Home | Issues | Articles | Aviation Glossary | Q&A | A Personal View | Polls

09/09 - Tips for Planning and Flying Your First Solo Cross Country

By Steve Krog

The gift of flight, the first solo flight, and the first solo cross-country are among the most awe-inspiring and memorable events a human being can experience. As you taxi out to depart on that first solo cross-country, excitement builds. Mentally you conduct one last preflight checklist: Sectional map open and folded properly, check. Planning sheet in hand, check. Plotter and E6-B computer in the seat pocket, check. The compass heading for the first leg of your flight and the first checkpoint firmly implanted on your brain, check.

Once aligned with the runway and full power is applied, the airplane begins rumbling in take off mode. And in no more than an instant the earth drops away and a feeling of total exhilaration overtakes you as the airplane initiates the climb to a desired altitude and compass heading. You’re finally airborne and about to undertake your very first solo cross-country flight!

While exhilarating, the first five minutes of the first solo cross-country flight can also be momentarily confusing. Being the ever-alert pilot, you need to multitask: establishing the proper climb attitude, exiting the traffic pattern, turning to the compass heading you’ve selected, and ALWAYS looking for other traffic in or near the airport traffic pattern will keep you especially busy. Without that compass heading and first checkpoint firmly engrained in your mind, it’s easy to become disoriented for a moment or two. Selecting a prominent checkpoint within approximately five miles of the airport is very helpful.

Flight Tip Number One: Always study the sectional map for a moment or two just before take off so that you know exactly where your first checkpoint is located.

If you know where the checkpoint is located and can turn and fly toward it, the cockpit workload is considerably lessened. You’ll be plenty busy departing the airport traffic area, maintaining a constant climb attitude, looking for traffic, noting your time of departure, and opening your flight plan. It may sound a bit overwhelming at this point but once you’ve experienced it several times, and have thoroughly planned for it, the process becomes quite manageable.

Flight Tip Number Two: Note and keep track of the time it takes to fly from checkpoint one to checkpoints two and three.

Why should this be done? After all, during your trip planning you contacted Flight Service to obtain the upper wind direction and velocity and incorporated this information into your flight planning. According to the calculations you made, it should take you a pre-determined amount of time to get to point two and then to point three.

Let’s explore this further through the following example. You selected checkpoint two and by measuring the exact distance from point one determined that they are exactly 10 statute miles apart. According to your planning, your ground speed will be 80 mph. It should take you about 7 minutes and 30 seconds to reach point two. Checkpoint three is 12 miles from point two and should take 9 minutes to reach. However, after 16 minutes and 30 seconds of flight time you’re still 3 miles from checkpoint three.

A quick calculation using your trusty E6-B computer tells you that your ground speed is actually 62 mph. (17 miles covered in 16 minutes and 30 seconds.) What does this mean and how will it affect your flight?

1. The upper winds are stronger than what was provided to you during the Flight Service briefing.
2. If the winds persist, the amount of time you calculated from departure to destination will be longer (perhaps the flight will now take 40 minutes rather than 30 minutes).
3. The additional flight time will require more fuel burn than originally calculated. Will you have enough fuel to make the entire flight or will you need to stop for more fuel?

In this example, let’s assume you calculated the compass heading to be 45 degrees. However, by holding this heading as closely as you can you realize the wind seems to be drifting you left of your course line drawn on the sectional chart. What does this mean?

1. The wind direction provided in your briefing has varied.
2. You will need to compensate by increasing your wind correction angle (crab angle) so that you can re-establish flight along your planned course.
3. Once back on course you may need to hold a compass heading of 50 degrees to remain on course.

If the wind has caused you to drift left of the desired course line,
compensate by increasing your wind correction angle.

Flight Tip Number Three: To assist in holding a steady course, try to select a prominent point on the horizon that is approximately in line with your course line and fly to it.

Select a prominent feature along your route of flight and fly to it.
In this photo there is a large lake and the selected course was along the left shoreline.

Flying a straight course line from departure to destination is what we all strive toward when making a solo cross-country flight. However, this can sometimes be difficult for several reasons. Wind and midday thermal activity can certainly have an affect. But frequently one can become so fixated on reading the map and looking for checkpoints that the heading is allowed to drift. The result is a flight course line that looks like “S” turns across a road from back when we were learning to fly and practicing ground reference maneuvers.

The course you fly should look like the blue line and not the orange line.

Conversely, as an instructor I sometimes encounter student pilots who have an attitude of “that’s good enough.” Their course lines also become a continuous “S” turn because they feel it’s good enough. However, we should all strive for perfection; never should we fly with an attitude of “that’s good enough.” After earning your license to fly there will be plenty of time to make all the “S” turns you desire.

Flight Tip Number Four: Select a flight altitude that best suits your flight path and wind conditions and fly it.

When flying a course from 0-179 degrees and flying above 3,000 feet AGL, one must select an odd number altitude plus 500 feet. For example, if our course is 45 degrees, the terrain is 1,000 feet MSL, and the winds are most favorable between 3,000 and 6,000 feet, we should fly at either 3,500 or 5,500 feet. When flying a course from 180-359 degrees and above 3,000 feet AGL, our options are 4,500 or 6,500 feet. This rule allows for a minimum 1,000 feet of vertical separation when encountering oncoming flight traffic. It is a safety rule and all should abide by it!

As a pilot, be your own toughest critic. If you’ve selected an altitude to fly (3,000 feet),
don’t let it wander up and down several hundred feet.

If you have selected a flight altitude of 3,500-ft MSL, do your very best to remain at that altitude until ready for your descent at your destination. Allowing your altitude to fluctuate plus or minus 500 ft is not only sloppy flying but it is also unsafe, especially if flying in a congested area. If the other airplane is also letting his or her altitude to fluctuate, the 1,000-ft vertical separation is compromised and both of you are allowing an unsafe flight condition to exist.

Once the desired altitude has been established, trim the aircraft so that it will virtually fly “hands off.” This practice will help in maintaining a constant altitude.

Flight Tip Number Five: If uncertain about your position along the route of flight and you can’t seem to match any visible terrain landmarks with those depicted on the sectional chart, climb to a higher altitude if the clouds allow you to safely do so.

Using the example above, the selected flight altitude of 3,500 feet MSL provides you with an approximate visibility of 10 miles due to a light haze. While enroute, you find yourself unable to determine your exact position. Climb to 5,500 feet MSL. While climbing you’ll observe that the horizontal visibility increases. Now that large lake near a city becomes visible and can easily be located on your chart. Once you’ve re-established your position, descend back to your selected altitude and continue along your selected route and enjoy your flight.

By climbing, prominent terrain features become visible and will aid
significantly in locating your exact position on the sectional chart.

Flight is a gift and something that allows pilots to see and appreciate the countryside from three dimensions. When flying for pleasure, as most general aviation pilots do, it is something that provides enjoyment. Practice your cross-country skills so that every flight is fun, safe, and enjoyable for all.

Editor’s Note: The information contained in this article is general in nature and targeted to those who are learning to fly by pilotage. Your instructor will show you many other tools to plan and fly safe and pleasurable cross-country flights.