VFR Guide - Royal Institute of Navigation

VFR ROUTE PLANNING
for General Aviation Pilots
www.rin.org.uk Mar 2012

1. General preparation
Good planning is the basis of safe and easy navigation. First of all, information on the
maps and charts to be used must be up-to-date. The AIP, AICs and NOTAMs may
change the information on a map, and pilots must know how and where to find information
in these documents. NATS publishes these, and chart amendments, free on the AIS web
site. Using the most recently published charts reduces the work load considerably.
2. Choosing the route
The basic route can be chosen well in advance, and flown when conditions are suitable.
a. Refer to the AIP and AICs, commercial flight guides and aerodrome web sites to
check for procedures and any restrictions at your destination. Telephone for permission
to land and useful additional information; advisable even if the aerodrome is not published
as PPR. Note radio frequencies and the times they are manned, and plan your arrival to
make a standard „overhead‟ join unless special procedures are published.
Possible problems
b. Choose a start point you can guarantee finding from any runway at your departure
airfield. Study the most direct route to the destination. Check the chart, AICs and nav
warnings for any hazards which might affect your route. Plan turning points to avoid flying
close to these, and to restricted and controlled airspace (if you intend to fly through
controlled airspace, plan a back-up route which avoids it). Look to stay away from
unlandable terrain. Adjust turning points to simplify the choice and visibility of good fixes.
Try to avoid flying over aerodromes, gliding sites etc; you may be forced to fly low
because of weather and avoiding their traffic would increase your workload. Mark any
remaining hazards and/or places you may need to make appropriate radio calls. Select
suitable fixes along the route, and draw drift lines or other guidelines if desired.
www.rin.org.uk 1 Mar 2012

Select turning points and fixes, plan radio calls
c. Select a suitable altitude to fly. Decide what minimum altitude you are prepared to
fly at (a safe margin above the highest obstacle near the route), and what minimum
cloudbase you can accept, dividing the route into sectors if you wish. Controlled airspace
may determine a maximum altitude also. Identify areas of possible bad weather, and safe
routes to suitable diversion aerodromes if the weather or aircraft unserviceability makes
that advisable. Check these aerodromes are available. Study your selected turning
points and fix points to ensure you can identify them early from your direction of travel and
can use them to avoid hazards. Remind yourself of the in-flight procedures you will use –
refer to the RIN guide on “Visual Navigation Techniques”.
d. Identify information (such as aerodrome and instrument traffic) you should get by
radio, and plan when to ask for it. Practise making the relevant transmissions.
e. Obtain a preliminary weather forecast (perhaps from TV or internet). Make an initial
estimate of the time needed for the route in the probable wind conditions. Add a safety
margin of at least half an hour (or 20% if greater) at this stage. Calculate the fuel required
for that time. Check the times of darkness.
f. Fill in the navigation log/flight planning form with all the information available.
Tracks, distances, safe altitudes, variation, TAS (probably) and fuel consumption rates
can be written down. Identify areas of probably high traffic density, such as „funnels‟
through controlled airspace or terrain, or instrument approaches. List the radio
frequencies of radar units, aerodromes, controlled airspace, and danger area services
which you may need along the route or in case of diversion (check with NOTAMs and the
NATS web site for amendments). List navigation aid frequencies, identification (you may
wish to write down the morse dots and dashes), and protected ranges from the AIP and
NOTAMs. Note any „listening squawks‟ near controlled airspace.
www.rin.org.uk 2 Mar 2012

VFR Route Plan and Log
Date Callsign Off chocks Takeoff Land On chocks Wind Temp
From To Min
Alt
Max
Alt
Tk
T
Drift
Hdg
T
Hdg
M
TAS G/S Dist Time Fuel
used
28l/h
Fuel
rem
ETA
ATA
LHst Bewl 1000 2500 218 3
Bewl Adur 2000 2500 247 28
Adur Chich 2000 5500 263 17
C’ch Div (S’ham) 2000 5500 094 18
Station Freq SSR QNH
Farnboro East 123.225
Shoreham App 123.15
Chichester info 122.45
Gatwick App 126.825
London Info 124.750
Volmet South 128.6
Ident Freq PR Posn time
MAY 117.9
GWC 114.75
SHM 332 10
I-SHM 109.95
Preliminary log entries
g. Measure ranges and bearings to turning points from suitable navigation aids, and
note them on the log and/or the chart.
h. Load the route into your GPS set if you have one, check for major errors, and name
it for future use.
i. Study published radio failure procedures, and carry copies of these and of
interception procedures.
j. Contact the UK Border Agency if leaving the UK (the Channel Islands and the Isle
of Man are “offshore islands” and not part of the UK). You may also need to contact
Special Branch for flights travelling to Ireland or the offshore islands. Obtain any
diplomatic clearance if flying to or over a country which requires it.
k. If flying abroad, make sure you know how to obtain weather and airspace
information for the return, and that continental aerodromes you use for arrival and
departure are acceptable. Plan to use only „international‟ aerodromes if you do not speak
the local language well.
www.rin.org.uk 3 Mar 2012

3. Preliminary aircraft preparation
a. Check the aircraft is serviceable, and no scheduled maintenance is due while you
may be flying. Check the insurance documents, the certificate of airworthiness and all
other certificates you may need to take with you if travelling overseas.
b. Arrange for any necessary survival equipment to be available.
c. If landing away, arrange for chocks and tiedown equipment to be available to take
with you.
d. Make weight and balance calculations using a full fuel load and any survival and tiedown
equipment. If too heavy, use your estimate of the fuel required and the actual
weight of your passengers and intended baggage (don‟t take any more!) to carry out the
calculations. If still too heavy, either carry fewer passengers or less fuel and plan to pick
up more along the route. If anything changes you must re-calculate just before take-off.
e. Ensure you are familiar with the Flight Manual performance calculations, and that
the Manual will be available before take-off.
f. Charge the batteries (or carry spares) for any electronic devices you intend to refer
to.
g. Arrange to have no more than the fuel you used for your calculations in the aircraft
when you plan to fly.
4. Route adjustment
Just before the final navigation calculations, no earlier than the evening before the flight:
a. Obtain the latest navigation warnings and check that nothing affects your planned
route. Replan if necessary.
b. Prepare the flight plan form if necessary (leaving UK airspace, flying IFR in
controlled airspace) or desired. You are strongly advised to submit a flight plan if planning
to fly over sparsely populated areas or the sea. Complete the route details and search
and rescue fields, leaving the times empty until your final planning is complete.
c. Ensure you have aerodrome charts (and approach charts if appropriate) for your
destination and possible diversions. Plan your arrival to all likely runways.
www.rin.org.uk 4 Mar 2012

5. Final planning
On the day of the flight, recheck everything above, then finalise your planning.
a. Obtain weather forecasts which cover the time of your intended flight. You will need
aerodrome forecasts (TAFs) for your destination and possible diversions if they are
published; otherwise use TAFs for nearby aerodromes. Obtain either a route forecast or
an area forecast which covers the route, including significant weather, winds and
temperatures. Study actual reports (METARs) to check and update the forecasts. All of
these are available on the UK Met Office web site. Check the local weather visually.
b. If the forecast (adjusted by actual reports) suggests that cloudbase will be lower
than your planned minimum, cancel or delay the flight. Check the crosswind components
on the most likely runways at your destination and possible diversions. If the forecast
crosswind is greater than your or the aircraft‟s capabilities, cancel or delay the flight.
c. Using the forecast winds and temperatures for your planned altitude and time,
finalise the navigation calculations. You may have to interpolate between different
forecast levels. If making a long climb, use the wind and temperatures forecast for 2/3 of
the way up the climb. Write the winds and temperatures you intend to use on the log.
Decide and note your IAS. Make rough MDR heading calculations, then use a computer
for detailed figures, and adjust for variation. Calculate groundspeed, then time and fuel
required for each leg, and timings to each fix. Write down the fuel remaining at the end of
each leg, and check that the total fuel required (including a safety margin) is less than the
fuel load you intend carrying. Compare your final figures with your previous estimates; if
the difference is great without an obvious reason, check them again.
d. Make a final check of your planning by cross-referring between your log and your
chart. You may wish to write headings and timings onto the chart, and a wind arrow with
windspeed and maximum drift. At each turning point, visualise the amount of turn you are
going to make (a protractor error can be spotted at this stage) and the features you will
see. Remind yourself of your fix points, and how to find your start point.
e. Complete the ATC flight plan form if required and submit it more than 60 minutes
before start-up. Ensure ATC can contact you if there is a problem.
f. Complete take-off and landing performance calculations. If you need more than the
distances available after taking all safety factors into account, cancel or delay the flight.
g. Make a final check by telephone to NATS AIS, or a last minute check on their website,
that no temporary restricted or controlled airspace will affect your flight.
h. If taking off from an aerodrome with an air traffic service unit, you may need to
telephone your intended departure details. Brief a friend at your UK destination to inform
the nearest air traffic services unit if you do not arrive by the time your fuel has run out.
www.rin.org.uk 5 Mar 2012

6. Aircraft completion
a. Check the aircraft log for unservicabilities. Pack all necessary certificates.
b. Pre-flight check the aircraft. Check visually that fuel tank contents agree with your
intentions and expectations and refuel if necessary. Top up oil.
c. Weigh all baggage. If within the figures used in the calculations, load and secure it
in the places you had intended. If too heavy, leave something behind.
d. Brief passengers on safety, evacuation, and how to help by looking out for other
aircraft and ground features.
e. Load the route into your GPS set if not already done. Check it for gross errors and
activate it before take-off.
f. Make sure any filed flight plan will be activated once airborne.
g. Check compass deviation card and alter planned headings if necessary
h. Wear life preservers if flying over water.
i. Finally check your log, map and all charts are in the cockpit and handy.
Have a safe flight!
www.rin.org.uk 6 Mar 2012

ABOUT THIS GUIDE
The Royal Institute of Navigation since its inception has aimed to improve the
standards of navigation on land, sea and in the air. To that end, it has produced
guidance material to assist recreational pilots (the aerial navigators of today),
including a syllabus for GPS training and a companion to this volume, on Visual
Navigation Techniques.
This booklet is intended to guide pilots through the most important steps in planning
a safe and hopefully relaxing cross-country flight in a light aircraft. It is not intended
to replace regulatory information or official publications with which pilots are required
to be familiar, and which supersede any conflicting advice given here. Because
aviation information changes rapidly, chart and frequency information given in
examples must not be used for flight planning.
There is no requirement for anyone to be formally associated with the RIN in order
to use this or any other of its training material. However, if users feel an affinity with
the aims of the Institute, various categories of individual and group membership are
available as detailed on the RIN web site www.rin.org.uk .
The Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN) is a learned society formed in 1947. It has three main aims:
to unite all those with a professional or personal interest in any aspect of navigation in one unique body;
to further the development of navigation in every sphere; and
to increase public awareness of both the art and science of navigation, how it has shaped the past, how it impacts our
world today, and how it will affect the future.
www.rin.org.uk 7 Mar 2012