VFR Navigation and Cross-Country Planning

What you'll learn: how to turn a line on a chart into headings, times and fuel. Source: PHAK Ch. 16, 14 CFR 91.159, 91.151.

From course to heading

Memory aid: "True Virgins Make Dull Company": True course ± wind correction = true heading; ± Variation = Magnetic heading; ± Deviation = Compass heading. For variation, "East is least, West is best": subtract east, add west.

Planning steps

Draw the course; pick checkpoints every 10–20 nm.
Measure true course and distance.
Use winds aloft and an E6B to find wind correction angle and groundspeed.
Compute time and fuel for each leg, plus climb.
Check airspace, terrain, NOTAMs, TFRs and weather along the route.

VFR cruising altitudes (91.159)

Above 3,000 ft AGL (and below 18,000 MSL), based on magnetic course:

Magnetic course	Altitude
0°–179°	Odd thousands + 500 (e.g. 5,500)
180°–359°	Even thousands + 500 (e.g. 6,500)

Fuel reserves (91.151, airplanes)

Enough to reach the first point of intended landing plus 30 minutes (day) or 45 minutes (night) at normal cruise. Those are minimums; many pilots plan an hour.

Using GPS

GPS makes navigation easier, but you still need pilotage and dead reckoning for checkrides and failures.

Read it in the FAA handbooks

The official chapters behind this page. Each link opens the exact chapter, free on faa.gov. See the full Study Library.

PHAKChapter 16NavigationOpens the PHAK at this chapter · free, official

Check yourself

2 questions. Pick an answer to see why it's right or wrong.