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS CLOSER AND AGAIN THE SAME REPLY. ONCE AGAIN; I CALLED AND THEY HAD ME CALL EGLIN. AT ABOUT THIS TIME; THE VOR TO PANAMA CITY INDICATED I WAS STILL A DISTANCE AWAY. I SAW AN AIRFIELD AT 10 O'CLOCK THAT I THOUGHT; AT FIRST; MUST BE APPALACHICOLA. I FIGURED MY HEADWINDS HAD REALLY HELD MY GNDSPD DOWN. JUST AS I WAS XING OVER THE AIRFIELD DEAD CTR (FOR SAFETY OF ARRIVING/DEPARTING ACFT); AND JUST AS EGLIN ASKED MY POS; THE VOR SWING TO INDICATE PANAMA CITY ON THE 160 DEG RADIAL; AND I SAW; TO MY HORROR; MIL ACFT ON THE FIELD. I WAS OVER TYNDALL. EGLIN WAS TOLD; THEY PASSED ME OFF TO TYNDALL; THEN OVER TO PANAMA CITY; WHERE I LANDED. I SPOKE WITH THE OFFICER AT TYNDALL WHO WAS ALREADY ON THE PHONE WHEN I ARRIVED. HE AGREED THAT; DUE TO MY LOW ALT AND REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO RAISE TYNDALL; HE WOULD NOT PRESS CHARGES. I WAS SHAKEN ENOUGH TO SPEND THE NIGHT AND CONTINUE ON THE NEXT DAY BACK TO RAYMOND; MS. THERE IS A LOT MORE EQUIP I WILL HAVE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IN THE AVIONICS OF THIS ACFT. I HAVE ALREADY DISCUSSED IT WITH MY INSTRUCTOR. THE LORAN IS DIFFERENT THAN THE ONE I USED TO USE; AND I AM NOT YET TRAINED ON THE DME. I COULDN'T GET DISTANCE ESTIMATES CLOSELY ENOUGH.