✈️ Aviation Brief — Issue #53
Weekly insights for student pilots and the instructors who train them.
THIS WEEK'S TOPIC
IA.I.C — Flight Planning (Instrument Rating ACS)
### 1. ACS STANDARDS SUMMARY
For IA.I.C (Flight Planning) at the Instrument Rating level, the FAA ACS requires you to demonstrate the ability to plan an IFR cross-country flight by obtaining weather reports and forecasts, NOTAMs, and airspace information from approved sources; analyzing aircraft performance data; computing weight and balance; determining fuel requirements with reserves; selecting and verifying alternate airports if needed; and completing/communicating a flight plan per FAA/ICAO regs. The examiner expects you to explain your planning process, show accurate calculations (e.g., groundspeed, fuel burn, ETAs), and file a realistic flight plan—often using tools like ForeFlight or paper charts—while identifying risks like weather changes or low fuel scenarios.
### 2. THREE COMMON STUDENT MISTAKES
- **Underestimating fuel requirements**: Students often calculate just basic enroute burn but forget to add required IFR reserves (45 minutes day/30 minutes night), alternate fuel, taxi, or wind effects—leading to "minimum fuel" declarations or checkride busts.
- **Skipping alternate airport checks**: Forgetting to confirm the alternate's weather meets filing minimums (1,000-foot ceilings and 3 SM visibility forecast) or that it's within 200 NM with an instrument approach—examiners catch this every time on cross-country planning.
- **Inaccurate weight and balance or performance data**: Plugging in wrong aircraft weights, not accounting for ice accumulation in the C172, or ignoring density altitude effects on takeoff/landing distances, which can make your plan unsafe or unrealistic.
### 3. CFI PRO TIP
Always start your flight planning with a "big picture" paper sketch: Draw your route on a low/high chart, jot down key fixes, winds aloft, and rough fuel times first—then plug into ForeFlight or your EFB. This builds situational awareness and catches digital errors before they bite you; I've seen students shave 20 minutes off planning time and boost confidence on checkrides.
### 4. SAFETY SPOTLIGHT
Poor IFR flight planning has contributed to fuel exhaustion accidents, a leading cause of fatal IMC events per NTSB data—e.g., in 2021-2023, at least 12 GA instrument accidents involved running bingo fuel due to unforecast headwinds or underestimated reserves (NTSB reports like CEN22FA135). ASRS callbacks highlight pilots filing without alternates, then diverting into marginal weather; always build in a 20% fuel buffer beyond regs to stay ahead of the deteriorating forecast.
### 5. DID YOU KNOW
Under FAR 91.169, you can skip filing an alternate if the destination forecast is at or above 2,000-foot ceilings and 3 SM visibility from one hour before to one hour after your ETA—but most examiners and prudent pilots file one anyway for that extra safety margin in Vegas weather.
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Based in Las Vegas, NV
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