Flight Planning the Old Fashioned Way

[dmccormack]

You missed the first part of my post. I'm happy to spread out the charts and decide on a route. It's the tedious calculations converting true to magnetic, wind triangles, etc that are best left to the computer. That way I have more time to do the fun part of the planning - deciding where to go and how to get there.

I do the tedious calculations some time, but then check my work with a planner. I use simple math so infrequently anymore it's one of the few opportunities I have to keep those parts of my brain actually working!

 

[Henning]

First I call weather and talk to them, if I have internet I'm looking at the weather charts at the same time. From that I figure where I'll want to make my fuel stop(s) as required and I'll use an electronic device to compare my options of which fuel stop to use in that range.
If I have the paper charts, I will give them a look over because you still can't get the overview you get from looking at big paper charts on any typical electronic format with all the scrolling required at a scale where there is detail.

 

[godfreypilot]

Any flight (VFR/IFR) out of my local area will see me using the AOPA flight planner, hands down. I rarely make use of the winds and ETE's (mostly because I'm never pushing reserves), but having it printed out does a lot for peace of mind. Actual navigation? Still finger-flying the charts and tracking the VOR radials across socal

 

[bsdunek]

I do use the AOPA flight planner, but still do my final planning on the charts. But this is coming from a guy that flys a plane with a tailwheel (and has black & white film in my camera).

 

[dmccormack]

I do use the AOPA flight planner, but still do my final planning on the charts. But this is coming from a guy that flys a plane with a tailwheel (and has black & white film in my camera).

I'm in the same boat (1940), but own and use a digital, color camera.

 

[PilotAlan]

For short flights, paper.
For long flights (more than 200 mi), I use SkyVector's WACs and Sectionals to figure out the route I want (rubberbanding to avoid R- or P- areas, stay over as many airports as possible etc.)
I use Skyvector for initial planning because it uses scanned sectionals/WACs. So I like using the electronic version of paper

Then I put the route and waypoints into Voyager to get the flight plan / 100LL prices / and kneeboard format I like, plus printing out the airport diagrams for planned stops.

Then, the route goes into FlightGuide on my IPad and the GX55 in my panel.