Preflight planning is a very important element of any flight and, especially cross country flights. There are a number of items to be done in preparation for a VFR cross country flight so that nothing is overlooked and the intended flight is done as safely as possible.

The important parts of preflight planning involve checking flight information publications, aviation weather reports and determining airplane performance, including the computation of weight and balance and fuel requirements. Things as influence of altitude, temperature and wind should not be ignored and you should know the pressure and density altitudes and the effect that they have on airplane performance. Know also the runway length as compared to your takeoff requirements and the rotational and initial climb speeds recommended in your airplane's manual (POH).

The checklists presented here can be used as a guide for this phase of preflight planning and we have divided it into two sections. Part one is what we call the preliminary preflight phase which can be done at any time. Part two is the final preflight and is done on the day the flight will actually take place, and in this part the weather briefing takes a prominent role.

And naturally we do have an ICAO and FAA flight plan form available on site for download.

Checklist Flight Planning part one

Things to do any day or time before the flight:

• Select destination airport (airport planning)
1. AIP, VFR guide, see aeronautical links on this page
2. VFR flight charts, sectionals



• Plot the course
1. Draw and highlight the course line, check for airspace restrictions
2. Determine Minimum Safe Altitude along route
3. Determine course limits left and right, this will help recognizing that a course correction is necessary
4. Measure the true course
5. Select acceptable checkpoints, every 10 Nm or 10 min

a. Note radio navigation aids along the route to verify position and checkpoints (VOR, NDB)
6. Measure total distance



• Obtain departure, destination and alternate airport information (airport planning)
1. AIP, VFR Guide, Airport Facility Directory or Jeppesen/Bottlang

a. Current conditions of runways and taxiways
b. Field elevation when flying in mountain area's
c. Communication information, check for ATIS frequencies along route
d. Radio navigation availability, check NOTAMs
e. Important remarks as obstructions
f. Transponder codes for the FIR


2. VFR / Sectional charts information

a. Airport layouts
b. Local terrain and obstructions along the route
c. Airspace restrictions along intended route
d. Check for bird sanctuary area's (min alt 1000 ft AGL)
e. Military low flying, danger (shooting ranges) and prohibited area's



• Fill out navigation log
1. Enter departure and destination airport information
2. Draw destination airport diagram and draw an arrow to show arrival direction to the airport (helps in visualizing how one arrives at the airport and how it looks from that point of view)
3. Fill out checkpoints
4. Measure and enter true course
5. Determine and enter magnetic variation
6. Measure and enter distances between checkpoints
7. Fill out distance remaining box
8. Calculate total distance



• Miscellaneous items
1. Safety vests or dinghies needed onboard
2. Carry your license and ships papers
3. Make sure to have a watch, prefably one with GMT and local time
4. Have the correct checklist with you for the type of aircraft
5. Sunglasses and a spare glasses (if any)
6. Valid identification papers (visa, passport) for any one onboard



• Review any take-off and landing distance data from the aircraft flight manual.
• In the case of aircraft powered by two or more engines: the engine inoperative procedures and one engine inoperative performance data.
• Get an ICAO flight plan form (this one is active, fill in online and print it out), or a FAA flight plan form.
• Make sure you get the weight and balance right. See the weight and balance form on our site.
• Review our articles on aviation flight environment, they contain useful tips!