How much IFR flight planning do you do?

[gkrangers]

When you file IFR ?

This is a question for those of you when you fly general aviation IFR.

What extent of flight planning do you go into?

If you are flying airways, do you fill out a flight log with all the waypoints, headings between each, computed for winds aloft, ground speed, distance, time, fuel burn, etc?

Or more along the lines of...I have my route written down, I have my enroute chart, a rough total time estimate, and I know I have plenty of fuel to satisfy the length of the trip and the min fuel requirements?

 

[User546]

The only time I really file VFR anymore is if I'm doing a X/C with a student. For all personal flights, regardless of weather, I prefer to file an IFR flight plan. Much easier, more controlled, and keeps me proficient at the same time.

How much flight planning I do depends on what the weather is doing that day. If it's a severe clear day, I'll take a look at the METAR/TAF, quick glance at the Surface Analysis, and Radar Summary or Radars if going long distance. PIREP's, NOTAM's, and TFR's always.

If the weather is marginal or forecasted to be later, then I really dig into the weather deeper to the extent necessary. I fly out of the midwest, and the weather can go from clear to a mess in an afternoon.

I don't ever sit down and calculate all that stuff that you mentioned. I use Duats.com, and I have the profile already loaded for the Mooney and Dakota that I fly. I type in my route of flight, it takes the current winds & temps at the various altitudes, figures them into the flight plan, including ETA's, ETE's, ground speed, fuel consumption, and fuel remaining, and prints it off in a nifty little knee-board sized navlog.

Is that what you were looking for?

 

[Pedro]

I normally take a good look at that weather rock, if it doesn't look good I look deep into the weather so I always have an out. As far as the performance is concerned, I divide Dstance by TAS to get the time, and depending on the airplane I divide Time by GPH (rounded up always). Nedless to say if the headwind is big I take into consideration.

I normally use DUATS or AOPA.

 

[GravityHater]

This is a question for those of you when you fly general aviation IFR.

When I am going into imc I carry so much extra fuel that it seems almost ridiculous to do any fuel planning. (I did say 'almost seems'.)
I just never want 'fuel' and 'aviation accident' to be written in the same paragraph with my name, so I plan much shorter legs and have lots of easy outs well within the range of the airplane I am using.

I don't know of anyone who does that faa-written test-style 'leg by leg' planning.... heck you can plan all you want but how often do you even get the route you plan.... so like pedro I look at the overall maximum distance traveled divided by expected groundspeed adjusted conservatively to get an approximate time... and then double check against the gps readout as I go.

One thing I have started doing when imc, or at night is writing down on the charted position: time, fuel remaining, heading, ete about every half hour. If you lose the electrons, its nice to have some other semblance of a plan!

 

[Pedro]

This is a question for those of you when you fly general aviation IFR.

Still waiting for the question

I agree with you, I always like to know how much fuel I have remaining IN TIME, who cares about gallons.

 

[minitour]

Here's what I do.

Step 1: Open up FlightStar

Step 2: Pick aircraft, departure, destination and alternate(s).

Step 3: Have Flightstar download weather and review it all.

Step 4: Call FSS and file.

Step 5: Review approaches at departure, destination, alternate and a few along the way...just so I know what I'm doing.

This way I know what the weather is doing and I know I have enough fuel. FlightStar does the heading computations, etc...I just fly the airways.

Last time I did leg by leg was for my checkride.

Hope that helps.

-mini

 

[gkrangers]

Yeah I review all the weather...I'm a weather dork, its what I do...so I'll get deep into weather if need be, no problem.

The automated flight planning seems to be the best idea...gets you all the important stuff with ease...

I keep track of fuel remaining....I always use 10GPH for the 172..so 2 gallons per 12 minutes.

Thanks guys.

I need to investigate DUATS more...I have my info, I just never really have used it.

 

[GravityHater]

Still waiting for the question

"Are you Flechas or Pedro or ???"

That question?

 

[Pedro]

This is a question for those of you when you fly general aviation IFR.

You said you had a question, that question.


Now as far as the other question, I'm Flechas, DBA Pedro.

 

[Almerick07]

AOPA flight planner, pretty much gives you everything your leg-by-leg plan would in about 1/09267905867 of the time. In a GA airplane I tend to just top off the tanks to rid myself of fuel worries. As far as weather goes I dont mess around, I give myself a plan if things get bad (diversions etc...). I also review STAR's, approaches and what not before I get in the airplane.