Cross-Country Flight Planning Flashcards
What are some restrictions when planning a cross country flight that will end in/traverse a Class B airspace?
- FAR 61.95 discusses reqs for a SP flying to an airport in Class B airspace + flying through Class B airspace.
- received both + flight training from an authorized instructor in specific Class B airspace.
- SP must have endorsement from instructor who conducted training
- dated within 90 day period preceding date of planned flight
- Entry into Class B airspace requires ATC clearance. Phraseology of this clearance: “Cleared through/to enter Bravo airspace”
- Flying inside of a Class B airspace requires flight following for VFR traffic.
What is the purpose of a MOA (Military Operations Area) and what considerations need to be taken into account when flying through a MOA on a cross country flight?
- used to separate certain military training activities from IFR traffic.
- whether hot or cold VFR traffic can fly through a MOA without clearance.
- exercise extreme caution
What is flight following?
- ATC service providing traffic separation + ATC clearances through controlled airspace, if requested.
- great tool for heavy traffic airspace
- can help navigation through adverse weather conditions
What are some ways to navigate on a cross country flight?
- VOR
- GPS
- Pilotage
- Dead Reckoning
What is a VOR and how does VOR navigation work?
- Very High Frequency Omni-Directional Range.
- ground-based electronic navigation system
- provides azimuth information in the form of radials expressed in magnetic headings for high and low altitude routes.
- can be collocated with DME
- CDI (Course Deviation Indicator) is the instrument used to set a bearing toor a radial from a VOR.
- Selecting a radial is accomplished by turning the OBS (Omni Bearing Selector) to the desired radial.
Explain the difference between pilotage and dead reckoning.
Pilotage - pilot navigates from point to point based on visual landmarks in comparison to a sectional chart.
Dead reckoning - navigation solely by means of computations based on time, airspeed, distance, and direction.
What factors should you consider when selecting a cruising altitude for a VFR cross-country?
- Terrain and obstacles
- Glide distance
- VFR cruising altitudes (Hemispherical Rules)
- Winds aloft
- Icing conditions
- Airspace
- Hemispherical conditions
- Cloud bases, layers and ceilings
- Temperature (Freezing levels)
How does one determine the correct VFR cruising altitude?
FAR 91.159
- 0 to 179degrees (East), any odd thousand foot MSL + 500 ft
- 180 to 359 degrees (West), any even thousand foot MSL + 500 ft
- rule begins above 3,000ft MSL.
What is the glide distance of your airplane?
see the POH
What is a winds aloft chart and how is it decoded?
- provides wind direction, wind speed, and temperature at different altitudes for various locations.
- codes reported as 9900 are light& variable.
- Winds greater than 200 knots are reported as 199 knots.
- All temperatures above FL240 are assumed to be negative
How is distance and heading calculated in regards to a VFR navigation log?
- Place a plotter between two points
- simply read the distance in nautical miles between the two points.
- align the course arrow on the plotter to determine true course.
- ## Apply the wind correction angle, variation, and deviation to determine magnetic heading.
How can ground speed be calculated in regards to a VFR navigation log?
calculated using a traditional E6-B (Wiz Wheel) or an Electronic E6-B.
How can one determine climb and descent rates?
- Climb and descent rates vary based on airspeed, altitude, and of course, your airplane.
- Refer to the ‘Performance’ section (section 5) of your POH
How can one determine pressure altitude?
Pressure altitude = 1,000 * (29.92 - Current Altimeter) + Elevation
How can one determine true airspeed?
- use different variables such as OAT(outside air temperature), pressure altitude, and IAS (indicated air speed).
- Cruise Performance Chart in the ‘Performance’ section of the airplane’s POH
What information is required to be given when submitting a VFR flight plan?
- The aircraft identification number and its call sign
- Aircraft type
- Full name and address of the PIC (pilot in command)
- The point and proposed time of departure
- The proposed route, cruising altitude, and true airspeed at cruise altitude
- The point of first intended landing and the estimated elapsed time until over that point.
- Fuel on board (in hours)
- Number of persons on board
What are the procedures for activating and closing a VFR flight plan?
Unless flying through an ADIZ, a flight plan is NOT required for VFR flight
- It is strongly recommended that a flight plan be filed with the nearest FSS.
- Ensures search & rescue protection
- May file over the radio or phone
- FSS provide briefings while accepting flight plans
- 1-800-WX-Brief (1-800-992-7433)
○ Here you can file a flight plan and ask for a weather brief
- Flight plans are held for one hour after proposed departure time
- To activate:
○ Contact the nearest FSS
○ Activating a Flight Plan does NOT activate flight following
○ For flight following, contact the nearest App/Dep Control Frequency
○ Available upon request
- Closing your VFR flight plan○ It’s the pilot’s responsibility to ensure that his/her VFR flight plan is canceled
○ Close your flight plan with the nearest Flight Service Station or Air Traffic Control facility
○ Air Traffic Control does NOT close your flight plan for you
○ 30 minutes after your filed ETA, search & rescue procedures begin
○ To close, you can call 1-800-WX-Brief
How can you identify risks as a pilot?
- Pilot
- Aircraft
- enVironment (e.g., weather, airports, airspace, terrain, obstacles)
- External pressures
- Limitations of air traffic control (ATC) services
- Improper fuel planning
What are some ‘Pilot’ elements of the PAVE checklist?
IMSAFE checklist
- Pilot Currency
○ Flight Review under FAR 61.56
○ Recent flight experience under FAR 61.57
- Currency vs. Proficiency
What are some ‘Aircraft’ elements of the PAVE checklist?
Required aircraft inspections○ AV1ATE acronym
- Required equipment under FAR 91.205
○ ATOMATOFLAMES FLAPS acronym
- MEL/KOEL
- Inop equipment under FAR 91.213
What are some ‘Environment’ elements of the PAVE checklist?
- Weather conditions
○ NOTAMS
○ METAR
○ TAF - Terrain
- Airspace
What are some ‘External Pressures’ elements of the PAVE checklist?
- Stressors
- Get-there-itis
- There are many external pressures that could cause you to make rash decisions.
- Acknowledge these and make an informed decision.
