Hey folks -

Just did my first solo last week and now I'm trying to get a head start studying for the X-Country trips coming up. Does anyone know of any good VFR Flight Planning software or maybe some good websites with some information? I've read through all my text books (Including the FAA's Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge...) and I'm still trying to get a grasp on filling out the VFR Flight Logs. Are VFR flights supposed to be precisely navigated? How would I know when I reach a certain waypoint?


Thanks for any advice.

Student pilot VFR plans are supposed to be meticulous and detailed, and you are supposed to navigate them precisely (workload permitting) by timing your legs. This is done so that you have an intimate grasp of how flight planning is supposed to work. They should take a couple hours to do.

Once you're done with training, you can do quick and dirty flight plans for VFR recreational flights, but you need to understand the process so you can safely decide what to estimate and what to calculate.

IFR flight plans are much easier to do, and when you get to the professional level, your flight plans will be computer-generated.

I suggest you save the software until commercial training, you'll learn more that way. You'll also appreciate what our fathers and grandfathers had to do on a daily basis lol.

I agree, find a friend who knows how to do it, and have them teach you. It will help both of you. You want to get to the point where your instructor can say, plan a flight from A to B, and in less than an hour, be ready to go with a flight plan filed.

Imagine when you become a Commercial Pilot, you have some costomers who want to get somewhere, and it takes you several hours just to plan the flight. Its an important skill that should be aquired before "cheating."

You can read the Airplane Flying Handbook, and also go to www.AV8N.com for some flight planning help. Lots of resources, good to see your motivated to learn ahead of time!

Good points. I was thinking along the same lines in terms of having the basic skill of VFR Pilotage and Ded Reckoning. Thanks for the advice.

F15, try this site http://www.whittsflying.com/ Loads of good info

Don't forget to look up $100 hamburger joints online before you plan. There is nothing better than stuffing food down your throat after a CX.