T01 · Cross-Country Flight Planning: VFR, IFR & Go/No-Go
Trip Definition and Eligibility
Write down the mission, then confirm the pilot and the airplane can actually fly it, before researching a single airport.
Worked example — fictional values, for format only. Never use these numbers for an actual flight.
The mission
- Purpose of the trip
- Weekend trip, fictional exercise
- Date and time zone
- Sat 14 Jun, US Eastern (EDT)
- Earliest / latest acceptable arrival
- 14:00 / 18:00 local
- Passengers and baggage
- 1 passenger, 1 bag, ~30 lb
- Return plan
- Overnight, return Sunday afternoon
- Latest departure time
- 10:30 local
- Overnight fallback
- Destination-area hotel, pre-checked availability
- Ground-transport fallback
- Rental car, confirmed one-way available
- Diversion budget
- Up to $150 and 1 extra night
- Mission features beyond ordinary daytime VFR/IFR
- None
Pilot eligibility
- Certificate and ratings
- Private Pilot, ASEL, Instrument Airplane
- Medical / alternative qualification
- Third class, exp. [date]
- Flight review currency
- Current, last review [date]
- Passenger-carrying currency (day / night)
- Day current; night not current
- Instrument currency, if IFR planned
- Current, 4 approaches logged within 6 months
Aircraft eligibility
- Registration and exact model
- N1234X, Cessna 172S
- Documents and operating limitations
- Confirmed current
- Weight and balance on file
- Current, rev. [date]
- Applicable inspections
- Annual current; 100-hr not applicable (personal flight)
- Inoperative equipment, if any
- None noted
Fictional data, for format only, see this worksheet’s own chapter for the real regulation and source behind each figure. Never enter this data, or any invented data, into an operational flight plan.