Dead Reckoning and the Navigation Log: The Cross-Country Skills GPS Cannot Replace
Dead reckoning and the navigation log are the cross-country skills that keep you safe when GPS fails - here's how to build them right.
Patterncross-country flight planning
The passenger who needs a hospital and the three airports you have to choose between right now
How to choose the right diversion airport when a passenger has a medical emergency, balancing distance, services, and hospital proximity.
PatternBuilding the navlog by hand and the six columns that keep you found when the GPS quits
Learn to build a VFR cross-country navigation log by hand using six essential columns that keep you on course when GPS fails.
PatternThe winds aloft forecast and the headwind hiding at your planned cruising altitude
Learn how to decode the winds aloft forecast and use it to pick the best cruising altitude for fuel efficiency and safety.
PatternPlanning your outs along the route and the alternate airports you mark every twenty miles before you leave the ground
Plan your emergency alternates every 15-20 miles along your cross-country route before you leave the ground.
PatternThe sun dropping below the horizon on your first long cross-country and the daylight you didn't budget for
Learn how to handle fading daylight on a VFR cross-country by setting time hard decks and making smart diversion decisions.
PatternReading NOTAMs before a cross-country and the buried line that closes the runway you were planning to land on
Learn how to read and interpret NOTAMs for cross-country flights so a buried runway closure never catches you off guard.
PatternThe pilotage and dead reckoning cross-country and why your DPE wants to see you navigate without GPS
How to plan and fly a pilotage and dead reckoning cross-country, the skill your DPE will test on your private pilot checkride.
PatternFiling your VFR flight plan and the search and rescue clock that starts when you forget to close it
Learn how to file, activate, and close a VFR flight plan - and what happens when the search and rescue clock starts ticking.
PatternPicking your cruising altitude and why the number you file matters more than you think
How to choose the best VFR cruising altitude using the hemispherical rule, winds aloft, terrain, and practical judgment.
PatternThe Thanksgiving cross-country and the five decisions that keep you alive
Five critical decision points every VFR pilot faces on a Thanksgiving cross-country, and how to get each one right.
PatternThe VFR navigation log and turning a line on a chart to a heading on your compass
Learn how to complete a VFR navigation log step by step, from drawing your course line to calculating fuel burn and compass heading.
PatternPicking checkpoints that actually work for visual navigation
Learn how to pick visual checkpoints that actually work for cross-country navigation using the 'big, unique, and on the line' framework.
PatternWhat the winds aloft forecast is really telling you
Learn to decode and strategically use the winds aloft forecast for smarter cross-country flight planning and fuel management.
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