Flight planning guides
Written by a working flight instructor, for the parts of cross country planning that students actually get stuck on. No sign up, no video to sit through.
Printable VFR navigation log (free blank PDF)
A blank navigation log to print and fill in by hand, what each block is for, and when a blank sheet is the right tool.
Printable IFR navigation log (free blank PDF)
A two page blank IFR log: fix-by-fix leg table, fuel with alternate and reserve, weather and NOTAM blocks, and a blank ICAO flight plan.
How to fill out a VFR navigation log
Every column in order, what it means, and why each one depends on the last.
Wind correction angle and the wind triangle
The three vectors, a worked example, and the mental rule of thumb for checking it in flight.
Reading a winds aloft forecast
Decoding the FB groups, the cases that catch people, and how to interpolate to your altitude properly.
VFR and IFR cruising altitudes
East is odd, west is even, and the details around the rule that show up on checkrides.
Preferred IFR routes and TEC routes
Why the clearance does not match the flight plan, and how to look up what is published.
Common questions
What is a navlog?
A navigation log is the worksheet you fill in before a cross country: checkpoints down the page, and across it the true course, wind correction angle, headings, distance, ground speed, time and fuel for each leg. Filled in properly it means you are never doing arithmetic in the cockpit, and you know an hour early if the flight is not going the way you planned.
How do you calculate wind correction angle?
Solve the wind triangle from true airspeed, true course and the forecast wind. The crosswind component divided by true airspeed gives the sine of the correction angle, and you crab into the wind. There is a worked example here.
What altitude should I file?
More than 3,000 feet above the surface, a magnetic course of 000 through 179 takes odd thousands and 180 through 359 takes even thousands, and VFR adds 500. Within those, pick the one with the best wind, allowing for what the climb costs you. More on cruising altitudes.
Is EasyNavLog free?
You can build navlogs free, and you do not need an account to start. Paid features cover the school specific layouts and unlimited saved aircraft and history.
Stop doing it by hand
Type a route, pick your airplane, and get the whole sheet filled in from current FAA and NWS data.
Open EasyNavLogEasyNavLog is a planning and training aid, not a substitute for an official briefing. Verify every number against your POH or AFM, current charts and an approved weather source.