05/09 - Planning Your First Cross Country

05/09 - Planning Your First Cross Country

By Steve Krog

The cross-country flight is one of the most exciting phases in a student’s training curriculum. Flying to different airports well beyond the home base airport - sometimes a state or even two away - is a new and challenging adventure. In the last newsletter we listed most of the variables that must be considered when planning and safely making a cross-country flight.

When preparing for a trip by automobile, the primary sources for travel information are the trusty road map/atlas or even more so recently, online trip planners like Mapquest, Google Maps, or Yahoo. These are filled with illustrated information showing virtually all of the interstate, state, and county highways, the villages, towns, and cities along the planned travel route. So what do we use for planning a flight by air?

A map says to you,

“Read me carefully, follow me closely, and doubt me not. I am the earth in the palm of your hand. Without me you are alone and lost.” - Beryl Markham, 1936

The sectional chart is the primary information source used by students and pilots when preparing for a VFR cross-country flight. At first glance the sectional chart looks somewhat similar to the road map; upon closer examination, they differ significantly.

Let’s take a look at both.

The road map contains highway information and shows the names of all the towns and villages that roads pass through. The road numbers are clearly marked helping drivers remain on a selected route of travel without getting lost. The various types of roadways are marked in different colors. The road map is more than adequate for operating a vehicle in a two-dimensional environment. Look closely at the center of the map and locate the city of Hartford. Note that highway 60 running east/west and 83 running north/south intersect in Hartford. Now, let’s compare this portion of the map to the sectional chart depicting the same geographical area.

The information contained on the sectional chart is markedly different. Highways 60 and 83 pass through the yellow shape of Hartford but the highway numbers are not shown. The yellow shape also depicts the approximate size and shape of the city of Hartford.

Before dissecting the sectional chart further, remember in flight we operate in a three-dimensional environment. Consequently, we not only need to know what the topographical features look like from the air, for ease of identification, but we also need to know topographical elevations.

By further examining this portion of the sectional chart we can learn a great deal of information. Note the black line with evenly placed short hash marks or perpendicular lines that passes through Hartford. This tells us that a railroad track passes through the city.

NOTE: Before getting confused by all of the symbols and colors on the chart, we can refer to the map legend, which we’ll discuss a bit later in this article.

The round magenta colored circle represents the Hartford airport, located just above the yellow odd-shaped symbol. The diagonal white line within the circle tells us that the airport has a hard surface runway that is 3,000 feet long. You’re probably asking yourself, “How do I know the runway is hard surface and 3,000 feet long just by looking at the chart?”

Located to the right of the magenta circle you’ll find the word HARTFORD (HXF), identifying the airport. Each airport located in the US is assigned a three-digit identifier by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Some are three letters—HXF—or they may be a combination of a letter and numbers—C37 for example. These three-digit identifiers prevent confusion when obtaining weather information and planning a cross-country flight. There is more than one HARTFORD in the US.

Just below the airport name are the numbers 1070 L 30 which depict the field elevation that the runway has lights for night flight, and the length of the longest runway. 1070 tells us the Hartford airport is one thousand seventy feet above sea level. 30 indicates the length of the runway, which is three thousand feet. The last two digits of the runway length are omitted. Referring back to the magenta airport symbol we can determine that Hartford has one northwest/southeast hard surface runway three thousand feet in length.

Just below 1070 L 30, we find the printed number 123.0 with the letter “C” within a small magenta circle. This information is also quite useful. The letter “C” tells us that the airport has a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) and the frequency is 123.0. This radio frequency allows us to communicate with any other flight traffic using the airport and the ability to advise others of our intentions.

Located to the left of the airport circle is another symbol in the shape of a glider. Just above the glider is the letter “G” located in a diamond-shaped box. This symbol indicates that there is glider-flying activity at HXF. What it doesn’t tell us is when the glider activity is taking place; we would need to look in another publication to determine that (which we’ll cover in the future).

Just above the glider symbol you will find a symbol that appears to be an inverted letter “V”. There are two numbers appearing just above the inverted “V.” The first is 1475 with (340) just below it. The symbol tells us that there is a tower or vertical structure located at that position. It is 1,475 feet above sea level or 340 feet above ground level. Remember, we’re flying in a three-dimensional environment so it is important that we know the heights of the obstruction we may encounter along our flight route. Note the other towers and/or obstructions located around the Hartford airport and practice reading the heights of each - both above sea level and ground level.

Each sectional chart contains a legend. Depicted here is just a small portion of the legend showing the many airport symbols and their respective definitions. Learning to read and understand the sectional chart and all it represents is both fun and challenging as you prepare for making your first cross-country flight. If possible, even if you haven’t begun your flight training, purchase a sectional chart covering the area in which you live. While learning to interpret the chart you will also learn about many local topographical features that were previously unfamiliar to you.

SECTIONAL CHARTS

54 charts cover the United States

Charts are updated and reissued every 6 months

They are designed to support VFR aircraft operating at low, mid, and high altitudes

The charts are used for local area VFR en route navigation

CHART READING TIPS

The distance between checkpoints should be related to aircraft performance and visibility.

Flying low and slow requires the pilot to develop special navigation skills.

Recognition of a feature along the route of flight from its chart representation is important.

Requires training and practice in relating landforms such as elevation, relief, drainage and vegetation to a chart depiction.

Recognition of chart features such as visual checkpoints, cities, towns and villages, roads, railroads, and other distinctive landmarks must become second nature.

Aeronautical information such as radio aids to navigation, airport information, controlled airspace, obstruction, and related data is critical to visual flight operations.

When you are uncertain of what your visibility will be you are better off to select more closely spaced points that could be amended by skipping every other one when good conditions permit.

Visibility conditions and altitude can change greatly the value of a checkpoint.

The best checkpoints are those that cannot be mistaken for any other nearby feature.

Select checkpoints that present a number of features to create a unique combination or distinctive pattern.

Highlighting your course line on the chart will make it easier to follow.

Maintaining a constant awareness of your position will reduce your chances of becoming lost.

EDITOR’S NOTE: We’ve covered only a small portion of the sectional chart in this article. There are numerous other chart features that you will need to know and understand before your first cross-country flight. Your flight instructor will assist you in learning this information so don’t be overwhelmed. Rather, look at it as a fun challenge.

In the next issue we’ll cover the next step in planning a cross-country flight.

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