VFR XC Checkpoints

PilotMick83

PilotMick83

Filing Flight Plan
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Apr 6, 2016
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Terry
Hi all,

I'm moving into the XC portion of my training, and I'm struggling to pick good checkpoints that are a) on the sectional and b) easily identifiable. For instance, I've not been successful necessarily saying I'll have that small airport, town, etc off my wing.

I'm curious if anyone has any thoughts or tips that they've used? As primary training should be, my instructor is not allowing use of GPS or iPad during these - giving me the incentive to finish my checkride and then use them :)
 
I found power lines to be super easy to spot and use as guidance. You don’t have a single lake or town that you can spot? Where are you based?
 
Give us a example of a route he wants you to fly.

Generally water works well, airports work very well, power plants, anything with a flag on the chart, etc

Also following roads or a coast is great
 
There are places where few checkpoints exists. Flew with my student a few days ago from KEET to KSEM (very rural and trees) and checkpoints were very sparse. Coming and going. I knew where we were both legs but my student was lost. Poor bastard. :D
 
PilotMick83 said:
For instance, I've not been successful necessarily saying I'll have that small airport, town, etc off my wing.
Click to expand...
Airports are usually the easiest thing to spot, especially in the summer amongst the green landscape.

I'm with @James331. Give us a route you would fly and we'll suggest checkpoints.
 
Ryanb said:
Airports are usually the easiest thing to spot, especially in the summer amongst the green landscape.

I'm with @James331. Give us a route you would fly and we'll suggest checkpoints.
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Use mine above.
 
With difficult-to-see landmarks, I used to put the nearest VOR radial that crossed my checkpoint as a double-check. My instructor liked that even though we were doing visual checkpoints. Just an idea.
 
mscard88 said:
Use mine above.
Click to expand...
Yeah that's a tricky one. Lots of HT powerlines and rail road tracks though that could be used. Without getting too specific, Chilton Co. looks like a good checkpoint and also the big interchange near Maplesville etc. Not much to choose from, but you just have to work with it.
 
+1 on the VOR radial

Airports are okay, but in some parts of the country where you have lots of wooded area and fields too it can be hard to make out which field is a small airport with a 2k grass runway and which was just a field

someone mentioned above power lines, those are always very easy to find for me since they are usually in a straight line or obviously zigzagging a wide swath cutting through both housing developments and forests
 
Freeways and railroads always worked well for me, and since I'm from Michigan, the frequent small(ish) lakes helped.

@PilotMick83 How far apart are you picking your waypoints?
 
PilotMick83 said:
Hi all,

I'm moving into the XC portion of my training, and I'm struggling to pick good checkpoints that are a) on the sectional and b) easily identifiable. For instance, I've not been successful necessarily saying I'll have that small airport, town, etc off my wing.

I'm curious if anyone has any thoughts or tips that they've used? As primary training should be, my instructor is not allowing use of GPS or iPad during these - giving me the incentive to finish my checkride and then use them :)
Click to expand...

I'm on that stage as well. I found that lakes are the easiest to identify due to being easy to find and their shape matches what's on the sectional.
Powerlines and roads come second, airports and cities last.
I also use a combination for VOR intersections/radials. Something like: when I cross the 275 radial of XYZ, I should see the Podunk city to my left.
 
mscard88 said:
There are places where few checkpoints exists. Flew with my student a few days ago from KEET to KSEM (very rural and trees) and checkpoints were very sparse. Coming and going. I knew where we were both legs but my student was lost. Poor bastard. :D
Click to expand...
Looks like nearly everything is running parallel to your flight path...makes it harder for sure.
 
+1 on railroads, interstates, and large lakes.

Some airports are, and some aren't, easy to see and make good checkpoints. Those with intersecting runways (i.e. more land area) are easier; single runways not so much. Also matters if you are approaching near parallel or perpendicular are to a single runway airport. My home field is one runway and I still have trouble picking it out until just a few miles away when arriving perpendicular.
 
OP, I feel your pain. I'm flying out of N27. We have done cross countries to KITH and CZG. Not many check points along the way. I often use cross radials for VORs along the way when nothing else seems to fit. I'll be interested in hearing some different tips.
 
Without knowing your route the only advice I have is highways, train tracks, and power lines that run perpendicular to your track are going to be hard to pick out if in a wooded area. Look for things that run at angles or parallel to your track. Water towers are great as well as factories and quarries. Towers can be tricky sometimes to spot and some towns can be so spread out or surrounded by so many other structures that they are hard to pick out. Odds are your instructor has flown the same route with every student so ask them what to use.
 
OP, so when you do cross country flights with your CFI does your CFI point out corresponding points on the sectional and on the ground to help you develop that skill? It can take dome practice to get real good at
 
mscard88 said:
Use mine above.
Click to expand...

i see tons of stuff to use. that looks no different than some of the flying out in this neck of the woods. any cfi should be able to point stuff out on that route.
 
gdwindowpane said:
OP, I feel your pain. I'm flying out of N27. We have done cross countries to KITH and CZG. Not many check points along the way. I often use cross radials for VORs along the way when nothing else seems to fit. I'll be interested in hearing some different tips.
Click to expand...

That river looks like a big-ol' checkpoint. Halfway to CZG are a couple lakes. And VORs at/near both destinations. Easy peasy. ;)
 
mscard88 said:
There are places where few checkpoints exists. Flew with my student a few days ago from KEET to KSEM (very rural and trees) and checkpoints were very sparse. Coming and going. I knew where we were both legs but my student was lost. Poor bastard. :D
Click to expand...

I Follow (Rail)Roads???
 
Railroads,power lines,lakes,the shorter distance on your checkpoints the better.
 
eman1200 said:
i see tons of stuff to use. that looks no different than some of the flying out in this neck of the woods. any cfi should be able to point stuff out on that route.
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I could have done that but he's ready, or should be, for solo XCs, so I'm not going to spoon feed him. Crap he's a nuclear engineer! Have to make sure he can do this chit on his own.

One I did yesterday was another student's first dual, so yes, I pointed out secondary checkpoints and things that make good checkpoints as it was his first time. Cherry boy. :D
 
PilotMick83 said:
Hi all,

I'm moving into the XC portion of my training, and I'm struggling to pick good checkpoints that are a) on the sectional and b) easily identifiable. For instance, I've not been successful necessarily saying I'll have that small airport, town, etc off my wing.

I'm curious if anyone has any thoughts or tips that they've used? As primary training should be, my instructor is not allowing use of GPS or iPad during these - giving me the incentive to finish my checkride and then use them :)
Click to expand...

  • Airports with Paved Runways: The taxiways and runways of nearby airports are easy to spot due to large clearings. They also contrast with the grass around them.
  • Railroads: Railroads are relatively easy to spot due to large clearings made for tracks.
  • Highways: Multi-lane highways are easy to spot from the air.
  • Major Road Intersections: Major road and highway intersections with multiple cloverleaf turnoffs are easily spotted.
  • Large Rivers: Looks for rivers that are drawn with some level of open-water width. Small streams are simple lines, while rivers are drawn wider.
  • Large Lakes with Definable Shapes: If a lake has an easily definable shape, it'll be easy to spot from the air.
  • Towns with Prominent Features: Does the town you're looking for have a major road, railway, or water tower?
  • Wind Farms: Wind farms situated in open clearings are a no-brainer.
  • Open-Pit Mines: If you get lucky enough to find an open-pit mine along the way, use it as a checkpoint!
  • VOR Equipment: When flying near a VOR, look for a clearing with a large white tower. New VORs may be harder to spot, with smaller white "pods" arranged in a circle. You can use a VOR's radial and distance to verify your location too.
 
Your student will be able to tell easily that he is in Alabama.
 
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