Instrument Rating ACS Study Guide: Cross-Country Flight Planning

IFR cross-country planning is more than entering a departure and destination into an EFB and following the magenta line.

An instrument pilot needs to understand the entire flight before departure—the route, weather, altitude, fuel, procedures, aircraft performance, alternates, and available options if the original plan changes.

For the Instrument Rating ACS, be prepared to build, explain, and defend your flight plan from departure through landing.

BUILD THE FLIGHT FROM THE GROUND UP

A good IFR cross-country plan should follow the flight in the same order you will fly it:

Departure → Route → Altitude → En Route → Arrival → Approach → Alternate

For each phase, ask:

  • What route or procedure am I expecting?
  • What altitude will I use and why?
  • What weather or terrain affects this portion?
  • How much time and fuel will it require?
  • What will I do if the plan changes?

The goal is not simply creating a route that works. It is understanding why it works.

START WITH THE ROUTE

Evaluate your departure, destination, and everything between them.

Consider:

  • Airways, RNAV routes, fixes, and navigation facilities
  • Preferred or commonly used routing
  • Special-use airspace
  • Terrain and obstacles
  • NOTAMs
  • Airports available along the route
  • Aircraft navigation capabilities

Your route should make sense for the aircraft, weather, terrain, and equipment.

Be prepared to explain why you selected it instead of simply saying, “That is what my EFB gave me.”

DEPARTURE PLANNING

Know how you will safely transition from the airport into the en route environment.

Review:

  • Airport and runway information
  • NOTAMs
  • Obstacle considerations
  • Departure Procedures and ODPs
  • Expected ATC routing
  • Initial altitude and clearance

Pay particular attention to terrain and obstacle clearance and understand the departure procedure before leaving the ground.

CHOOSE AN APPROPRIATE ALTITUDE

Selecting an IFR altitude involves more than choosing a legal altitude.

Consider:

  • Minimum IFR and charted altitudes
  • Terrain and obstacles
  • Navigation reception
  • Weather and freezing levels
  • Icing and turbulence
  • Winds aloft
  • Aircraft performance
  • Oxygen considerations

A higher altitude may improve terrain clearance or winds but could place you closer to icing conditions or reduce aircraft performance.

Choose an altitude that works for today’s flight and today’s conditions.

LET WEATHER SHAPE THE PLAN

Evaluate weather across the entire flight:

Departure → En Route → Destination → Alternate

Consider ceilings, visibility, winds, icing, turbulence, thunderstorms, freezing levels, weather trends, and PIREPs.

Weather should help determine your route, altitude, fuel requirements, alternate, and escape options rather than being something you check after the route is already built.

TIME, SPEED & FUEL

The ACS expects you to understand the numbers behind your flight plan.

Determine your expected true airspeed, groundspeed, distance, time en route, fuel burn, and reserves.

TIME = DISTANCE ÷ GROUNDSPEED

Example:

240 NM ÷ 120 knots = 2.0 hours

Then calculate fuel:

FUEL REQUIRED = TIME × FUEL BURN

At 10 GPH: 2.0 hours × 10 GPH = 20 gallons

Your complete fuel plan should also consider fuel needed for start, taxi, climb, cruise, approach, missed approach, alternate, and required reserves, as applicable.

Most importantly, know:

How much fuel will I have remaining when I land?

AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE MATTERS

A flight plan only works if the airplane can accomplish it.

Evaluate:

  • Takeoff and climb performance
  • Cruise performance and fuel consumption
  • Weight and balance
  • Landing performance
  • Density altitude
  • Aircraft limitations

Use the aircraft’s actual performance information rather than assumptions when building the plan.

PLAN THE ARRIVAL BEFORE DEPARTURE

Review your arrival and likely approach before you leave.

Know:

  • Expected arrival routing or STAR
  • Destination airport layout
  • Available approaches
  • Approach minimums
  • Required equipment
  • Missed approach procedures
  • Terrain and obstacles

Ask:

Which approach am I expecting based on the forecast weather and winds?

Then:

What is my plan if that approach becomes unavailable?

Planning ahead reduces workload when conditions become demanding.

YOUR ALTERNATE IS PART OF THE PLAN

If an alternate is required—or simply prudent—evaluate it with the same care as your destination.

Consider:

  • Forecast weather
  • Available approaches
  • Approach minimums
  • Runways and winds
  • Terrain
  • NOTAMs
  • Fuel required to reach it
  • Weather along the diversion route

Do not select an alternate simply because it is nearby.

Ask:

If I cannot land at my destination, is this somewhere I realistically want to go?

KNOW YOUR CHARTS & PROCEDURES

Be comfortable using and interpreting:

  • En route charts
  • Departure Procedures
  • Arrival Procedures
  • Instrument approach charts
  • Chart Supplements
  • NOTAMs
  • Airport diagrams

Don’t simply identify a charted number or symbol. Be prepared to explain what it means and how it affects your flight.

BUILD IN AN ESCAPE PLAN

Strong IFR planning includes options before they are needed.

Identify airports along the route that could be used if:

  • Weather deteriorates
  • Icing develops
  • Equipment fails
  • Fuel becomes a concern
  • Your destination becomes unavailable

Throughout the flight, continue asking:

“Where would I go right now if I could not continue?”

The answer may change as the flight progresses.

THE CROSS-COUNTRY SCENARIO

Imagine you are planning a 250-NM IFR flight.

Your destination is forecast near approach minimums, winds aloft create a significant headwind, the freezing level is near your planned altitude, and your alternate is 45 NM beyond the destination.

Your original calculations show sufficient fuel.

Now ask:

What if the headwind is stronger than forecast?

What if ATC gives you a longer route?

What if you fly the approach and go missed?

How much fuel will remain when you reach the alternate?

Would a different altitude or alternate improve the plan?

This is where flight planning becomes risk management instead of simply arithmetic.

BE READY FOR THE CHECKRIDE

Expect the evaluator to ask you to explain your cross-country plan.

Be prepared for questions such as:

“Why did you choose this route and altitude?”

“How did you calculate your fuel?”

“What weather concerns you?”

“Walk me through your departure.”

“What approach are you expecting?”

“Why did you select this alternate?”

“What happens to your fuel if I add 30 minutes to the flight?”

“Where would you divert if you encountered icing?”

“What NOTAMs affect this flight?”

A strong answer connects the plan to actual conditions rather than simply quoting information from an EFB.

 

A SIMPLE IFR PLANNING FLOW

1. ROUTE

Where am I going and how will I get there?

2. WEATHER

What conditions affect that route?

3. ALTITUDE

What works for terrain, weather, navigation, and performance?

4. PERFORMANCE

Can the airplane safely accomplish the plan?

5. TIME & FUEL

How long will it take, how much fuel will I use, and what will remain?

6. PROCEDURES

What departures, arrivals, approaches, and missed procedures should I expect?

7. ALTERNATE

Where will I go if the destination does not work?

8. RISK

What could change, and what will I do about it?

 

FINAL TAKEAWAY

A well-planned IFR cross-country should answer three questions:

CAN I COMPLETE THE FLIGHT?

Consider performance, fuel, weather, terrain, and procedures.

WHAT COULD CHANGE?

Consider weather, ATC routing, winds, equipment, fuel, and airport availability.

WHAT WILL I DO IF IT DOES?

Establish alternates, diversion airports, fuel margins, and decision points before they are needed.

Instrument cross-country planning is not about creating one perfect plan.

It is about creating a plan you understand well enough to safely modify when conditions change.

ACS CONNECTION — CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT PLANNING

The Instrument Rating ACS expects applicants to prepare and explain an assigned cross-country flight plan using current weather and appropriate risk analysis.

Be prepared to calculate time en route and fuel requirements, account for altitude, winds, power settings, reserves, and aircraft loading, and recalculate when the scenario changes.

Applicants should also be able to create a navigation plan, simulate filing an IFR flight plan, interpret departure, en route, arrival, and approach procedures, and use current charts, NOTAMs, Chart Supplements, and applicable publications.

The goal is to demonstrate that you understand how every part of the plan affects the safety and outcome of the flight.

 

FAA REFERENCES

  • Instrument Rating – Airplane Airman Certification Standards, FAA-S-ACS-8C
  • FAA Instrument Flying Handbook
  • FAA Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge
  • FAA Aeronautical Information Manual
  • FAA Chart User’s Guide
  • FAA Chart Supplements