Navigation is how you get from one airport to another safely and legally, and flight planning is how you prepare to do it. This hub covers the three ways pilots navigate, how to read a sectional chart, how to plan with pilotage and dead reckoning, the role of GPS and electronic flight bags, and how to plan a complete cross-country flight.
Part of our Learn to Fly library. Cross-country planning is a major part of the private pilot requirements and the checkride.
The three ways pilots navigate
- Pilotage: navigating by reference to visual landmarks, comparing the ground to your chart.
- Dead reckoning: computing your heading, time, and fuel from known speed, distance, and wind.
- Electronic navigation: using GPS, ground-based aids, and moving-map apps.
You learn all three, and you use them together. GPS is wonderful, but a pilot who can navigate by chart and clock is never truly lost.
Reading the chart
The VFR sectional chart is your primary map: airspace, airports, terrain, obstacles, and frequencies are all on it. Learn to read it in our guide to sectional charts.
Planning the flight
Manual flight planning with pilotage, dead reckoning, and a navigation log teaches you exactly what your airplane will do on a trip. See flight planning fundamentals, and our gear guide on the E6B flight computer.
GPS and electronic flight bags
Modern cockpits and tablets put a moving map at your fingertips. Used well, they improve safety and situational awareness, but they do not replace the fundamentals. See GPS and EFB apps.
Putting it together: the cross-country
A cross-country flight combines navigation, weather, performance, fuel planning, and airspace into one plan. Our guide to planning a cross-country walks through the whole process.
Why learn manual navigation in the GPS era?
Electronics fail, databases expire, and screens go dark. More importantly, the discipline of planning by hand builds the judgment and situational awareness that make you a safe pilot. The FAA tests these skills, and good pilots keep them sharp for life.
Navigation tools
What you'll need
The flight-planning tools every student uses, from PilotMall.com.
Frequently asked questions
What are the methods of navigation?
Pilotage (by landmarks), dead reckoning (by calculation), and electronic navigation (GPS and ground-based aids). Pilots use them together.
Do I still need to learn manual navigation if I have GPS?
Yes. The FAA tests pilotage and dead reckoning, and the skills keep you safe when electronics fail.
What chart do VFR pilots use?
The VFR sectional chart, which shows airspace, airports, terrain, obstacles, and frequencies.