Long Cross country 51.8nm straight line without landing at airport?

[dmspilot]

Going back to the original post, looks like the plan may have been OK but the decision not to land at one of the airports due to conditions cut it short.

It happens. I diverted on two of my student solo cross countries, but I landed at another airport instead of giving up.

I agree the plan would have worked if the entire thing was flown. I just don't see value in doing two short legs first before the key one. Seemed natural to me to want to get the most important and challenging part over with up front.

 

[Matthew]

I just looked up my student solo xc.

Leg 1) 63 NM
Leg 2) 76 NM
Leg 3) 113 NM

I’m pretty sure that last leg was technically longer because I think I used a VOR or airway on the way back so there was a dogleg. The two stops were at first-time-to-me airports. I stopped at the 2nd stop for a break and chatted with the line guy at the desk. He had a business card calling himself a “Fuel Delivery Engineer”.

I hope I will always remember that flight: middle of the day, middle of the week, middle of nowhere KS. No GPS so all pilotage and the frequency was so quiet I thought my radio wasn’t working. It was awesome and I felt like a real pilot.

To the OP: you did part of it, do it for real. Don’t stress over it, have fun. And try a different set of airports. You can do it, there’s no doubt in your CFIs mind. You already showed good decision making by your diversion, so there should be no doubt in your mind either. This is supposed to be the best experience of your training, you get to put the whole package together. Yeah, it sucks it might affect your checkride schedule, but one thing flying has taught me is patience.

Keep us posted.

 

[midlifeflyer]

I’m pretty sure that last leg was technically longer because I think I used a VOR or airway on the way back so there was a dogleg

That doesn’t make it longer from a cross country regulation standpoint.

 

[Matthew]

That doesn’t make it longer from a cross country regulation standpoint.

Yeah, I know, but it probably added a few tenths to the logbook entry.

 

[TommyG]

I mean, 51 is good enough. if you put a ruler on the chart and it's 51nm, who is going to challenge you? That being said, I would think students should flight plan alternates for all of their landings on the long XC and make sure there are alternates >50nm for the last take off. You should never assume you're going to be able to land at your planned destination hours before you get there. The OP and the CFI should have had an alternate in the plan for the >50nm leg.

Why do the bare minimum?

 

[Rene]

. . . . IIRC, doesn’t Hawaii have special rules about this?

Why? I'm pretty sure that HON to LAX or SFO is more than 50 nmi.

 

[morleyz]

Why do the bare minimum?

Because most students are paying by the hour and they're not all fabulously wealthy.

 

[AvNavCom]

Why? I'm pretty sure that HON to LAX or SFO is more than 50 nmi.

Sure, until you forget to land at a third airport and suddenly it doesn't count for your long cross-country! Haha!

I recently did a coast-to-coast and was happy that it would knock out the Commercial long cross-country requirement. Totally forgot that it requires three landings (duh) and nearly ended up with a three day flight which wouldn't have counted. Happily I stopped to top off fuel before launching into the Sierra Nevadas, so I got my three landings on the first day. Phew!

 

[midlifeflyer]

Sure, until you forget to land at a third airport and suddenly it doesn't count for your long cross-country! Haha!

I recently did a coast-to-coast and was happy that it would knock out the Commercial long cross-country requirement. Totally forgot that it requires three landings (duh) and nearly ended up with a three day flight which wouldn't have counted. Happily I stopped to top off fuel before launching into the Sierra Nevadas, so I got my three landings on the first day. Phew!

Not to worry. I’m sure you would have landed three times during that 3-day cross country coast to coast flight.