Flight Planning Tips

A flight plan is more than just a schedule and an itinerary. It is a map of your point of origin and destination indicating the different factors that will affect how safely and efficiently you will take off and arrive. For that reason, you need to have a flight plan that’s not only safe and extensive but also legal. Here are some tips for flight planning that you might find useful:

After knowing where you are, know where you’re going.
Use standard flight plan forms. Completing these forms is important because there are many factors that go into play when you’re flight planning such as fuel consumption, air temperature, tail winds and other aircraft and weather-related information. There are also certain routes that are specified depending on the type of flight, along with set arrival and departure procedures that you have to be aware of.

Carry your documents.
Always check necessary documents pre-flight: certificates, registrations, licenses, authorizations, information about weights and balances and operating limitations. If your aircraft has certain modifications done, make sure you have the required FAA forms. You must be mindful of these documents at all times, especially during international flights.

Always provide a margin.
The scariest thing you can do when flight planning is to underestimate. When calculating for fuel reserves, for example, it’s important that you have at least an hour of fuel left on the aircraft when you land, even if fuel stops are included in your flight plan. That should give you enough reserves in case you get delayed or experience problems during your flight.

Provide alternates.
Unless you have met certain weather minimums or are flying some domestic flights in the US, you will have to provide for alternates at all times. Regulations dictate that a pilot must have another airport as an alternate just in case the designated airport becomes unavailable within an hour before and after arrival. If you don’t have an alternate and the weather becomes unfriendly, don’t rely on your flying and praying skills to get you through. Precaution is much more effective than hope.

Be mindful of time
Learn to gather as much information needed for efficient flight planning as possible within a short period of time. Sometimes when you’re pressed for time, a half-hour or less is all that you’ll have in order to come up with a detailed data card that need to be completed before takeoff.

If you want to learn how to be good at flight planning, learn to accumulate relevant information and ignore unnecessary details. This will take time, but once you learn how, it will prove to be a very valuable skill in the future.