GA SMA COULD NOT REACH DESTINATION ARPT DUE ENROUTE WINDS ALOFT AND FUEL REMAINING; SO DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND LANDED AT PXT.

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DEPART FOR ESTIMATED 3 1/2 HR TRIP TO KINSTON; NC. THIS WAS FIRST LONG TRIP IN SMA AND FIRST ACTUAL IFR. EXPECTED AIRSPD WAS 135 KTS PER COMMENTS OF FBO. WIND WERE SUPPOSED TO BE QUARTERING TAILWIND TO VA (FROM NY) AND HEADWIND THEREAFTER. ACTUAL WINDS MUST HAVE BEEN MUCH HIGHER THAN FORECAST AND HEAD ON. GNDSPD RPTED BY ATC AT ONE POINT AS 80 KTS! THREE HRS INTO TRIP. I HAD NOT YET REACHED THE PATUXENT VOR. ALTHOUGH I HAD 4 1/2 HRS OF FUEL PER THE BOOK; THE GAUGES WERE READING 1 HR; AND I EXPECTED THAT AIRPLANE PERFORMANCE WAS NOT OPTIMAL SINCE I WAS MOVING SO SLOWLY. REQUESTED APCH TO NEAREST ARPT: LEONARDVILLE; ST MARY'S. INFORMED THAT 2 LIGHT ACFT HAD MADE 3 MISSED APCHES (VOR). ONE DECLARED AN EMER AND WAS BROUGHT TO PATUXENT NAS. NEAREST ILS WAS AT RICHMOND; VA; 65 NM AWAY. ALTHOUGH I HAD 1-1 1/2 HRS OF FUEL; I FEARED THAT 65 NM MIGHT TAKE CLOSE TO 1 HR; AND IF CONDITIONS WERE WORSE THAN RPTED (800; 1 MI); THAT MIGHT BE UNCOMFORTABLE. DECLARED EMER; GIVEN PAR APCH TO PATUXENT; FILED MANY FORMS. ADVICE TO OTHERS: 1) KNOW THE AIRPLANE. OF MY 20 HRS IN THE AIRPLANE; 15 WERE WITH INSTRUCTORS; GETTING QUALIFIED. I WAS UNABLE TO TAKE A SCHEDULED LONG TRIP TO MEASURE ACTUAL EFFICIENCY AND FINE THE REAL AIRSPD. FOR PLANNING; I SHOULD HAVE ESTIMATED 120 RATHER THAN 135 KTS; I WOULD HAVE LEARNED OF THE SLIGHT MISREADING OF THE RIGHT FUEL GAUGE. 2) NOT TO DECIDE IS TO DECIDE. AN HOUR EARLIER; I REALIZED THAT I WASN'T GOING TO GET TO NC IN ONE STEP. I PASSED WILMINGTON; DE; BELIEVING THAT RICHMOND WOULD BE A GOOD DEST WITH ST MARY A POSSIBILITY; BUT DUE TO WORKLOAD (THIS WAS FIRST TIME IN REAL IFR) WAS NOT AS AGGRESSIVE ABOUT CALCULATIONS AS I USUALLY AM. I DECIDED TO PROCEED AND SEE IF GNDSPD PICKED UP. BY THE TIME I DECIDED TO SET DOWN; MY OPTIONS WERE SEVERELY REDUCED.